Denmark
Background
Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs.
Location
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)
Geographic co-ordinates
56 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references
Europe
Area
Total: 43,094 sq km ; land: 42,394 sq km ; water: 700 sq km ; note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
Area- comparative
Slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts
Climate
Temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Terrain
Low and flat to gently rolling plains
Natural resources
Petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand
Natural Hazards
Flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes
Nationality
Noun: Dane(s) ; adjective: Danish
Languages
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) ; note: English is the predominant second language
Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark ; conventional short form: Denmark ; local long form: Kongeriget Danmark ; local short form: Danmark
Capital
Name: Copenhagen ; geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ; daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
National holiday
None designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Flag
Industries
Iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment
Currency code
Danish krone (DKK)
Internet code
.dk
Ports and terminals
Aalborg, Aarhus, Asnaesvaerkets, Copenhagen, Elsinore, Ensted, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn, Kalundborg, Odense, Roenne
Dhekelia
Background
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.
Location
On the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
Geographic co-ordinates
34 59 N, 33 45 E
Map references
Middle East
Area
Total: 130.8 sq km ; note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves
Area- comparative
About three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
total: NA; note - boundary with Cyprus is being resurveyed
Languages
English, Greek
Country name
Conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area ; conventional short form: Dhekelia
Capital
Name: Episkopi Cantonment; located in Akrotiri ; geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E ; time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ; daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Flag
Currency code
Cypriot pound (CYP)
Djibouti
Background
The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and final term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, but is also developing stronger ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism.
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic co-ordinates
11 30 N, 43 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
Total: 23,000 sq km ; land: 22,980 sq km ; water: 20 sq km
Area- comparative
Slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Climate
Desert; torrid, dry
Terrain
Coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Natural resources
Geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum
Natural Hazards
Earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic
Nationality
Noun: Djiboutian(s) ; adjective: Djiboutian
Languages
French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti ; conventional short form: Djibouti ; local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti ; local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti ; former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Capital
Name: Djibouti ; geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 15 E ; time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative division
6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah
National holiday
Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal adult
Flag
Industries
Construction, agricultural processing, salt
Currency code
Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Internet code
.dj
Ports and terminals
Djibouti
Dominica
Background
Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.
Location
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic co-ordinates
15 25 N, 61 20 W
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Area
Total: 754 sq km ; land: 754 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
Area- comparative
Slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
Tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Terrain
Rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Natural resources
Timber, hydropower, arable land
Natural Hazards
Flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months
Nationality
Noun: Dominican(s) ; adjective: Dominican
Languages
English (official), French patois
Country name
Conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica ; conventional short form: Dominica
Capital
Name: Roseau ; geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W ; time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative division
10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter
National holiday
Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Flag
Industries
Soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
Currency code
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Internet code
.dm
Ports and terminals
Portsmouth, Roseau
Dominican Republic
Background
Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term.
Location
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Geographic co-ordinates
19 00 N, 70 40 W
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Area
Total: 48,730 sq km ; land: 48,380 sq km ; water: 350 sq km
Area- comparative
Slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Climate
Tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
Terrain
Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Natural resources
Nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Natural Hazards
Severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
Nationality
Noun: Dominican(s) ; adjective: Dominican
Languages
Spanish
Country name
Conventional long form: Dominican Republic ; conventional short form: The Dominican ; local long form: Republica Dominicana ; local short form: La Dominicana
Capital
Name: Santo Domingo ; geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W ; time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative division
31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde
National holiday
Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Suffrage
18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age ; note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote
Flag
Industries
Tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
Currency code
Dominican peso (DOP)
Internet code
.do
Ports and terminals
Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo
Army, Navy, Air Force