title: Robert Pattinson

text: Wax statues of Pattinson were added to the Madame Tussauds museums in London and New York City in 2010. Pattinson along with his "Twilight" co-stars, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner put his signature, hand and foot prints in wet concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on 3 November 2011. On 19 February 2014, Russian astronomer Timur Kryachko named an asteroid he had discovered after Pattinson, as "246789 Pattinson".


title: Robert Pattinson

text: He was honoured with a tribute at 2017 Deauville American Film Festival on 2 September 2017, with screening of selected films of his during the festival run.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: Kaley Christine Cuoco ( ; born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. After a series of supporting film and television roles in the late 1990s, she landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom "8 Simple Rules" (2002–2005). Thereafter, Cuoco voiced Brandy Harrington on "Brandy & Mr. Whiskers" (2004–2006) and appeared as Billie Jenkins on the final season of the television series "Charmed" (2005–2006). She later starred as Penny on the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" (2007–2019), and received a Satellite Award, a Critics' Choice Award, and two People's Choice Awards for the role. Since 2020, Cuoco has starred in and served as executive producer for the HBO Max comedic thriller "The Flight Attendant", which received widespread critical acclaim. For this performance, she has received nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Critics' Choice Awards.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: Cuoco made her film debut in the thriller television film "" (1992). Her film work includes "Virtuosity" (1995), "Toothless" (1997), "Can't Be Heaven" (1999), "Alley Cats Strike" (2000), "Growing Up Brady" (2000), "Crimes of Fashion" (2004), "The Hollow" (2004), "Lucky 13" (2005), "To Be Fat like Me" (2007), "Cougar Club" (2007), "Killer Movie" (2008), "The Penthouse" (2010), "Hop" (2011), "Authors Anonymous" (2014), and "The Wedding Ringer" (2015). She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014 and in October 2017 founded Yes, Norman Productions.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: Cuoco was born in Camarillo, California, the elder daughter of Layne Ann (née Wingate), a homemaker, and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a realtor. Her father is of Italian descent while her mother is of English and German ancestry. Her sister, Briana, is an actress and singer who competed on the fifth season of "The Voice" and has a recurring role on the HBO Max series, "The Flight Attendant" and on "Harley Quinn" as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. As a child, Cuoco was a ranked amateur (aspiring) tennis player, a sport she took up when she was three years old. She stopped playing at the age of 16 to pursue a career in acting.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: Cuoco made her first feature film appearance as the young Karin Carter in the 1995 action thriller "Virtuosity". From 2000 to 2001, she appeared on the CBS sitcom "Ladies Man" and in 2000 she portrayed former "The Brady Bunch" star Maureen McCormick in the TV film "Growing Up Brady" as well as starring in the Disney Channel original film "Alley Cats Strike". In September 2002, she began a starring role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" (afterwards "8 Simple Rules"). Bridget was the oldest child, despite Cuoco being six years younger than Amy Davidson, who played her younger sister.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In addition to the final season of "8 Simple Rules", Cuoco had starring roles on the NBC miniseries "10.5", the ABC Family original film "Crimes of Fashion", the independent film "Debating Robert Lee", and in the film "The Hollow" at the same time. She also voiced the character of Brandy Harrington, a 14-year-old anthropomorphic mixed-breed dog, on the Disney Channel animated series "Brandy and Mr. Whiskers". She voiced the character of Kirstee Smith in "Bratz" from 2004 to 2005. In the eighth season of the TV series "Charmed", she appeared as Billie Jenkins, a powerful young witch with the powers of telekinesis and projection. Executive producer Brad Kern stated that Cuoco's character was initially brought in as a possible spin-off.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In September 2007, Cuoco began starring in the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory", playing Penny, a Cheesecake Factory employee and aspiring actress who lives across the hall from physicists Dr. Leonard Hofstadter and Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Prior to the 2010–2011 season, she earned US$60,000 an episode for the series, the same as her co-stars. In 2010, the cast negotiated a raise for each actor to make US$200,000 per episode. As of August 2014, Cuoco and her co-stars from "The Big Bang Theory" Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons each earned an estimated US$1 million per episode.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In late October 2012, Cuoco enlisted the help of her sister Briana to organize a flash mob on the set of the show, in which she and the cast and crew surprised the studio audience by suddenly lip syncing and dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen's song "Call Me Maybe". A video of the event was posted on YouTube and became a viral success. A clip from the performance was also played during Cuoco's January 8, 2013, appearance on the late-night talk show "Conan".


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: Cuoco starred in the Lifetime film "To Be Fat like Me", which premiered on January 8, 2007. She played a minor role in the "Prison Break" episodes "The Message" and "Chicago", as well as starring in the comedy horror spoof "Killer Movie" in 2008. She also appeared in the 2010 film "The Penthouse". In 2011, she posed nude in "Allure" magazine's annual "Naked Truth" feature. That same year, she appeared in the films "Hop" and "The Last Ride". She was also chosen to host the Teen Choice Awards in 2011, as well as the People's Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013. She is a regular on Priceline.com commercials as the daughter of William Shatner's character.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In October 2017, Cuoco founded Yes, Norman Productions, a television production company which entered an exclusive multi-year first-look production deal with Warner Bros. Television. Cuoco's first project through Yes, Norman was an adaptation of the book "The Flight Attendant", written by author Chris Bohjalian, which was developed into a comedy-drama series of the same name. Cuoco starred in the series as Cassie Bowden, and also served as executive producer. "The Flight Attendant" premiered on November 26, 2020, on WarnerMedia's streaming platform HBO Max to widespread critical acclaim, and was renewed for a second season on December 18, 2020.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In October 2018, it was announced that Cuoco would voice the title character of the DC Universe adult animation series "Harley Quinn", and also serve as executive producer. The series premiered on November 29, 2019, to critical acclaim. In September 2020, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third season and would move to HBO Max.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In August 2019, it was announced that Cuoco would executive produce the upcoming CBS comedy "Pretty", which is written and also executive produced by Lindsey Kraft and Santina Muha. In April 2020, Cuoco joined the cast of the upcoming action comedy film "The Man from Toronto" as the female lead alongside Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In March 2021, it was announced that Cuoco would play Doris Day in an upcoming limited series based on A. E. Hotchner's 1976 biography, "Doris Day: Her Own Story". She will also serve as an executive producer of the series. Two months later, her production company expanded its Warner overall deal.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: While working on "The Big Bang Theory", Cuoco privately dated co-star Johnny Galecki for roughly two years, until December 2009. She later told "CBS Watch" in September 2010 that they have remained on good terms since ending their relationship.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: On September 13, 2010, Cuoco broke her leg in a horse-riding accident and missed the filming of two episodes of "The Big Bang Theory".


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: In October 2011, she became engaged to addiction specialist Josh Resnik, but ended their engagement by March 2012. She became engaged to professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting in September 2013, after three months of dating. They married on December 31, 2013, in Santa Susana, California. On September 25, 2015, it was announced that she and Sweeting had decided to divorce. The divorce was finalized on May 9, 2016.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: Cuoco began dating equestrian Karl Cook in late 2016. They became engaged on November 30, 2017, Cuoco's 32nd birthday, and were married on June 30, 2018. In September 2021, the couple announced their separation, stating "we have realized that our current paths have taken us in opposite directions". In June 2022, their divorce was finalized.


title: Kaley Cuoco

text: Cuoco confirmed her relationship with actor Tom Pelphrey in May 2022. Five months later, she announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child together, a daughter.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A 26-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Ufotable aired from April to September 2019. A sequel film, "", was released in October 2020 and became the highest-grossing anime film and Japanese film of all time. An 18-episode of the anime series aired from October 2021 to February 2022. It featured one original episode, re-edited the "Mugen Train" film into six episodes, and then covered the "Entertainment District" arc from the manga in 11 episodes. A third season covering the "Swordsmith Village" arc is set to premiere in April 2023.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: As of February 2021, the manga had over 150 million copies in circulation, including digital versions, making it the ninth best-selling manga series of all time. Also, it was the best-selling manga in 2019 and 2020. Both the manga and its anime adaptation have received critical acclaim. The anime series has received numerous awards and is considered one of the best anime of the 2010s. In 2020, the "Demon Slayer" franchise generated an estimated annual sales revenue of (), becoming one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: The story takes place in Taishō era Japan, where a secret society, known as the Demon Slayer Corps, has been waging a secret war against demons for centuries. The demons are former humans who were turned into demons by Muzan Kibutsuji injecting them with his own blood, and they feed on humans and possess supernatural abilities such as super strength, powers that demons can obtain called "Blood Demon Art", and regeneration. Demons can only be killed if they are decapitated with weapons crafted from an alloy known as Nichirin, injected with poison extracted from wisteria flowers, or exposed to sunlight. The Demon Slayers, on the other hand, are entirely human; however, they employ special elemental breathing techniques, known as "Breathing Styles", which grant them superhuman strength and increased resistance, helping them fight against demons. The strongest Demon Slayers are known as the Hashira.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Tanjiro Kamado is a kind-hearted and intelligent boy who lives with his family in the mountains. He became his family's breadwinner after his father's death, making trips to the nearby village to sell charcoal. Everything changed when he came home one day to discover that his family was attacked and slaughtered by a demon. Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko were the sole survivors of the incident, with Nezuko being transformed into a demon, but still surprisingly showing signs of human emotion and thought. After an encounter with Giyū Tomioka, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro is recruited by Giyū and sent to his retired master Sakonji Urokodaki for training to also become a demon slayer, beginning his quest to help his sister turn into human again and avenge the death of his family.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: After two years of strenuous training, Tanjiro takes part in a formidable exam and is one of the few survivors to pass, officially making him a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. He begins his work of hunting down and slaying demons alongside Nezuko, who has been hypnotized to bring no harm to humans and who occasionally helps him in battle. One of Tanjiro's assignments brings him to Asakusa where he encounters Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of all demons and the one who murdered his family. He also meets and , demons who are free from Muzan's control. Tamayo and Yushiro ally with Tanjiro and begin to develop a cure for Nezuko, though it will require Tanjiro to supply Tamayo with blood from the Twelve Kizuki, the most powerful demons under Muzan's command.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Continuing his missions, Tanjiro meets Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, fellow survivors of the exam with whom he forms an unlikely team during a battle with the former Lower Rank Six of the Kizuki. The group soon face off against of the Kizuki, although Tanjiro unlocks a mysterious ability called "Hinokami Kagura", they are ultimately outmatched; they are rescued by Giyū and brought back to headquarters. There, the Kamado siblings partake in a council between Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the Hashira, the Corps' most elite members, who (with the exception of Giyū) do not believe that Nezuko should be allowed to live. However, Kagaya nonetheless manages to convince them to accept her. With this agreement, Tanjiro begins to work alongside the Hashira, where he encounters significantly more resistance from the demons. Alongside the Hashira and Corps members, Tanjiro takes part in numerous harrowing battles against the Kizuki, which they survive by narrow margins while also taking losses of their own, including the death of Flame Hashira Rengoku and retirement of Sound Hashira Tengen. During a battle in the Swordsmith Village, Tanjiro meets Genya Shinazugawa, the younger brother of Wind Hashira Sanemi, who has the mysterious ability to temporarily become a demon by eating demon flesh. It is also discovered that Nezuko is invulnerable to sunlight, a discovery that makes her the prime target of Muzan, who has long sought a way to overcome the sun and thus become the ultimate being. Tanjiro also learns that his Hinokami Kagura is descended from Sun Breathing, the original breathing style invented by Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the first and strongest demon slayer, and develops it to prepare to fight Muzan.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Kagaya forecasts Muzan's intentions and enacts a strict training regiment of the entire Corps to prepare for the upcoming battle. With the blood samples obtained from the Kizuki, Tamayo develops a serum to cure Nezuko, who is kept isolated far from the battle as she recovers. Muzan soon appears before Kagaya, who triggers a suicide attack to stagger him. The Hashira and Tanjiro ambush Muzan, but he traps them all within Infinity Castle, an endless labyrinth which houses the remaining Kizuki. Tamayo restrains Muzan with a poison she concocted, leaving him vulnerable for attack. To reach him, the Corps defeat the remaining Kizuki members, though many are killed, including Genya. Muzan kills Tamayo by crushing and absorbing her but is forced above ground by the Corps. A desperate battle of attrition ensues as the remainder of the Demon Slayer Corps fight against Muzan until the morning sun can kill him. Aided by Tamayo's poison, the Corps succeed, though they take huge losses, including all remaining Hashira except for Giyu and Sanemi, while Tanjiro is mortally wounded. Helpless against the sun, Muzan forcefully gives his remaining blood to a dying Tanjiro and transforms him into the ultimate demon in a last ditch effort to have his species survive. Tanjiro begins to attack the remaining Corps members, but through the efforts of his allies and Nezuko, who has been fully restored to her human self, he is turned back into a human.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In the aftermath of the battle, the Corps are disbanded as the death of Muzan has effectively vanquished all other demons. Tanjiro and Nezuko return to their family home, accompanied by Zenitsu and Inosuke. Tanjiro marries fellow demon slayer Kanao Tsuyuri while Nezuko marries Zenitsu. In a modern-day epilogue, the descendants and reincarnations of the Corps members enjoy a peaceful life free of demons.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: After Gotouge's manga, "Haeniwa no Zigzag", published in "Weekly Shōnen Jump" in 2015, failed to become a serialized work, Tatsuhiko Katayama, Gotouge's first editor, suggested Gotouge to start a series with an "easy-to-understand theme". Gotouge's debut work "Kagarigari" would become the basis for an initial draft, titled since it had concepts like swords and demons, which would be familiar to the Japanese audience. However, due to its serious tone, lack of comic relief, and dark story, this draft was not accepted for serialization, so Katayama asked Gotouge to try writing a brighter, more normal character in the same setting. The original title was , but they felt the character in the title was too overt. Although it is a made-up word, seemed easy to understand, so Gotouge thought it would be interesting to abbreviate the series' title that way; the word implies a Japanese sword. According to Gotouge, the series' three biggest influences are "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", "Naruto" and "Bleach". Tatsuhiko Katayama, an editor of the "Demon Slayer" manga, has said in interviews that the red-haired, scar-faced Tanjiro was inspired by "Rurouni Kenshin", a 1990s manga about a similarly drawn swordsman, Himura Kenshin.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" was serialized in Shueisha's "shōnen" manga magazine "Weekly Shōnen Jump" from February 15, 2016, to May 18, 2020. Shueisha collected its chapters in twenty-three individual "tankōbon" volumes, released from June 3, 2016, to December 4, 2020.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Shueisha simultaneously published the series in English on the "Manga Plus" service starting January 2019. Viz Media published the first three chapters in its digital magazine "Weekly Shonen Jump" as part of the "Jump Start" program. During their panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 20, 2017, Viz announced that they had licensed the manga for the North American market. The first volume was released on July 3, 2018.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: , a two-chapter manga spin-off, was published in Shueisha's "Weekly Shōnen Jump" on April 1 and 8, 2019. Gotouge is credited with the original work and Ryōji Hirano drew the manga. The manga follows the character Giyū Tomioka. A side-story for the manga was published in the first issue of "Shōnen Jump GIGA" on July 20, 2016.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: , a colored 4-koma spin-off by Ryōji Hirano, was serialized between April 7 and September 29, 2019, on Shueisha's "Shonen Jump+" app and website. The manga featured chibi versions of the characters from the main series.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In May 2020, after the main series finished, a spin-off titled , illustrated by Ryōji Hirano and centered on Kyojuro Rengoku was announced to be released. The two chapters of "Rengoku Gaiden" were published in "Weekly Shōnen Jump" on October 12 and 17, 2020. A collected "gaiden" "tankōbon" volume, which includes "Giyu Tomioka Gaiden", "Kyojuro Rengoku Gaiden," and "Kimetsu no Aima!", was released on December 4, 2020. Viz Media released the volume, under the title "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba--Stories of Water and Flame", on January 4, 2022.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A 19-page special one-shot chapter written and illustrated by Gotouge, centered on Rengoku's first mission, was published in "Weekly Shōnen Jump" on October 5, 2020. An 84-page booklet, titled "Rengoku Volume 0", which includes the 19-page one-shot chapter and interviews with the staff and cast of the film, was given to the "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train" theatergoers on October 16, 2020. The booklet had a limited print run of 4.5 million copies.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A spin-off manga series, titled , related to the "Kimetsu Gakuen Valentine-hen" anime shorts, started in Shueisha's "Saikyō Jump" magazine on August 4, 2021. Shueisha released the first volume on January 4, 2022. As of July 4, 2022, two volumes have been released.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A light novel, titled , by Gotouge and Aya Yajima, was published in Japan on February 4, 2019. It chronicles the lives of Tanjiro and Zenitsu before the start of the main series, as well as glimpses into the lives of Aoi and Kanao. It also features a single chapter of an alternate universe where the characters attend an ordinary high school.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A second light novel, titled , by Gotouge and Yajima, was published in Japan on October 4, 2019. It details the lives of Shinobu and Kanae Kocho before and soon after they joined the Demon Slayers after Himejima Gyomei saved their lives.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A fanbook, , was released on July 4, 2019. It features background information on several characters from the series. It also includes the complete three chapters of the initial draft of the series, titled .


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A second fanbook, , was released on February 4, 2021. It includes three one-shot chapters: , which is about Tanjiro and other characters after the manga's conclusion; , which shows some of the demons from "that time"; and , which shows some of Gotouge's real stories from drawing the manga during its serialization. It also includes the previously published one-shot chapter "Rengoku Volume 0", previously given out as a bonus for theatergoers for "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train" in 2020, and the and one-shots, published in "Weekly Shōnen Jump" in 2020 and 2019, respectively. It also includes the one-shot which was published in "Jump GIGA 2018 WINTER Vol.3" in 2018.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: An anime television series adaptation by studio Ufotable was announced by "Weekly Shōnen Jump" in June 2018. The anime was directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Hikaru Kondo. Akira Matsushima served as the character designer. The series ran for 26 episodes, broadcast from April 6 to September 28, 2019, on Tokyo MX, GTV, GYT, BS11, and other channels.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: The second season ran for two consecutive cours; beginning with a television series adaptation of the "Mugen Train" story arc on October 10, 2021. It included an original first episode, as well as new animation cuts and background music that differ from the film adaptation. , has been announced to premiere on December 5, 2021, with a one-hour special. The main staff and cast members from the first season returned to reprise their roles. The series was broadcast on 30 stations and channels, including Fuji TV and Tokyo MX, covering most of Japan.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: At the end of the second-season finale, a third season covering the "Swordsmith Village" arc from the manga has been announced. It is set to premiere in April 2023 with a one-hour special.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In North America, the series is licensed by Aniplex of America. It was released on two limited editions Blu-ray volumes: the first on June 30, 2020, and the second on November 24, 2020. The company also partnered with Funimation to release standard-edition Blu-ray volumes. Two volumes were released on September 29, 2020, and January 19, 2021. The series has been streamed on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and FunimationNow. Netflix also started streaming the series starting January 22, 2021 in the United States. An English dub produced by Aniplex of America and Bang Zoom! Entertainment premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on October 13, 2019. According to Jason DeMarco, Adult Swim executive producer, the success of the "Mugen Train" film made the series expensive to license for broadcast.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Funimation began streaming the English dub on December 8, 2020. Madman Entertainment acquired the series in Australia and New Zealand and simultaneously streamed the series on AnimeLab. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Anime Limited acquired the series.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Funimation streams "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Entertainment District Arc". Muse Communication licensed the second season in Southeast Asia and South Asia; they streamed it on iQIYI, Bilibili, WeTV, Viu, and Netflix.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Four Valentine's Day-themed anime shorts, titled , debuted on the Aniplex YouTube channel on February 14, 2021.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Prior to airing, the first five episodes screened theatrically in Japan for two weeks from March 29, 2019, under the title . Aniplex of America screened the film at the Aratani Theatre in Los Angeles on March 31, 2019. Madman Entertainment screened the film in select theatres in Australia on April 2, 2019. The film was broadcast on Fuji TV's Saturday Premium block on October 10, 2020, followed by , which compiled episodes 15–21, on October 17, 2020. Fuji TV also rebroadcast the series in the Kanto area, under the title : episodes 6–10 aired from October 12–16, episodes 11–14 on October 17, and episodes 22–26 on October 24, 2020. Episodes 22–26 were recompiled into a special edition episode, titled , which adds some new footage and special ending credits roll, and aired on Fuji TV on December 20, 2020.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: On September 28, 2019, immediately following the airing of episode 26, an anime film titled; "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train" was announced, with the staff and cast reprising their roles. The film is a direct sequel to the anime series and covers the events of the "Mugen Train" story arc. The film is distributed in Japan by Aniplex and Toho and premiered in Japan on October 16, 2020.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: The film has grossed over worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2020, and broke several box office records, including the highest-grossing Japanese film and anime film of all time. The film was released worldwide digitally on June 22, 2021.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina composed the anime's music. LiSA performed the opening theme , while the ending theme is "from the edge" by FictionJunction and LiSA. The ending theme for episode 19 is by Go Shiina featuring Nami Nakagawa. For the second season's "Mugen Train Arc", LiSA performed the opening theme , as well as the ending theme . For the "Entertainment District Arc", Aimer performed the opening theme , as well as the ending theme .


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A mobile game titled was announced to be released in 2020 by publisher Aniplex with development by Aniplex subsidiary Quatro A. In December 2020, it was announced that the game's release was delayed indefinitely to improve its quality.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A video game based on the series was announced in 2020. Titled , it is developed by CyberConnect2, and published by Aniplex. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S and Steam on October 14, 2021, in Japan. Sega published the game worldwide for the same platforms on October 15, 2021.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A stage play adaptation of the manga was announced by "Weekly Shōnen Jump" in September 2019. The stage play was performed from January 18–26 in Tokyo at the Tennōzu Ginga Gekijō and from January 31 to February 2, 2020, in Hyōgo Prefecture at the AiiA 2.5 Theater Kobe. Kenichi Suemitsu scripted and directed the play and Shunsuke Wada composed the music. The cast includes Ryota Kobayashi as the protagonist Tanjirō Kamado, Akari Takaishi as his sister Nezuko, Keisuke Ueda as Zenitsu Agatsuma, Yūgo Satō as Inosuke Hashibira, Reo Honda as Giyū Tomioka, Tomoyuki Takagi as Sakonji Urokodaki, Mimi Maihane as Tamayo, Hisanori Satō as Yushirō, and Yoshihide Sasaki as Muzan Kibutsuji.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A second stage play adaptation was announced on Jump Festa '21 event in December 2020, with the cast and staff returning. The "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the 2nd: Bonds" stage play ran in Tokyo from August 7–15, in Osaka from August 20–22, and then again in Tokyo from August 27–31, 2021. A traditional Noh-Kyōgen stage play was announced on Jump Festa '22 event in December 2021. It ran from July 26–31 at the Kanze Noh Theater in Tokyo and from December 9–11, 2022 at the Ohtsuki Noh Theater in Osaka. The cast includes Ohtsuki Yuichi as Tanjiro Kamado and his younger sister Nezuko, Ohtsuki Bunzo as Rui, and Nomura Mansai, who is also a stage director, played the main antagonist Muzan Kibutsuji.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: A third stage play adaptation was announced by "Weekly Shōnen Jump" in January 2022. The "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Stage Part 3: Mugen Dream Train" stage play is performed on September 10 and 11 at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, at Kyoto Theater in Kyoto from September 16–25, and again at the Tokyo Dome City Hall from October 15–23, 2022.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: An art exhibition of the series ran in Tokyo's Mori Arts Center Gallery from October 26 to December 12, 2021. The exhibition displayed numerous artworks drawn by Koyoharu Gotouge and also sold original goods. The exhibition ran in the Grand Front Osaka from July 14 to September 4, 2022.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In 2020, the "Demon Slayer" franchise generated an estimated annual sales revenue of (). In January 2021, it was reported that Japanese sales of print books and magazines fell 1% in 2020 compared to the previous year, being the smallest per-year decline since 2006. This small decline was attributed to an increase in reading in Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the "successful boom" of the "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" manga and its related publications. According to CharaBiz, a database for character licensing business in Japan, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" is the highest-grossing franchise of 2020, surpassing other well-known franchises such as "Anpanman", "Pokémon", "Mickey Mouse" and "Peanuts" (Snoopy).


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: "Gadget Tsūshin" listed both the breathing techniques suffix and "Ah! The era, the era changed again!" on their 2019 anime buzzwords list. In 2019, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" won in the anime category of the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards, based on the number of searches for a particular term compared to the year before; the series won the award for the second consecutive year in 2020, and was third in 2021. On Tumblr's 2020 Year in Review, which highlights the largest communities, fandoms, and trends on the platform throughout the year, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" ranked 7th on the Top Anime & Manga Shows category. According to a 2020 poll conducted by education and publishing company Benesse, which asked 7,661 third to sixth-grade Japanese children (5,170 girls and 2,491 boys), Tanjiro Kamado ranked 1st on the top 10 most admired people, which placed the children's mothers, fathers, and teachers on 2nd, 4th and 5th place, respectively, with the remaining spots occupied by other "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" characters. According to a 2020 internet poll conducted by Oricon Monitor Research, over 90% of the Japanese public is familiar with "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba"; 40.5% said that they were "very familiar", 57.3% said that they were "familiar with the name", indicating that 97.8% knew the existence of the series. Of the 1,558 respondents who said that they were "very familiar", 1,182 respondents "like" or "very liked" the series. To the question of "what part of the series do you like?", the series' story was the most popular aspect with 76.4% votes, followed by the setting with 49.3% and the relatability of the characters with 45.3% votes. 31% of the fans said that they owned the manga, and of the 66.1% of those fans said they owned every volume. According to multiple respondents, the series helped them treasure and connect with their families and allowed people of different generations to connect even in the workplace and beyond. The poll was responded from November 18–24 by 3,848 members of Oricon Monitor Research, ranging from people in their teens to their sixties. The series helped to increase internal tourism, with many tourists traveling to similar spots to the ones featured in the series. In 2021, in Tokushima, the Red Cross featured characters from the series on blood drive posters, which helped to increase the number of donors.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Regarding the series' sudden huge success, "Weekly Shōnen Jump" editor-in-chief Hiroyuki Nakano stated that the manga sales shot up straight after its anime adaptation finished, explaining that a large number of people watched the series through streaming services after it ended rather than watching it weekly. Nakano also stated that currently, it is harder for a manga series running in the magazine to become a hit, and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" despite having started in February 2016, did not become a major hit until late 2019, adding that its success "hinged on word of mouth generated after the anime's run". Nakano have also said it introduced many new people and audience into Jump. According to Yuma Takahashi, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" anime series producer, the series had three main factors for its success: "The power of the original work, the attitude towards adapting it to anime, and the environment". Takahashi explained that although many people learned about the manga through the anime, that in itself is not enough to generate a hit, stating that the original manga itself is interesting and they tried to adapt it earnestly without losing any of its appeal. The earnest attitude towards the adaptation and techniques from the staff at Ufotable were other key factors. Takahashi pointed out the changes in the anime-viewing landscape within the past few years and the increasing popularity of the streaming platforms. Takahashi said that by airing the series for two cours, it had the time to build up an audience. Takahashi added: "While the anime was airing, the story being serialized in the manga was heating up, so the timing was also ideal. It wasn't as if it suddenly became the center of attention; I feel that it steadily picked up fans and expanded its audience". On December 20, 2020, at the Jump Festa '21, Mayumi Tanaka, voice actress of "One Piece"s Monkey D. Luffy, read aloud a message from "One Piece" creator Eiichiro Oda, in which he praised Gotouge's series, and wrote: "At "Jump", "Demon Slayer" was really amazing. I enjoyed how it was able to save the feelings of so many people. Absolutely superb work. This is how I want manga to be. It touched me, somehow!". Yusuke Murata said that the series' contribution to the industry as a whole is immeasurable, while Gege Akutami commented that the series created many new manga fans.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In January 2021, "Gundam" franchise's creator Yoshiyuki Tomino discussed his thoughts on the series in an interview, where he said that he initially felt jealous of how the series attracted "such a dedicated and talented staff", and said: "The voice actors are great, the composer of the song that everyone knows is great. So many talented people showed up! In that sense, what I felt surpassed envy, and I started thinking, 'Man, those guys sure are something!'". Nevertheless, Tomino called the series cultural success a coincidence, explaining: "I don't think that "Demon Slayer" is a calculated or contrived work. I think that its assemblage was quite a coincidence", adding that in the anime industry people often get chosen for a job because they "just happened to be there" or their schedules "happened to align at the right time" and that it is rare for people with exactly the ideal talents or innate qualities to get chosen.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Former prime minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga quoted the series at a House of Representatives Budget Committee in the National Diet in November 2020. Some politicians in Japan used patterns and logos from the series in their campaigns in 2021. Current prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, said that he had read all the volumes of the series, commenting as well that he would improve the conditions of the anime and manga industry.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: The series ranked 14th on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2017" poll by Honya Club online bookstore. On Takarajimasha's "Kono Manga ga Sugoi!" ranking of top 20 manga for male readers, the series ranked 19th on the 2018 list, 6th on the 2019 list, and 17th on the 2021 list. "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" ranked 30th on the 2018 "Book of the Year" list by "Da Vinci" magazine; it ranked 10th, along with "Umimachi Diary" on the 2019 list, the series topped on the 2020 list, and topped again on the 2021 list. On Rakuten Kobo 2020 First Half Ranking, the series was first in every demographic group, from male and female teenagers to older adults. In 2020, Gotouge received the 2nd Kodansha's Noma Publishing Culture Award, which honors those who have contributed to "reinventing publishing". Gotouge received the award due to the franchise's sales, which have boosted the entire publishing industry from 2019 to 2020. It ranked 16th, along with "Chainsaw Man", on "The Best Manga 2021 Kono Manga wo Yome!" ranking by "Freestyle" magazine. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150.000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" ranked 2nd, only behind "One Piece".


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Manga artists have lauded the series; Yoshihiro Togashi wrote a praising comment featured on the "obi" of series 4th volume; Osamu Akimoto wrote a praising comment featured on the "obi" of the series' fifth volume; Takayuki Yamaguchi praised the series and recommended it in a 2018 interview, around the time of its tenth volume. Author Kinoko Nasu called it one of his favorite new manga works. Comedian and novelist Naoki Matayoshi also praised the series.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" is one of the best-selling manga series of all time. As of February 2019, the series had 3.5 million copies in circulation worldwide, over 10 million copies in circulation as of September 2019, over 25 million copies in circulation as of December 2019, and over 40 million copies in circulation in February 2020. By the end of February 2020, it was revealed that the franchise has sold 40.3 million copies, making it the fifth best-selling manga in Oricon's history. On May 6, 2020, the franchise recorded over 60 million copies in circulation (including digital copies). On May 22, 2020, it was revealed that the series has sold 60.027 million physical print copies, making it the third series in Oricon's history to sell over 60 million physical print copies. In July 2020, the franchise recorded over 80 million copies in circulation, including 71 million physical print copies sold. With the release of volume 22 on October 2, 2020, the franchise recorded 100 million copies in circulation, including 90.518 million physical print copies sold, making it as well the ninth series from "Weekly Shōnen Jump" to reach 100 million copies in circulation, after "KochiKame", "Fist of the North Star", "Dragon Ball", "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", "Slam Dunk", "One Piece", "Naruto" and "Bleach". In December 2020, the series recorded over 120 million copies in circulation (including digital copies), including 102.892 million copies sold, making "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" the second manga series to sell over 100 million copies in Oricon's records after "One Piece", which achieved this feat in 2012. In February 2021, the manga recorded over 150 million copies in circulation (including digital copies).


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In February 2020, the 19th volume sold an estimated 1.378 million copies in its first week, making "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" the third manga series to have a single print volume sell more than 1 million copies in its first week, after "One Piece" (45 times) and "Attack on Titan" (2 times). In May 2020, the regular and limited editions of the 20th volume sold a total of 1,990,249 physical print copies. In July 2020, the regular and limited editions of volume 21 sold a total of 2,041,177 physical print copies. In October 2020, volume 22 ranked 1st in Oricon's manga sales chart for four consecutive weeks, with 326,000 physical print copies sold. In December 2020, the 23rd and final volume sold 2.855 million copies in its first week, the most that any manga volume has sold in one week in Oricon's history. In January 2021, it was reported that volumes 8, 1, and 7 of the series sold cumulative totals of 5.03 million, 5.029 million, and 5.009 million copies, respectively, being the first manga volumes to sell over 5 million copies in Oricon's history. The 23rd and final volume is the first manga volume to sell over 4 million copies in Oricon's half-year sales ranking charts since Oricon began posting rankings in 2008. As of May 2021, nineteen volumes in the series had each sold over 5 million copies. The "Stories of Water and Flame" volume is Shueisha's first spin-off volume with an initial print run of 1 million copies.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In November 2019, Shueisha stated that "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" was their second best-selling manga 2019, with 10.8 million volumes sold, second only to Eiichiro Oda's "One Piece", with 12.7 million volumes sold in the same period. Nevertheless, the series ranked 1st in 2019 Oricon's annual manga ranking chart, with over 12 million copies sold, while "One Piece" ranked at 2nd, with over 10.1 million copies sold, making "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" the best-selling manga of 2019. Oda wrote a message regarding Gotouge's manga achievement.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" was the first series to take all top 10 positions of Oricon's weekly manga chart. The manga occupied the entire top 10 for a full month, and it was also the first series in Oricon's history to occupy the entire top 19 weekly rank. In October 2020, the twenty-two volumes, at the time, of the series occupied the top 22 spots of Oricon's weekly manga chart. It was the best-selling manga for the first half of 2020, with 45,297,633 copies sold, and its twenty volumes (including a special edition of volume 20) at the time, were among the top 25 best-selling manga volumes of 2020. "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba"s first twenty-two volumes were the best-selling manga volumes of 2020, making the series as well the best-selling manga series in 2020, with 82,345,447 copies sold.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: The series has ranked on NPD BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since September 2019. They were also ranked on "The New York Times" monthly Graphic Books and Manga bestseller list since February 2020. It was the best-selling manga series in the first half of 2021, with over 26 million copies sold, while four of its volumes (volumes 18, 19, 22, and 23), "Stories of Water and Flame", and the first fanbook were among the 25 best-selling manga volumes. It was the second best-selling manga in 2021 with over 29.5 million copies sold, while volume 23 and "Stories of Water and Flame" were the first and second, respectively, best-selling manga volumes. The second fanbook and four other manga volumes were among the top 30 best-selling volumes.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: According to "ICv2", "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" was the best-selling manga franchise for fall 2021 (September–December) in the United States, and it was also the second "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume. According to NPD BookScan, four volumes of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" were ranked among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2021. As of May 2021, the Viz Media edition had over 4 million copies in circulation.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Before its anime series adaptation, Nicholas Dupree of "Anime News Network" included the series on his list of "The Most Underrated Shonen Jump Manga", and wrote: ""Kimetsu" is still arguably an oddity in Jump, but it's firmly established its style that's certainly worth looking out for." Rebecca Silverman of the same website ranked the first volume as a B−. Silverman praised the plot ideas and characters but had issues with its pacing. She labeled Gotouge's art as "unpolished and inconsistent," although she commended details such as those in Tanjiro and Nezuko's clothing which illustrate both the poverty and loving environment from where they come. Silverman concluded that it is the work of a promising author and had positive expectations for the series' development.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Leroy Douresseaux of "ComicBookBin" gave the first volume a score of 9/10. He commended the series for its "ability to convey power in simplicity," explaining that Gotouge's art is "nice" but overly detailed, and the dialogue and exposition are straightforward. Douresseaux praised its characters and recommended the series to fans of demon-fighting heroes. Nick Smith of "ICv2" gave the first volume a score of 4/5. He wrote that the story is well crafted and the characters intriguing, but the setting is "too deadly for the survival of the human race." Smith said that the artwork is good but not special and recommended the series to "teens and adults who like heroes fighting back against horrific evil." Che Gilson of "Otaku USA" praised the series for its plot, action and character development. Gilson said that the art is "stiff", but that instead of looking like rough drawings or traced photo composites, the series "looks as if it were carved and printed from woodblocks." Gilson concluded: "With an engrossing plot and characters, Volume 1 builds to a cliffhanger that makes it hard to wait for the next volume." Chris Beveridge of "The Fandom Post" criticized the first chapter for being "overly wordy when just the action would suffice," and ultimately called it "a work-in-progress series." After having watched the anime adaptation, Melina Dargis of the same website was so fascinated by the story and characters that she decided to go back and review the second volume of the manga. Despite knowing what would happen, Dargis wrote that it was "still such a delight to relive it again" and concluded; "It's a really great story and appeals to a wide variety of interests."


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Nobuyuki Izumi of "Real Sound" compared the series' premise, setting, and structure to Hirohiko Araki's "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure"s first two parts, "Phantom Blood" and "Battle Tendency," and to Kazuhiro Fujita's "Ushio & Tora".


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In 2019, "Demon Slayer: Flower of Happiness" had about 210,966 copies sold, and "Demon Slayer: One-Winged Butterfly" had about 196,674 copies sold. Both novels ranked 3rd and 4th respectively in Oricon's overall "bunko" ranking chart. "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" overall novelization was the 10th best-selling light novel in 2019, with 407,640 copies sold. In February 2020, after a planned reprint collectively 1.16 million copies were in circulation, making the books the fastest franchise novel in Shueisha's "Jump J-Books" label to reach 1 million copies in circulation. The two light novels were the best-selling novels of the first half of 2020, collectively selling a total of 1,199,863 copies. The "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" overall novelization was the best-selling light novel of 2020, with 2,752,593 copies sold. The "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" overall novelization was the best-selling novel series in the first half of 2021, collectively selling a total of 651,358 copies, while the three novels and the "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train" novelization (and its ""Mirai bunko"" edition), were among the best-selling-novel volumes in the first half of 2021. The three light novels were among the top 5 best-selling light novel volumes of 2021, while the overall novelization was the best-selling light novel, with 776,320 copies sold.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Four other books were among the best-selling general books of 2021: the art book, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Koyoharu Gotouge Artbook: Ikuseisо", was third with 491,007 copies sold; "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Coloring Book: Blue" was seventh, with 414,523 copies sold; "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Coloring Book: Red" was ninth with 370,460 copies sold; and the anime's third official characters book was thirteenth, with 278,531 copies sold. Due to sales of the novels and the other books, Gotouge was second on the general book ranking chart of 2021, with over 1.4 million copies sold. In May 2020, "Demon Slayer: Flower of Happiness" ranked 10th in a favorite children's book poll conducted by the Children's Book Election Office, among over 250,000 elementary school children.


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: Writing for "Monsters and Critics", Patrick Frye wrote that the anime adaptation is "praised [for] the animation quality and flowing battle scenes that integrate digital effects seamlessly" while noting that "some fans have complained about weird story pacing issues thanks to flashbacks and some slow moments, but everyone agrees that once the action picks up, it's amazing." Writing for "Anime News Network", James Beckett highlighted Episode 19 by noting it was "a thrilling showstopper of an episode, showing off ufotable's considerable skills as producers of nearly unrivaled action spectacle."


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: The anime series has been considered one of the best anime of the 2010s. "Polygon"'s Austen Goslin wrote that "Few shows over the last 10 years have so clearly or unabashedly made fights their focus, and absolutely none of them have done it as well as "Demon Slayer"". "Crunchyroll" listed it in their "Top 25 best anime of the 2010s", with reviewer Daniel Dockery commenting, "From the top-notch action choreography to the understated (and sometimes not so understated) emotional moments, to the infinitely meme-able Inosuke, "Demon Slayer" can be a wonder to behold". Writing for "Comic Book Resources", Sage Ashford ranked it second on his list, praising its animation and protagonists, whom he called "the most likable male and female leads of the decade". "IGN" also listed "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" among the best anime series of the 2010s. "Japan Web Magazine" ranked the series 1st on its list of "30 Best Anime of All Time".


title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

text: In the February 2020 issue of "Animedia" magazine, it was revealed that the series received eleven awards for its characters at the "Animedia Character Awards 2019". Having won the most awards in a single year in animedia history. In a poll conducted by Kadokawa Game Linkage of the most satisfying series of 2019, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" ranked in the first place, and it was also reported that between its debut episode and last episode the viewership numbers increased by 1.4 million. In April 2020, the anime series won the Grand Prix award and the New Face Award at the Japan Character Award by Japan's Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA). In 2020, the series became one of five recipients of the Special Achievement Award at the 62nd Japan Record Awards.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark (, ) is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. European Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying southwest of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany.


title: Denmark

text: Spanning a total area of , it consists of the peninsula of Jutland and an archipelago of 443 named islands, of which the largest are Zealand, Funen and the North Jutlandic Island. Denmark's geography is characterised by flat, arable land, sandy coasts, low elevation, and a temperate climate. As of 2022, it had a population of 5.928 million (1 October 2022), of which 800,000 live in the capital and largest city, Copenhagen. Denmark exercises hegemonic influence in the Danish Realm, devolving powers to handle internal affairs. Home rule was established in the Faroe Islands in 1948 and in Greenland in 1979; the latter obtained further autonomy in 2009.


title: Denmark

text: The unified kingdom of Denmark emerged in the eighth century as a proficient maritime power amid the struggle for control of the Baltic Sea. In 1397, it joined Norway and Sweden to form the Kalmar Union, which persisted until the latter's secession in 1523. The remaining Kingdom of Denmark–Norway endured a series of wars in the 17th century that resulted in further territorial cessions to the Swedish Empire. Following the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was absorbed into Sweden, leaving Denmark with the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. A surge of nationalist movements in the 19th century were defeated in the First Schleswig War of 1848, though the Second Schleswig War of 1864 resulted in further territorial losses to Prussia. The period saw the adoption of the Constitution of Denmark on 5 June 1849, ending the absolute monarchy that was established in 1660 and introducing the current parliamentary system.


title: Denmark

text: An industrialised exporter of agricultural produce in the second half of the 19th century, Denmark introduced social and labour-market reforms in the early 20th century, which formed the basis for the present welfare state model and advanced mixed economy. Denmark remained neutral during World War I but regained the northern half of Schleswig in 1920. Danish neutrality was violated in World War II following a swift German invasion in April 1940. During occupation, a resistance movement emerged in 1943 while Iceland declared independence in 1944; Denmark was liberated in May 1945. In 1973, Denmark, together with Greenland but not the Faroes, became a member of what is now the European Union, but negotiated certain opt-outs, such as retaining its own currency, the krone.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark is a highly developed country with a high standard of living: the country performs at or near the top in measures of education, health care, civil liberties, democratic governance and LGBT equality. Denmark is a founding member of NATO, the Nordic Council, the OECD, OSCE, and the United Nations; it is also part of the Schengen Area. Denmark maintains close political, cultural, and linguistic ties with its Scandinavian neighbours, with the Danish language being partially mutually intelligible with both Norwegian and Swedish.


title: Denmark

text: The etymology of the name "Denmark", the relationship between "Danes" and "Denmark", and the emergence of Denmark as a unified kingdom are topics of continuous scholarly debate. This is centred primarily on the prefix ""Dan"" and whether it refers to the Dani or a historical person Dan and the exact meaning of the -""mark"" ending.


title: Denmark

text: Most etymological dictionaries and handbooks derive "Dan" from a word meaning "flat land", related to German "threshing floor", English "den" "cave". The element "mark" is believed to mean woodland or borderland (see marches), with probable references to the border forests in south Schleswig.


title: Denmark

text: The first recorded use of the word "Danmark" within Denmark itself is found on the two Jelling stones, which are runestones believed to have been erected by Gorm the Old () and Harald Bluetooth (). The larger of the two stones is popularly cited as the "baptismal certificate" () of Denmark, though both use the word "Denmark", in the accusative () on the large stone, and the genitive "tanmarkar" (pronounced ) on the small stone, while the dative form "tąnmarku" (pronounced ) is found on the contemporaneous Skivum stone. The inhabitants of Denmark are there called (), or "Danes", in the accusative.


title: Denmark

text: The earliest archaeological finds in Denmark date back to the Eem interglacial period from 130,000 to 110,000 BC. Denmark has been inhabited since around 12,500 BC and agriculture has been evident since 3900 BC. The Nordic Bronze Age (1800–600 BC) in Denmark was marked by burial mounds, which left an abundance of findings including lurs and the Sun Chariot.


title: Denmark

text: During the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1), native groups began migrating south, and the first tribal Danes came to the country between the Pre-Roman and the Germanic Iron Age, in the Roman Iron Age (AD 1–400). The Roman provinces maintained trade routes and relations with native tribes in Denmark, and Roman coins have been found in Denmark. Evidence of strong Celtic cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark and much of North-West Europe and is among other things reflected in the finding of the Gundestrup cauldron.


title: Denmark

text: The tribal Danes came from the east Danish islands (Zealand) and Scania and spoke an early form of North Germanic. Historians believe that before their arrival, most of Jutland and the nearest islands were settled by tribal Jutes. The Jutes migrated to Great Britain eventually, some as mercenaries of Brythonic King Vortigern, and were granted the south-eastern territories of Kent, the Isle of Wight and other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or ethnically cleansed by the invading Angles and Saxons, who formed the Anglo-Saxons. The remaining Jutish population in Jutland assimilated in with the settling Danes.


title: Denmark

text: A short note about the "Dani" in "Getica" by the historian Jordanes is believed to be an early mention of the Danes, one of the ethnic groups from whom modern Danes are descended. The Danevirke defence structures were built in phases from the 3rd century forward and the sheer size of the construction efforts in AD 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king. A new runic alphabet was first used around the same time and Ribe, the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about AD 700.


title: Denmark

text: From the 8th to the 10th century the wider Scandinavian region was the source of Vikings. They colonised, raided, and traded in all parts of Europe. The Danish Vikings were most active in the eastern and southern British Isles and Western Europe. They settled in parts of England (known as the Danelaw) under King Sweyn Forkbeard in 1013, and in France where Danes and Norwegians were allowed to settle in what would become Normandy in exchange of allegiance to Robert I of France with Rollo as first ruler. Some Anglo-Saxon pence of this period have been found in Denmark.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark was largely consolidated by the late 8th century and its rulers are consistently referred to in Frankish sources as kings ("reges"). Under the reign of Gudfred in 804 the Danish kingdom may have included all the lands of Jutland, Scania and the Danish islands, excluding Bornholm.


title: Denmark

text: The extant Danish monarchy traces its roots back to Gorm the Old, who established his reign in the early 10th century. As attested by the Jelling stones, the Danes were Christianised around 965 by Harald Bluetooth, the son of Gorm. It is believed that Denmark became Christian for political reasons so as not to get invaded by the Holy Roman Empire. A rising Christian power in Europe, the Holy Roman Empire was an important trading partner for the Danes. As a deterrent against this threat, Harald built six fortresses around Denmark called Trelleborg and built a further Danevirke. In the early 11th century, Canute the Great won and united Denmark, England, and Norway for almost 30 years with a Scandinavian army.


title: Denmark

text: Throughout the High and Late Middle Ages, Denmark also included Skåneland (the areas of Scania, Halland, and Blekinge in present-day south Sweden) and Danish kings ruled Danish Estonia, as well as the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Most of the latter two now form the state of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany.


title: Denmark

text: In 1397, Denmark entered into a personal union with Norway and Sweden, united under Queen Margaret I. The three countries were to be treated as equals in the union. However, even from the start, Margaret may not have been so idealistic—treating Denmark as the clear "senior" partner of the union. Thus, much of the next 125 years of Scandinavian history revolves around this union, with Sweden breaking off and being re-conquered repeatedly. The issue was for practical purposes resolved on 17 June 1523, as Swedish King Gustav Vasa conquered the city of Stockholm. The Protestant Reformation spread to Scandinavia in the 1530s, and following the Count's Feud civil war, Denmark converted to Lutheranism in 1536. Later that year, Denmark entered into a union with Norway.


title: Denmark

text: After Sweden permanently broke away from the personal union, Denmark tried on several occasions to reassert control over its neighbour. King Christian IV attacked Sweden in the 1611–1613 Kalmar War but failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing it to return to the union. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a war indemnity of 1 million silver riksdaler to Denmark, an amount known as the "Älvsborg ransom". King Christian used this money to found several towns and fortresses, most notably Glückstadt (founded as a rival to Hamburg) and Christiania. Inspired by the Dutch East India Company, he founded a similar Danish company and planned to claim Ceylon as a colony, but the company only managed to acquire Tranquebar on India's Coromandel Coast. Denmark's large colonial aspirations included a few key trading posts in Africa and India. While Denmark's trading posts in India were of little note, it played an important role in the highly lucrative Atlantic slave trade, through its trading outposts in Fort Christiansborg in Osu, Ghana through which 1.5 million slaves were traded. While the Danish colonial empire was sustained by trade with other major powers, and plantations – ultimately a lack of resources led to its stagnation.


title: Denmark

text: In the Thirty Years' War, Christian tried to become the leader of the Lutheran states in Germany but suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Lutter. The result was that the Catholic army under Albrecht von Wallenstein was able to invade, occupy, and pillage Jutland, forcing Denmark to withdraw from the war. Denmark managed to avoid territorial concessions, but King Gustavus Adolphus' intervention in Germany was seen as a sign that the military power of Sweden was on the rise while Denmark's influence in the region was declining. Swedish armies invaded Jutland in 1643 and claimed Scania in 1644. In the 1645 Treaty of Brømsebro, Denmark surrendered Halland, Gotland, the last parts of Danish Estonia, and several provinces in Norway.


title: Denmark

text: Seeing an opportunity to tear up the Treaty of Brømsebro, King Frederick III of Denmark, in 1657, declared war on Sweden, the latter being deeply involved in the Second Northern War (1655–1660), and marched on Bremen-Verden. This led to a massive Danish defeat as the armies of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden conquered Jutland and, following the Swedish March across the frozen Danish straits, occupied Funen and much of Zealand before signing the Peace of Roskilde in February 1658, which gave Sweden control of Scania, Blekinge, Bohuslän, Trøndelag, and the island of Bornholm. Charles X Gustav quickly regretted not having ruined Denmark and in August 1658, he launched a second attack on Denmark, conquered most of the Danish islands, and began a two-year-long siege of Copenhagen. King Frederick III actively led the defence of the city, rallying its citizens to take up arms, and repelled the Swedish attacks. The siege ended following the death of Charles X Gustav in 1660. In the ensuing peace settlement, Denmark managed to maintain its independence and regain control of Trøndelag and Bornholm. Attaining great popularity following the war, Frederick III used this to disband the elective monarchy in favour of absolute monarchy, which lasted until 1848 in Denmark.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark tried but failed to regain control of Scania in the Scanian War (1675–1679). After the Great Northern War (1700–21), Denmark managed to regain control of the parts of Schleswig and Holstein ruled by the house of Holstein-Gottorp in the 1720 Treaty of Frederiksborg and the 1773 Treaty of Tsarskoye Selo, respectively. Denmark prospered greatly in the last decades of the 18th century due to its neutral status allowing it to trade with both sides in the many contemporary wars. In the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark traded with both France and the United Kingdom and joined the League of Armed Neutrality with Russia, Sweden, and Prussia. The British considered this a hostile act and attacked Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807, in one case carrying off the Danish fleet, in the other, burning large parts of the Danish capital. This led to the so-called Danish-British Gunboat War. British control of the waterways between Denmark and Norway proved disastrous to the union's economy and in 1813 Denmark–Norway went bankrupt.


title: Denmark

text: The union was dissolved by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814; the Danish monarchy "irrevocably and forever" renounced claims to the Kingdom of Norway in favour of the Swedish king. Denmark kept the possessions of Iceland (which retained the Danish monarchy until 1944), the Faroe Islands and Greenland, all of which had been governed by Norway for centuries. Apart from the Nordic colonies, Denmark continued to rule over Danish India from 1620 to 1869, the Danish Gold Coast (Ghana) from 1658 to 1850, and the Danish West Indies from 1671 to 1917.


title: Denmark

text: A nascent Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s; after the European Revolutions of 1848, Denmark peacefully became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849. A new constitution established a two-chamber parliament. Denmark faced war against both Prussia and Austrian Empire in what became known as the Second Schleswig War, lasting from February to October 1864. Denmark was defeated and obliged to cede Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia. This loss came as the latest in the long series of defeats and territorial losses that had begun in the 17th century. After these events, Denmark pursued a policy of neutrality in Europe.


title: Denmark

text: Industrialisation came to Denmark in the second half of the 19th century. The nation's first railways were constructed in the 1850s, and improved communications and overseas trade allowed industry to develop in spite of Denmark's lack of natural resources. Trade unions developed, starting in the 1870s. There was a considerable migration of people from the countryside to the cities, and Danish agriculture became centred on the export of dairy and meat products.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark maintained its neutral stance during World War I. After the defeat of Germany, the Versailles powers offered to return the region of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. Fearing German irredentism, Denmark refused to consider the return of the area without a plebiscite; the two Schleswig Plebiscites took place on 10 February and 14 March 1920, respectively. On 10 July 1920, Northern Schleswig was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding some 163,600 inhabitants and . The country's first social democratic government took office in 1924.


title: Denmark

text: In 1939 Denmark signed a 10-year non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany but Germany invaded Denmark on 9 April 1940 and the Danish government quickly surrendered. World War II in Denmark was characterised by economic co-operation with Germany until 1943, when the Danish government refused further co-operation and its navy scuttled most of its ships and sent many of its officers to Sweden, which was neutral. The Danish resistance performed a rescue operation that managed to evacuate several thousand Jews and their families to safety in Sweden before the Germans could send them to death camps. Some Danes supported Nazism by joining the Danish Nazi Party or volunteering to fight with Germany as part of the Frikorps Danmark. Iceland severed ties with Denmark and became an independent republic in 1944; Germany surrendered in May 1945. In 1948, the Faroe Islands gained home rule. In 1949, Denmark became a founding member of NATO.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark was a founding member of European Free Trade Association (EFTA). During the 1960s, the EFTA countries were often referred to as the Outer Seven, as opposed to the Inner Six of what was then the European Economic Community (EEC). In 1973, along with Britain and Ireland, Denmark joined the European Economic Community (now the European Union) after a public referendum. The Maastricht Treaty, which involved further European integration, was rejected by the Danish people in 1992; it was only accepted after a second referendum in 1993, which provided for four opt-outs from policies. The Danes rejected the euro as the national currency in a referendum in 2000. Greenland gained home rule in 1979 and was awarded self-determination in 2009. Neither the Faroe Islands nor Greenland are members of the European Union, the Faroese having declined membership of the EEC in 1973 and Greenland in 1986, in both cases because of fisheries policies.


title: Denmark

text: Constitutional change in 1953 led to a single-chamber parliament elected by proportional representation, female accession to the Danish throne, and Greenland becoming an integral part of Denmark. The centre-left Social Democrats led a string of coalition governments for most of the second half of the 20th century, introducing the Nordic welfare model. The Liberal Party and the Conservative People's Party have also led centre-right governments.


title: Denmark

text: Located in Northern Europe, Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland and 443 named islands (1,419 islands above in total). Of these, 74 are inhabited (January 2015), with the largest being Zealand, the North Jutlandic Island, and Funen. The island of Bornholm is located east of the rest of the country, in the Baltic Sea. Many of the larger islands are connected by bridges; a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund connects Zealand with Sweden; the Great Belt Fixed Link connects Funen with Zealand; and the Little Belt Bridge connects Jutland with Funen. Ferries or small aircraft connect to the smaller islands. The four cities with populations over 100,000 are the capital Copenhagen on Zealand; Aarhus and Aalborg in Jutland; and Odense on Funen.


title: Denmark

text: The country occupies a total area of . The area of inland water is , variously stated as from 500 to 700 km (193–270 sq mi). Lake Arresø northwest of Copenhagen is the largest lake. The size of the land area cannot be stated exactly since the ocean constantly erodes and adds material to the coastline, and because of human land reclamation projects (to counter erosion). Post-glacial rebound raises the land by a bit less than per year in the north and east, extending the coast. A circle enclosing the same area as Denmark would be in diameter with a circumference of (land area only: and respectively). It shares a border of with Germany to the south and is otherwise surrounded by of tidal shoreline (including small bays and inlets). No location in Denmark is farther from the coast than . On the south-west coast of Jutland, the tide is between , and the tideline moves outward and inward on a stretch. Denmark's territorial waters total .


title: Denmark

text: Denmark's northernmost point is Skagen point (the north beach of the Skaw) at 57° 45' 7" northern latitude; the southernmost is Gedser point (the southern tip of Falster) at 54° 33' 35" northern latitude; the westernmost point is Blåvandshuk at 8° 4' 22" eastern longitude; and the easternmost point is Østerskær at 15° 11' 55" eastern longitude. This is in the small Ertholmene archipelago north-east of Bornholm. The distance from east to west is , from north to south .


title: Denmark

text: The country is flat with little elevation, having an average height above sea level of . The highest natural point is Møllehøj, at . Although this is by far the lowest high point in the Nordic countries and also less than half of the highest point in Southern Sweden, Denmark's general elevation in its interior is generally at a safe level from rising sea levels. A sizeable portion of Denmark's terrain consists of rolling plains whilst the coastline is sandy, with large dunes in northern Jutland. Although once extensively forested, today Denmark largely consists of arable land. It is drained by a dozen or so rivers, and the most significant include the Gudenå, Odense, Skjern, Suså and Vidå—a river that flows along its southern border with Germany.


title: Denmark

text: The Kingdom of Denmark includes two overseas territories, both well to the west of Denmark: Greenland, the world's largest island, and the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. These territories are self-governing under their own parliaments (the Løgting and Inatsisartut) and form, together with continental Denmark, part of the Danish Realm.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark has a temperate climate, characterised by mild winters, with mean temperatures in January of , and cool summers, with a mean temperature in August of . The most extreme temperatures recorded in Denmark, since 1874 when recordings began, was in 1975 and in 1982. Denmark has an average of 179 days per year with precipitation, on average receiving a total of per year; autumn is the wettest season and spring the driest. The position between a continent and an ocean means that the weather is often unstable.


title: Denmark

text: Because of Denmark's northern location, there are large seasonal variations in daylight. There are short days during the winter with sunrise coming around 8:45 am and sunset 3:45 pm (standard time), as well as long summer days with sunrise at 4:30 am and sunset at 10 pm (daylight saving time).


title: Denmark

text: Denmark belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and can be subdivided into two ecoregions: the Atlantic mixed forests and Baltic mixed forests. Almost all of Denmark's primeval temperate forests have been destroyed or fragmented, chiefly for agricultural purposes during the last millennia. The deforestation has created large swaths of heathland and devastating sand drifts. In spite of this, there are several larger second growth woodlands in the country and, in total, 12.9% of the land is now forested. Norway spruce is the most widespread tree (2017); an important tree in the Christmas tree production. Denmark holds a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 0.5/10, ranking it 171st globally out of 172 countries—behind only San Marino.


title: Denmark

text: Roe deer occupy the countryside in growing numbers, and large-antlered red deer can be found in the sparse woodlands of Jutland. Denmark is also home to smaller mammals, such as polecats, hares and hedgehogs. Approximately 400 bird species inhabit Denmark and about 160 of those breed in the country. Large marine mammals include healthy populations of Harbour porpoise, growing numbers of pinnipeds and occasional visits of large whales, including blue whales and orcas. Cod, herring and plaice are abundant culinary fish in Danish waters and form the basis for a large fishing industry.


title: Denmark

text: Land and water pollution are two of Denmark's most significant environmental issues, although much of the country's household and industrial waste is now increasingly filtered and sometimes recycled. The country has historically taken a progressive stance on environmental preservation; in 1971 Denmark established a Ministry of Environment and was the first country in the world to implement an environmental law in 1973. To mitigate environmental degradation and global warming the Danish Government has signed the Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol. However, the national ecological footprint is 8.26 global hectares per person, which is very high compared to a world average of 1.7 in 2010. Contributing factors to this value are an exceptional high value for cropland but also a relatively high value for grazing land, which may be explained by the substantially high meat production in Denmark ( meat annually per capita) and the large economic role of the meat and dairy industries. In December 2014, the Climate Change Performance Index for 2015 placed Denmark at the top of the table, explaining that although emissions are still quite high, the country was able to implement effective climate protection policies. In 2020, Denmark was placed first in the index again. In 2021 Denmark, with Costa Rica, launched the "Beyond Oil and Gas alliance" for stopping use fossil fuels.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark's territories, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, catch approximately 650 whales per year. Greenland's quotas for the catch of whales are determined according to the advice of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), having quota decision-making powers.


title: Denmark

text: Politics in Denmark operate under a framework laid out in the Constitution of Denmark. First written in 1849, it establishes a sovereign state in the form of a constitutional monarchy, with a representative parliamentary system. The monarch officially retains executive power and presides over the Council of State (privy council). In practice, the duties of the monarch are strictly representative and ceremonial, such as the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other Government ministers. The Monarch is not answerable for his or her actions, and their person is sacrosanct. Hereditary monarch Queen Margrethe II has been head of state since 14 January 1972.


title: Denmark

text: The Danish parliament is unicameral and called the Folketing (). It is the legislature of the Kingdom of Denmark, passing acts that apply in Denmark and, variably, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Folketing is also responsible for adopting the state's budgets, approving the state's accounts, appointing and exercising control of the Government, and taking part in international co-operation. Bills may be initiated by the Government or by members of parliament. All bills passed must be presented before the Council of State to receive Royal Assent within thirty days in order to become law.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark is a representative democracy with universal suffrage. Membership of the Folketing is based on proportional representation of political parties, with a 2% electoral threshold. Denmark elects 175 members to the Folketing, with Greenland and the Faroe Islands electing an additional two members each—179 members in total. Parliamentary elections are held at least every four years, but it is within the powers of the prime minister to ask the monarch to call for an election before the term has elapsed. On a vote of no confidence, the Folketing may force a single minister or an entire government to resign.


title: Denmark

text: The Government of Denmark operates as a cabinet government, where executive authority is exercised—formally, on behalf of the monarch—by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers, who head ministries. As the executive branch, the Cabinet is responsible for proposing bills and a budget, executing the laws, and guiding the foreign and internal policies of Denmark. The position of prime minister belongs to the person most likely to command the confidence of a majority in the Folketing; this is often the current leader of the largest political party or, more effectively, through a coalition of parties. A single party generally does not have sufficient political power in terms of the number of seats to form a cabinet on its own; Denmark has often been ruled by coalition governments, themselves usually minority governments dependent on non-government parties.


title: Denmark

text: Following a general election defeat, in June 2015 Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the Social Democrats ('), resigned as prime minister. She was succeeded by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the leader of the Liberal Party ('). Rasmussen became the leader of a cabinet that, unusually, consisted entirely of ministers from his own party. In November 2016, Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives joined the government. Liberal Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen held the office between 2009 and 2011, and again between 2015 and 2019, with backing from the Danish People's Party (DF). Following the 2019 general election the Social Democrats, led by leader Mette Frederiksen, formed a single-party government with support from the left-wing coalition. Frederiksen became prime minister on 27 June 2019.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark has a civil law system with some references to Germanic law. Denmark resembles Norway and Sweden in never having developed a case-law like that of England and the United States nor comprehensive codes like those of France and Germany. Much of its law is customary.


title: Denmark

text: The judicial system of Denmark is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Articles sixty-two and sixty-four of the Constitution ensure judicial independence from government and Parliament by providing that judges shall only be guided by the law, including acts, statutes and practice. The Kingdom of Denmark does not have a single unified judicial system – Denmark has one system, Greenland another, and the Faroe Islands a third. However, decisions by the highest courts in Greenland and the Faroe Islands may be appealed to the Danish High Courts. The Danish Supreme Court is the highest civil and criminal court responsible for the administration of justice in the Kingdom.


title: Denmark

text: The Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary state that comprises, in addition to Denmark proper, two autonomous territories in the North Atlantic Ocean: Greenland and the Faroe Islands. They have been integrated parts of the Danish Realm since the 18th century; however, due to their separate historical and cultural identities, these parts of the Realm have extensive political powers and have assumed legislative and administrative responsibility in a substantial number of fields. Home rule was granted to the Faroe Islands in 1948 and to Greenland in 1979, each having previously had the status of counties.


title: Denmark

text: Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own home governments and parliaments and are effectively self-governing in regards to domestic affairs apart from the judicial system and monetary policy. High Commissioners ("") act as representatives of the Danish government in the Faroese Løgting and in the Greenlandic Parliament, but they cannot vote. The Faroese home government is defined to be an equal partner with the Danish national government, while the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark, with a total area of , is divided into five administrative regions (). The regions are further subdivided into 98 municipalities (""). The easternmost land in Denmark, the Ertholmene archipelago, with an area of 39 hectares (0.16 sq mi), is neither part of a municipality nor a region but belongs to the Ministry of Defence. The provinces of Denmark are statistical divisions of Denmark, positioned between the administrative regions and municipalities. They are not administrative divisions, nor subject for any kind of political elections, but are mainly for statistical use.


title: Denmark

text: The regions were created on 1 January 2007 to replace the 16 former counties. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, reducing the number from 270. Most municipalities have a population of at least 20,000 to give them financial and professional sustainability, although a few exceptions were made to this rule. The administrative divisions are led by directly elected councils, elected proportionally every four years; the most recent Danish local elections were held on 16 November 2021. Other regional structures use the municipal boundaries as a layout, including the police districts, the court districts and the electoral wards.


title: Denmark

text: The governing bodies of the regions are the regional councils, each with forty-one councillors elected for four-year terms. The councils are headed by regional district chairmen ("), who are elected by the council.


title: Denmark

text: The areas of responsibility for the regional councils are the national health service, social services and regional development. Unlike the counties they replaced, the regions are not allowed to levy taxes and the health service is partly financed by a national health care contribution until 2018 ("), partly by funds from both government and municipalities. From 1 January 2019 this contribution will be abolished, as it is being replaced by higher income tax instead.


title: Denmark

text: The area and populations of the regions vary widely; for example, the Capital Region, which encompasses the Copenhagen metropolitan area with the exception of the subtracted province East Zealand but includes the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, has a population three times larger than that of North Denmark Region, which covers the more sparsely populated area of northern Jutland. Under the county system certain densely populated municipalities, such as Copenhagen Municipality and Frederiksberg, had been given a status equivalent to that of counties, making them first-level administrative divisions. These "sui generis" municipalities were incorporated into the new regions under the 2007 reforms.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark wields considerable influence in Northern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs. In recent years, Greenland and the Faroe Islands have been guaranteed a say in foreign policy issues such as fishing, whaling, and geopolitical concerns. The foreign policy of Denmark is substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union (EU); Denmark including Greenland joined the European Economic Community (EEC), the EU's predecessor, in 1973. Denmark held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on seven occasions, most recently from January to June 2012. Following World War II, Denmark ended its two-hundred-year-long policy of neutrality. It has been a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 1949, and membership remains highly popular.


title: Denmark

text: As a member of Development Assistance Committee (DAC), Denmark has for a long time been among the countries of the world contributing the largest percentage of gross national income to development aid. In 2015, Denmark contributed 0.85% of its gross national income (GNI) to foreign aid and was one of only six countries meeting the longstanding UN target of 0.7% of GNI. The country participates in both bilateral and multilateral aid, with the aid usually administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organisational name of Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is often used, in particular when operating bilateral aid.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark's armed forces are known as the Danish Defence (). The Minister of Defence is commander-in-chief of the Danish Defence, and serves as chief diplomatic official abroad. During peacetime, the Ministry of Defence employs around 33,000 in total. The main military branches employ almost 27,000: 15,460 in the Royal Danish Army, 5,300 in the Royal Danish Navy and 6,050 in the Royal Danish Air Force (all including conscripts). The Danish Emergency Management Agency employs 2,000 (including conscripts), and about 4,000 are in non-branch-specific services like the Danish Defence Command and the Danish Defence Intelligence Service. Furthermore, around 44,500 serve as volunteers in the Danish Home Guard.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark is a long-time supporter of international peacekeeping, but since the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and the War in Afghanistan in 2001, Denmark has also found a new role as a warring nation, participating actively in several wars and invasions. This relatively new situation has stirred some internal critique, but the Danish population has generally been very supportive, in particular of the War in Afghanistan. The Danish Defence has around 1,400 staff in international missions, not including standing contributions to NATO SNMCMG1. Danish forces were heavily engaged in the former Yugoslavia in the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR), with IFOR, and now SFOR. Between 2003 and 2007, there were approximately 450 Danish soldiers in Iraq. Denmark also strongly supported American operations in Afghanistan and has contributed both monetarily and materially to the ISAF. These initiatives are often described by the authorities as part of a new "active foreign policy" of Denmark.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark has a developed mixed economy that is classed as a high-income economy by the World Bank. In 2017, it ranked 16th in the world in terms of gross national income (PPP) per capita and 10th in nominal GNI per capita. Denmark's economy stands out as one of the most free in the Index of Economic Freedom and the Economic Freedom of the World. It is the 10th most competitive economy in the world, and 6th in Europe, according to the World Economic Forum in its "Global Competitiveness Report 2018".


title: Denmark

text: Denmark has the fourth highest ratio of tertiary degree holders in the world. The country ranks highest in the world for workers' rights. GDP per hour worked was the 13th highest in 2009. The country has a market income inequality close to the OECD average, but after taxes and public cash transfers the income inequality is considerably lower. According to Eurostat, Denmark's Gini coefficient for disposable income was the 7th-lowest among EU countries in 2017.


title: Denmark

text: According to the International Monetary Fund, Denmark has the world's highest minimum wage. As Denmark has no minimum wage legislation, the high wage floor has been attributed to the power of trade unions. For example, as the result of a collective bargaining agreement between the 3F trade union and the employers group , workers at McDonald's and other fast food chains make the equivalent of US$20 an hour, which is more than double what their counterparts earn in the United States, and have access to five weeks' paid vacation, parental leave and a pension plan. Union density in 2015 was 68%.


title: Denmark

text: Once a predominantly agricultural country on account of its arable landscape, since 1945 Denmark has greatly expanded its industrial base and service sector. By 2017 services contributed circa 75% of GDP, manufacturing about 15% and agriculture less than 2%. Major industries include wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, machinery and transportation equipment, food processing, and construction. Circa 60% of the total export value is due to export of goods, and the remaining 40% is from service exports, mainly sea transport. The country's main export goods are: wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, furniture and design. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has for a number of years had a balance of payments surplus which has transformed the country from a net debitor to a net creditor country. By 1 July 2018, the net international investment position (or net foreign assets) of Denmark was equal to 64.6% of GDP.


title: Denmark

text: A liberalisation of import tariffs in 1797 marked the end of mercantilism and further liberalisation in the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century established the Danish liberal tradition in international trade that was only to be broken by the 1930s. Even when other countries, such as Germany and France, raised protection for their agricultural sector because of increased American competition resulting in much lower agricultural prices after 1870, Denmark retained its free trade policies, as the country profited from the cheap imports of cereals (used as feedstuffs for their cattle and pigs) and could increase their exports of butter and meat of which the prices were more stable. Today, Denmark is part of the European Union's internal market, which represents more than 508 million consumers. Several domestic commercial policies are determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and by EU legislation. Support for free trade is high among the Danish public; in a 2016 poll 57% responded saw globalisation as an opportunity whereas 18% viewed it as a threat. 70% of trade flows are inside the European Union. , Denmark's largest export partners are Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark's currency, the "krone" (DKK), is pegged at approximately 7.46 kroner per euro through the ERM II. Although a September 2000 referendum rejected adopting the euro, the country follows the policies set forth in the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EMU) and meets the economic convergence criteria needed to adopt the euro. The majority of the political parties in the Folketing support joining the EMU, but since 2010 opinion polls have consistently shown a clear majority against adopting the euro. In May 2018, 29% of respondents from Denmark in a Eurobarometer opinion poll stated that they were in favour of the EMU and the euro, whereas 65% were against it.


title: Denmark

text: Ranked by turnover in Denmark, the largest Danish companies are: A.P. Møller-Mærsk (international shipping), Novo Nordisk (pharmaceuticals), ISS A/S (facility services), Vestas (wind turbines), Arla Foods (dairy), DSV (transport), Carlsberg Group (beer), Salling Group (retail), Ørsted A/S (power), Danske Bank.


title: Denmark

text: Danes enjoy a high standard of living and the Danish economy is characterised by extensive government welfare provisions. Denmark has a corporate tax rate of 22% and a special time-limited tax regime for expatriates. The Danish taxation system is broad based, with a 25% value-added tax, in addition to excise taxes, income taxes and other fees. The overall level of taxation (sum of all taxes, as a percentage of GDP) was 46% in 2017. The tax structure of Denmark (the relative weight of different taxes) differs from the OECD average, as the Danish tax system in 2015 was characterised by substantially higher revenues from taxes on personal income and a lower proportion of revenues from taxes on corporate income and gains and property taxes than in OECD generally, whereas no revenues at all derive from social security contributions. The proportion deriving from payroll taxes, VAT, and other taxes on goods and services correspond to the OECD average


title: Denmark

text: , 6% of the population was reported to live below the poverty line, when adjusted for taxes and transfers. Denmark has the 2nd lowest relative poverty rate in the OECD, below the 11.3% OECD average. The share of the population reporting that they feel that they cannot afford to buy sufficient food in Denmark is less than half of the OECD average.


title: Denmark

text: Like other Nordic countries, Denmark has adopted the Nordic Model, which combines free market capitalism with a comprehensive welfare state and strong worker protection. As a result of its acclaimed "flexicurity" model, Denmark has the freest labour market in Europe, according to the World Bank. Employers can hire and fire whenever they want (flexibility), and between jobs, unemployment compensation is relatively high (security). According to OECD, initial as well as long-term net replacement rates for unemployed persons were 65% of previous net income in 2016, against an OECD average of 53%. Establishing a business can be done in a matter of hours and at very low costs. No restrictions apply regarding overtime work, which allows companies to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With an employment rate in 2017 of 74.2% for people aged 15–64-years, Denmark ranks 9th highest among the OECD countries, and above the OECD average of 67.8%. The unemployment rate was 5.7% in 2017, which is considered close to or below its structural level.


title: Denmark

text: The level of unemployment benefits is dependent on former employment and normally on membership of an unemployment fund, which is usually closely connected to a trade union, and previous payment of contributions. Circa 65% of the financing comes from earmarked member contributions, whereas the remaining third originates from the central government and hence ultimately from general taxation.


title: Denmark

text: Denmark has a long tradition of scientific and technological invention and engagement, and has been involved internationally from the very start of the scientific revolution. In current times, Denmark is participating in many high-profile international science and technology projects, including CERN, ITER, ESA, ISS and E-ELT. Denmark was ranked 10th in the Global Innovation Index in 2022, down from 6th in 2020 and from 7th in 2019.