James Baquet

I was born in southern California on July 17, 1955. I mention that, not because my birthday’s in a couple of weeks, but because the day I was born is the very day that the original Disneyland opened about 20 miles to the southeast. And Disneyland, as you may know, calls itself the “happiest place on Earth.”

Now I discover that Denmark uses the same slogan. Hmph! How dare they?

Well, here’s how: Denmark ranks at the top of lots of “good” lists. High economic development, social development and standard of living, great education, top-notch health care, high prosperity and human development, as well as social mobility and income equality. Meanwhile, it seems to have the lowest level of corruption in the world, and one of the highest per capita incomes.

It is the southernmost of the Scandinavian nations, located southwest of one (Sweden) and due south of the other (Norway). Note that Finland and Iceland, sometimes called “Scandinavian countries,” are more properly referred to as “Nordic.” Denmark’s mainland lies north of Germany, with which Denmark shares its only land border on the Jutland peninsula. There are also nearly 450 named islands, some of them rivaling the country’s mainland in area.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands are autonomous constituent countries of Denmark. That is, while previously considered counties of Denmark, they have been given home rule, with responsibility for their own legislation and administration, though they are still subject to the Danish Constitution. This arrangement is generally referred to as The Unity of the Realm.

Until 2007, when the Church of the Faroe Islands became independent, all three parts of Denmark shared a national church, the Church of Denmark. Greenlandic, an Inuit (Eskimo) language, is the official language of Greenland, and Faroese (an Old West Norse language, like Norwegian and Icelandic) is used in the Faroes. Danish is also used in both. While Danish is the sole official language of Denmark, Faroese and Greenlandic along with German are recognized as regional languages.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. a rhetorical question challenging someone’s right to do something

2. making of laws

3. country, kingdom

4. directly

5. comparison between rich(est) and poor(est)

6. sound of disapproval

7. only

8. oneness

9. ability to move up in social class

10. first-rate, the best