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About Denmark

     Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark (help·info), IPA: [ˈd̥æ(n)mɑɡ̊], (archaic:) IPA: [ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊] and ) is the southernmost and territorially the smallest of the five Nordic countries if its offshore territories are excluded, and the largest if they are included. Denmark is one of the Scandinavian countries. The mainland is located north of its only land neighbour, Germany, southwest of Sweden, and south of Norway. Denmark also encompasses two off-shore territories, the Faroe IslandsGreenland, granted home rule in 1948 and 1979, respectively. The national capital is Copenhagen.

     Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland, which borders northern Germany, plus a large number of islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Vendsyssel-Thy, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago. Denmark has historically controlled the approach to the Baltic Sea, and these waters are also known as the Danish straits.

     Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and has been a member of the European Union since joining the European Economic Community in 1973. The Faroe Islands and Greenland remain outside the EU, including the EU customs zone.

     Originally relying on farming, fishing and seafaring and without major natural resources, Denmark experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 19th and early 20th century. These trends enabled the establishment of a Scandinavian Model "welfare state" of public services, starting with the 1933 social reforms known as the Kanslergade Agreement. Denmark was occupied by Germany during World War II and, ending a tradition of political neutrality in 1949, became one of the founding members of NATO.In 2006 a survey found Denmark to be the happiest place in the world, based on standards of health, welfare, and education. In 2007 the country's capital is ranked the second most liveable city in the world by Monocle magazine and ranked as the happiest nation in the world.

About Fredericia

     Fredericia municipality is a municipality (Danish, kommune) on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south-central Denmark. Its belongs to Region Syddanmark, covers an area of 134.46 km², and has a total population of 49,252 (2006). Mayor is Uffe Steiner Jensen, representing the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) political party.

     The municipality's main town and the site of its municipal council is the city of Fredericia.

     Neighboring municipalities are Vejle to the north, Kolding to the west, and Middelfart to the east, albeit separated from the municipality by the waters of the Lillebælt, the strait, that separates the Jutland mainland from the island of Funen in this area, where the two lie very close to each other, often less than 1.5 km apart. Snævringen is an extension of the Kattegat, and begins near the cities of Fredericia and Middelfart.

     The municipality was created as the result of kommunalreform ("Municipality Reform") in 1970. Fredericia municipality was not be merged with other municipalities in the 2007 nationwide Kommunalreformen ("Municipality Reform"). Before 2007, the municipality was surrounded by the municipalities of Børkop to the north, Kolding to the west, and Middelfart to the east and belonged to Vejle County.

     The city of Fredericia was founded in 1650 by Frederik III, after whom it was named. Fredericia was almost selected as the Danish capital, due to its central location and large port; but in the end Copenhagen became the focus of attention due to its massive population.

     The city is one of Denmark's largest traffic hubs, and is home to the army's Signals Regiment (Telegrafregimentet), which is located at Ryes Barracks (Ryes Kaserne) and Bülows Barracks (Bülows Kaserne).