The living expenses of an average Danish family can be broken down as follows:

• Accommodation and maintenance 22%

• Food, drink and tobacco 17%

• Transport and communications 17%

• Other goods and services, f.ex., child care 13%

• Equipment for leisure activities, entertainment 11%

• Heating and electricity 7%

• Furniture 6%

• Clothing and shoes 5%

• Medicines and medical expenses 2%

Source: Workindenmark

The population of Denmark is 5,566,856
The capital is Copenhagen with 1,199,224 inhabitants
Other large cities are Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg
Average life expectancy for women is 81 years and men 76 years
The native language is Danish
The religion in Denmark is 80 percent Protestant

Inhabitants in Aarhus Municipality: 314,545
Estimated number of Inhabitants in Aarhus City Centre excl. suburbs: 249,709
Estimated number of Inhabitants in the greater Aarhus area: 1,200,000
Inhabitants of foreign origin: 45,761
Inhabitants of foreign citizenship: 23,660
Number of families: 172,488
Number of households: 148,284
Number of inhabitants within an hour drive: more than 1,200,000

Visit Aarhus has produced a small film about Aarhus.

Aarhus is a city very conscious about its roots. Aarhus may well be Denmark’s oldest city; evidence has been found which shows that there was a Viking settlement here as early as the 8th century.

The Vikings settled by the mouth of the river – at the very spot where the Cathedral stands today its steeple soaring more than 90 metres into the sky. The ’Bispetorv’ square was also the centre of the town 1250 years ago, and in the Viking Museum in the basement of the Nordea Bank you are standing right next to the ramparts which the Vikings built around Aarhus in the 10th century.

Aarhus Municipality covers an area of 468 square kilometers.
Aarhus City Centre covers an area of 91 square kilometers.
The greater Aarhus area covers an area of 1,909 square kilometers.

Demark covers an area of 43,098 square kilometers
Denmark consists of the peninsula Jutland and 407 islands
The total coastline of Denmark is 7,314 kilometers
The highest peak of Denmark is Møllehøj situated 170.86 meter above sea level
The largest lake in Denmark is Arresø of 39.50 square kilometers
The longest river is Gudenåen stretching over 158 kilometers

Another small film from www.visitaarhus.com.

At the same time, Aarhus is Denmark’s youngest city at heart. About one in five of its inhabitants is a student at one of the city’s 25 educational and research institutions. This gives the city a youthful vibrancy of its very own; in the city centre as well as in and around the University of Aarhus and its characteristic yellow brick buildings.

Form of state is Constitutional Monarchy.
Head of state is Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.
The Government is a coalition of the Social Democratic party, Danish Social Liberal party and Socialist People's party, headed by the Social Democrats.
Head of government is Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Number of nurseries: 80
Number of day cares: 661
Number of kindergartens: 106

Aarhus is currently expanding dramatically. Over the next ten years the entire inner section of the Aarhus Harbour will be transformed into a new urban area with homes, businesses and educational institutions. Some 7-8,000 new residents will move into the new urban area within the next few years. In parallel with this, the Lisbjerg quarter to the north of the city will also be undergoing substantial growth and will be connected with the city centre by a new light railway, passing through Denmark’s largest hospital area at Aarhus University Hospital.

The currency is Danish Kroner, DKK (DKK 5,54 equals USD 1 and DKK 7,44 equals 1 Euro)
Denmark is member of e.g. UN, OECD, EU, NATO, Schengen, OSCE, IMF, WT

Number of airports within an hour drive: 2 international airports: Billund airport - 32 international destinations (website: www.billund-airport.dk), Aarhus airport -  14 international destinations (website: www.aar.dk).
Number of companies: 32.194

Design, fashion, life-style and trend-setting - these are some of the words which describe the shopping experiences to be had in Aarhus. Most of the fashion stores are located in the city centre, within a 1.5 km radius, or 15 minutes’ walking distance. Many of the major malls, furniture stores, garden centres etc. are located outside of the city centre.

If you are going fashion shopping in the city centre, you can find many shops in these areas:  

• Strøget is the name of the 850 metre-long pedestrian street with more than 150 shops. Strøget stretches from the Central Station to the Cathedral.

• In Latinerkvarteret (The Latin Quarter), the narrow cobbled streets and beautiful houses form a creative mix of trend-setting design shops to shops with small rooms and creaking wooden floors. Bruun’s Galleri is Denmark’s largest city-shopping centre. The centre has 90 shops on 2 levels. Here you can find representatives of the Danish retail industry and international shops.

• The department stores Salling and Magasin offer a wide range of quality articles for the whole family.

The Danish website www.pensum.dk gives you an overview of the prices and delivery time of curriculum books. On the site, you can search for used books, and compare prices. Unfortunately, the site is in Danish only.

The shopping guide at www.aarhus.dk, allows you to search by location and category for the shops you are looking for.

To search according to location and shopping category:

• Click on the arrow in the white space where it is says “By” (town). A menu listing different areas in and around Århus will appear.
• Select the location of where you are looking for a shop. If you are looking for a store in the city centre of Aarhus, select “Aarhus C”.
• Click on the arrow in the white space where it says “Kategori” (category). A menu listing different shopping categories will appear. The list is in Danish, but you can find a translation of the different categories here: 

Antikviteter	Antiques
Antikvariater	Second-hand bookshops
Babytøj og udstyr	Baby clothes and equipment
Blomster	Flowers
Boligtekstiler	Home textiles
Brude – og Selskabskjole	Bridal and party dresses
Brugskunst og kunsthåndværk	Arts and crafts
Butikscentre og Stor magasin	Shopping centres and department stores
Byggemarkeder	DIY markets
Bøger og papir	Books and stationery
Chokolade og slik	Chocolate and sweets/candy
Computer	Computers
Cykler og knallerter	Bicycles and mopeds
Dametøj og –lingeri	Lady’s fashion and lingerie
Delikatesser og specialiteter	Delicatessen and specialities
Dyrehandlere	Pet shops
El og lys	Electricity and lighting
Farve og tapet	Paint and wallpaper
Foto	Photo
Galleri	Galleries
Gaver og isenkram	Gifts and ironmongery
Genbrugsbutikker	Second-hand stores
Herretøj	Men’s fashion
Hobby artikler	Hobby items
Hvidevarer	Domestic appliances
Jagt og Fiske	Hunting and fishing
Legetøj og spil	Toys and games
Læder og skind	Leather and furs
Musik instrumenter	Musical instruments
Møbler	Furniture
Optikere	Optician
Ost	Cheese
Radio og TV	Radio and TV
Sko	Shoes
Skønhed og pleje	Makeup and beauty
Smykker og ure	Jewelleries and watches
Sportsforretninger	Sports good shops
Vin og tobak	Wines, spirits and tobacco

• Click on the “søg” (search) button.

Names of stores that sell products within the shopping category you have selected, and within the selected area, will be listed, with links to their exact address and contact information. Note that not all the stores in all the areas are included in this online search application.

Local bus services in the Aarhus area are coordinated by the bus company Midttrafik. Read more about Midttrafik and their services on Midttrafik’s website: www.midttrafik.dk.
In Aarhus, you will find two types of buses – a yellow buss and a blue bus.

City buses are yellow. 

In 2012 Aarhus Sporveje (Aarhus traffic company) introduces new rules for entering buses. For those of you, who use public transportation, it will mean that you will be able to enter a bus using both front and back doors.

You cannot buy tickets from the driver on the yellow buses. You buy your tickets in the ticket machine located either at the back or in the centre section of the bus. Please note that that not all ticket machines accept credit cards and only newer machines have English services. The bus fare depends on the number of zones you are travelling. Read more about ticket prices and zones in Aarhus, and download a zone map of the city at Midttrafik’s website.

You will also find yellow city buses in Grenaa, Odder, Randers, Silkeborg and Skanderborg.

The blue buses are regional buses. You enter the blue buses in the front of the bus, and you can buy your buss tickets from the driver.

You can download the timetable for Aarhus’ city buses and night buses on Midttrafik’s website. On the website you can also find the timetable for the regional buses. Please note that the sites are only in Danish. 

You can also find departure and arrival times to and from destinations in Aarhus at: www.rejseplanen.dk.

All Danish municipalities have public libraries, where you can borrow books, CDs and videos and use the Internet free of charge. However, in Denmark libraries are not merely places where you can borrow books; they are also a meeting place for many social networks, and where a host of different events take place.

Most library events are free of charge and open to everyone. You will often find information about the libraries in your area on the municipality´s website. If you can not find information in English, contact your local library or the municipality and ask what kind of events and services the libraries offer.

Most libraries in Denmark will require you to sign up as a user before you can make use of their services. To sign up you will need some form of photo-ID and your health insurance card as proof that you have a CPR number. Read more about the CPR number under CPR number.

All libraries have rules and regulations that apply to those using their services. It is always a good idea to acquaint yourself with these rules before you use library services. For example, if you fail return books on time you be subject to a fine.

The libraries in Aarhus have an English website where you find information about Aarhus’ libraries and the rules and regulations that apply when you use their service.

Most Libraries are open from 10.00 to 18.00 on weekdays, and from 10.00 to 13.00 or 14.00 on Saturdays. Check with your local library for precise opening hours. Most municipalities will have the libraries’ opening hours posted on their website, or check out this link: www.aakb.dk.

Number of municipal primary and lower secondary school: 49
Number of students: 40,000
Number of higher educational institutions: 25

www.bibliotek.dk is a free internet book search service, where you can find everything ever published in Denmark. You can also see which books are in stock at which libraries and request items to be sent to the library at which you have signed up.

The libraries in Aarhus Municipality have an English website.