Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Denmark’s geography sets it apart from its European neighbors. You are never more than 30 miles from the sea in this Scandinavian country. Danes are known for their independence and are often considered some of the happiest people in the world. Here are five facts to get you started. 1 Queen Margrethe II has been the country’s head of state since 1972. The Danish monarchy has existed for more than 1,000 years. It is considered the oldest continuous monarchy in the world. 2 Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales are known the world over. His 150 tales have been translated into more than 90 different languages. His most popular stories include “The Little Mermaid” and “The Ugly Duckling.” 3 Many of us have played with Legos. These colorful toys were created…

The Scandinavian languages are part of the Germanic language group. This group includes German (obviously), English, and many other languages. Danish is closely related to other Scandinavian languages such as Swedish and Norwegian. In fact, they are so similar that a Dane, a Swede, and a Norwegian can all have a conversation while each person is speaking his or her own language. You might wonder why, if the three languages are mutually understandable, they aren’t considered a single language. Well, language isn’t only about communication; it’s an important part of a nation’s cultural and political identity. For centuries, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have worked to maintain separate identities, and having distinct languages helps. Besides, communication between the three languages isn’t easy; speakers have to work hard to understand each other.…

NARRATOR 1: One beautiful summer in the country, a duck sat on her nest, waiting for her last and largest egg to hatch. At last, the egg broke, and a big, ugly gray baby peeked out. MOTHER DUCK: He does not look like any of the others. Maybe he is a turkey. (The ugly duckling swims.) No, he cannot be a turkey. He moves his legs beautifully and holds himself upright. NARRATOR 1: Mother Duck took her family to meet the animals in the duck-yard. BARNYARD DUCK: Just what we do NOT need, another family to feed. Fie, look at that ugly one! NARRATOR 1: The duck flew at the Ugly Duckling and bit him on the neck. MOTHER DUCK: Stop that. He is not harming you. BARNYARD DUCK: Any…

LOCATION: Denmark is located in northern Europe. Except for a 42-mile border with Germany, all of Denmark is surrounded by water—either the North Sea or the Baltic Sea. The largest portion of Denmark is the Jutland peninsula. Denmark consists of more than 400 islands, only about 80 of which are inhabited. CAPITAL: Copenhagen POPULATION: 5.8 million (July 2018 estimate) AREA: 16,639 square miles (43,094 square kilometers) PEOPLE: The vast majority of the population is of Danish ancestry. The country is also home to small minorities of German, Polish, Turkish, Yugoslavian, Iranian, and Pakistani people. LANGUAGES: Danish (official) Many Danes know a second language, usually English. RELIGIONS: About 90 percent of the population considers themselves Lutheran. Roman Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam are also practiced. CURRENCY: Danish kroner NATURAL RESOURCES: Petroleum, natural…

Find Germany on a map of Europe, and then look to its north. There you will find a peninsula known as Jutland. To its west is the North Sea; to its east, the Baltic Sea and a thick cluster of more than 400 islands. Together, Jutland and the islands form one of the smallest but most admired nations of Europe—the kingdom of Denmark. Denmark’s 5.5 million inhabitants, known as Danes, live in a space only about twice the size of New Jersey. It is much smaller than the combined size of Norway and Sweden, its neighbors across the Baltic. These three nations are referred to as “Scandinavia.” Denmark’s geography sets it apart from its neighbors. It has played a major role in the country's history and culture. Denmark’s capital of…

The Vikings were using a writing system called runes as early as A.D. 100. The word runes means, “secret knowledge and wisdom.” Rune also means “letter.” The symbols were straight lines carved into stones, bones, metal, seal tusks, and pottery. Because it was difficult to carve, most Runic messages were short. Runic writing is also called futharks, for the first six runic letters (f, u, th, a, r, and k). It can be read from left to right or right to left. Originally, there were 24 runic symbols. Futhark contains 16 symbols. It was used throughout the Nordic countries during the Viking era. Nordic mythology tells the story of how the chief god, Odin (known as “Odin the Allfather”) tried to figure out the meaning of the runes. Odin hung…

Dear Jessica, Thank you so much for pen paling with me about your life in Denmark. My name is Kylie and I am 14 years old. I am from New Hampshire. I love to play sports and go on adventures. I love swimming. Because of where I live, I am able to go to the beach often. I spend lots of time in the water, even though it’s pretty cold. New Hampshire has many lakes. They are warmer than the ocean, which I like. I used to live next to a small river. Animals like deer, black bears, and foxes would come for a drink. Are there any lakes, rivers, or oceans where you are in Denmark? If so, are they cold or warm? What are some popular things to…

Did the article about Thomas Dambo’s trolls on page 30 inspire you? Dambo is making quite an impression in the art world. He has been building things since he was a child. While at art school, he noticed that many graffiti artists around him were not always welcomed. In fact, their work was often seen as vandalism. In response, he used scrap wood from other projects and created his own style of graffiti—birdhouses. He built more than 250 birdhouses and then set them up all over Denmark. Sometimes his installations were just a few houses, but other projects were made up of many and made a big statement. He called it the Happy City Bird Project. In 2014, he installed Happy Wall in the Copenhagen. The interactive project is made…

This big bird has it all. It is graceful, smart, and strong. Find out why people love it and leave it. (Leave it alone, that is!) Hans Christian Andersen, a famous author and poet from Denmark, wrote a fairy tale called, “The Ugly Duckling.” It is the tale of a baby swan raised among ducks who bully him because he looks different. Fast forward to 1984. A Danish TV show holds a contest to select the National Bird of Denmark. Partly because of the popular Hans Christian Andersen story, the people vote for the mute swan. The bird symbolizes beauty, fierceness, majesty, and the power of the country. The mute swan is native to Denmark. In Danish, the swan is known as knopsvanen, which means “knob swan,” because of the black…

When was the last time that you rode a bike? Did you ride to school, or a park, or just to have fun with your friends? TODAY, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING BIKES OVER CARS. In the United States, about 100 million people own a bicycle. Most only ride them a few times a year. But most Danes not only own bikes, but they also ride them regularly. Nine out of 10 Danes have a bike, and the average person rides at least a mile (1.6 km) every day. They aren’t just riding bikes for fun. They use them to get to work, to take their kids places, and even to carry cargo. Danes ride their bicycles no matter what the weather. It could be sunny, raining, hailing, or…

The wistful Little Mermaid statue gazes out to sea. She is caught between the worlds of merpeople and humans. Perched on a rock at Langelinie, Copenhagen’s harbor entrance to the sea, she has served as Denmark’s most famous landmark for more than 100 years since her unveiling on August 23, 1913. Millions have paid homage to this small but mighty mermaid, posed with her, and cruised by to take in her otherworldly beauty. Sailors drape her with flowers and kiss her, believing that she brings them luck. Sadly, vandals and political activists have damaged the statue, but each time, she has been restored to her former glory. As in Hans Christian Anderson’s 1837 fairy tale Den Lille Havfrue in which the beloved heroine first came to life, goodness and kindness…

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli is the second-oldest amusement park in the world. It opened in 1843, more than 175 years ago.…