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

A study from 2006 shows that Danes are the happiest people on earth. See the report form US TV station ABC here.

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

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

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

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

The currency in Denmark is Danish Kroner (DKK). Most prices in Denmark are given in DKK, and it is also the only currency accepted by most shops. Some stores, especially those in tourist areas, do accept Euro. You should, however, be aware of that the exchange rate can be poor and that you will often get Danish Kroner in return.

You can find a list of current exchange rates on the website of the Danish National Bank, Danmarks Nationalbank .

There are ticket machines on most stations, most of which accept both cash and credit/debit cards. You will find them either in the station’s main hall or on the platform. At serviced stations, you can also buy tickets at the service office or in the station kiosk.

If the station you depart from is not manned and the ticket machine is out of order, contact the conductor as soon as you get on the train. If you do not do so you risk being fined when the conductor asks to see your ticket. If the telephone number to the operation company is listed on the machine, it is also a good idea to call the operation company and inform them that the machine is out of order.

To buy and reserve tickets you can also contact DSB. You can find the contact information to DSB, on DSB’s website.

Note that DSB Orange tickets can only be bought online on DSB´s Online ticket shop. Reade more about Orange tickets under About DSB Orange tickets and Booking a DSB Orange ticket

Generally speaking, shops in Denmark open around 09.00 or 10.00 and close around 17.00 or 18.00 Mondays to Thursdays. On Fridays, many shops stay open until 19.00 or 20.00 and on Saturdays, they normally close around 13.00 or 14.00. Most shops are closed on Sundays.

There are however, numerous exceptions to these opening hours, e.g.:

• Many shops are open the first Sunday of the month.
• In some places, the shops are also open on the last Sunday of the month.
• Small shops often have shorter opening hours.
• Many shops have longer opening hours during the period leading up to Christmas.
• Many of the bigger supermarkets open earlier in the morning and close later in the evening.
• Shops in tourist areas often have longer opening hours during the tourist season.

Nets Betalingsservice is the Danish banks’ and savings banks’ payment service provider. Betalingsservice is an electronic payment solution (direct debit service) provided by Nets. Nets is owned jointly by the banks and savings banks and the Danish National Bank. By signing up bills from creditors, who use Betalingsservice, the payments will be debited automatically from your selected account on the date each payment is due.

More information about Betalingsservice is available in English on Nets’ website, www.nets.eu.

It is advisable to make an appointment with the bank of your choice when you want to open a bank account. This will allow the bank to ensure that your advisor speaks English and conversant with international banking legislation. At the meeting you can discuss with your advisor your needs, wishes and expectations. Remember to take with you your CPR number, passport and employment contract or documentation for educational programme if you are a student.

You can designate your basic bank account as your Easy Account for the receipt of public-sector payments such as child benefits.

When opening a bank account tell the bank advisor that you would like to receive information in English, otherwise you will automatically receive information in Danish.

If you sign up e.g. your mobile phone bills with Betalingsservice, the phone company will send all relevant invoice information – the amount you are to pay and the due date, etc. – to Nets.

Betalingsservice will list the invoice information in a payment pre-notification, in which all your Betalingsservice payments are listed. The Betalingsservice pre-notification will be sent to you - either on paper or electronically via your online banking system. As long as you do not refuse any of the payments, the payments will be transferred automatically from your account to your phone company’s account on the due date.

If you want to deposit cash exceeding €1,000 you must be able to prove where the money came from. International anti-laundering regulations require banks to ensure that cash deposited is legitimate. We advise that in order to avoid complications to take a statement along with you from your home bank.

Most ATMs (automated teller machines) in accept Eurocard, Visa, Cirrus and MasterCard. When you use a foreign credit card the text on the screen of the ATMs is often in English and other languages. When using a Danish credit card, however, the text is usually in Danish. You will find ATMs at most banks. Note that a charge is usually made for transactions with foreign credit cards as well as Danish credit cards.

When opening an account you will usually get a Danish debit card. Depending on the bank’s evaluation of your individual credit worthiness, you will be issued with either a VisaDankort or a Visa Electron card. The main difference between these two cards is that Visa Electron is limited to the amount available in your account. Visa Electron, in contrast to VisaDankort offers no overdraft facility. Some banks issue a MasterCard instead of a VisaDankort.

Remember that your bank is likely to charge a fee for withdrawing money from other banks’ ATMs. Please check with your bank advisor.

You can use your debit card to withdraw cash in supermarkets and shops. Typically when you pay, the cashier will ask you whether you want to pay the exact amount - “på beløbet”. You can ask for a higher amount, thereby using your debit card to withdraw money.

In supermarkets and shops you will frequently hear people use the phrase "på beløbet”. What they mean is that they want the precise amount of the transaction charged to, or withdrawn from, their account.

One alternative to this is to ask for cash in connection with a purchase. This may involve one or two hundred kroner over the amount of the purchase, or having the amount rounded up to the next full hundred, sometimes more. Doing this avoids, for instance, having to withdraw cash from an ATM, for which a charge is made.

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

To sign up with Betalingsservice you must have a Danish bank account. You may choose to have your different payments debited from different accounts if you have more than one Danish bank account.

There are different ways of signing up payments with Betalingsservice:

• You can sign up payments by contacting your bank. The bank will request a Nets number, a debtor group number and your membership-, customer- or policy number. You can usually find the information needed on a payment slip or an invoice from the relevant company.

• Some companies offer to sign your payments to Betalingsservice when you become a customer.

• In your online banking system, you can sign up bills to Betalingsservice. If you have any questions, contact your bank.

• On some companies’ website you can sign up your payments to the company with Betalingsservice.

There are many banks in Denmark, large as well as small. Not all banks offer online banking in English, so we would advise you to enquire whether the bank of your choice offers such  service, as it will make daily life much easier.

Remember to ask your advisor about the various fees for the services offered by the bank.

To find the bank with the lowest fees, you can use www.pengepriser.dk. The site is in Danish only. On the front page you can click on the family situation applicable to you - single, have a family or are a senior citizen (single or couple). Based upon your family situation and whether you rent (lejer) or own (ejer) your home, and your annual income before tax, the website will compare banks and suggest the cheapest bank that matches your selection.

Stores and other service providers have the right to impose a surcharge for transactions involving foreign credit cards. This surcharge varies between 2% and 5% and is determined by the individual store or chain. This decision is often based on how much of the store’s turnover is derived from international credit cards. Before you pay with a foreign credit card ask the service assistant whether the store charges for the transaction.

Banks are open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10.00 to 16.00 and on Thursdays 10.00 to 17.30 or 18.00. Many public sector offices also stay open longer on Thursdays. Weekends: closed.

Online banking is generally available between 06.00 and 02.00.

Credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted in Denmark. American Express and Diners Club are also accepted, but not as often. Make sure to check whether an extra fee will be charged, Supermarkets in particular charge a fee when you pay with a credit card issued by a foreign bank.

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.

You can unsubscribe your different Betalingsservice payments by contacting your bank. When you unsubscribe a payment, no future payments to the company will be executed via Betalingsservice. If you want to stop payments that have already been notified, you must unsubscribe the payment no later than two banking days prior to the due date.

If you need further information regarding Betalingsservice, contact your bank.

You will find cash machines inside or outside most banks, which allow you to withdraw cash on Visa and MasterCard credit cards. You will get a good rate when withdrawing money directly from a Danish ATM, but bear in mind that your home bank may charge you a fee for international transactions or for using another bank’s ATM – check before you leave as this will help you avoid unpleasant surprises.

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.

Most Danish bills have pre-printed payment slips attached. You can pay your bill at your bank, with online banking or at a post office. Note that post offices and the banks charge a service fee of no less than DKK 20 per over-the-counter payment.

A two-digit code on a payment slip indicates the type of payment involved. The two digits are followed by a two groups of numbers separated by a ‘+’ sign. These are the giro account number or payment ID and/or a supplier code.

If you will be paying more bills from the same supplier in future, you may want to opt for direct debit via Nets (a Nordic provider of payments, card and information services). Bills will be paid automatically once they have been registered by the system. You will have to make manual payments until registration has fallen into place. Read more about Nets under the heading Betalingsservice from Nets.

If you are looking for retail stores www.degulesider.dk can be very useful. De gule sider is the Danish Yellow Pages and have an English version – just click on the UK-flag in the top right corner.

Degulesider.dk allows you to tune your search of service providers in accordance with key words or names. You are also allowed to specify the area in which you are looking for a retail store, by street, city, and post code or area name.

E.g. if you are looking for a store where you can buy furniture in Aarhus, type “furniture “in the white space under “what”, and enter “Aarhus” in the white space under “Where”. Click on search. A list of furniture stores, their addresses and contact information will then be displayed.

Be aware of that all the services tagged e.g. furniture are displayed, which means that all shops that sell e.g. furniture fabrics will also be displayed. To make sure that the stores sell the product(s) you are looking fore, have a look at their website or, or contact the various stores.