The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest and southernmost Nordic country; it is also the oldest. Germany is Denmark's only land neighbor; it is southwest of Sweden and south of Norway. Denmark has a population of approximately 5,400,000 people, and the official language is Danish. Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and is part of the European Union. The exact origin of Denmark is unknown; the oldest town, Ribe, is believe to have been founded around the year 700. Denmark was one of the founding members of NATO and joined the European Economic Community later known as the European Union in 1973. Denmark practices universal suffrage and women are considered equal to men by Danish law (except they are not drafted; they can serve voluntarily). Denmark also grants homosexuals equal rights and protects alternative lifestyles with anti-discrimination laws. Denmark is mostly flat, and the climate is temperate, with mild winters and cool summers. The main capital is Copenhagen. Denmark appears in many literary pieces, including Shakespeare's Hamlet (which was set in the castle in Kronborg); and Hans Christian Anderson wrote several fairy tales that are known internationally. Other well-known Danes are pianist, Victor Borge; author Karen Blixen (also known as Isak Dinesen); Nobel Prize laureate Niels Bohr, and Ole Kirk Christiansen, inventor of LEGO blocks. The rescue of Danish Jews occurred during World War II when many Danes and Swedes took part in a collective effort to evacuate approximately 8,000 Jews. The rescue allowed the majority of the Jewish population to avoid capture by the Nazis and is considered one of the largest actions of collective resistance. As a result, most of Denmark's Jewish population survived the Holocaust. The death sentence had been abolished in 1930 but was briefly reintroduced in Denmark after World War II so 46 people could be executed for war crimes. In 1978, it was abolished again. It is illegal (per Danish law) to extradite criminals to countries where the criminal would face the death sentence.

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