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LEFT DENMARK 321 DENMARK in the W. and N. of the mainland the stretches of moorland are clothed with heather, and have a solemn beauty. The coast seldom rises even to low cliffs; generally it is flat, skirted by sand- ridges and shallow lagoons, especially along the W. side, where the dunes cover an area of nearly 225 square miles. The E. coast is much indented by bays, useful for navigation and valu- able for their fisheries: here and in the islands are many good harbors. Both the continental portion and the islands are penetrated deeply by numerous fjords, the largest being Limfjord, which intersects Jutland and has insulated the N. extremity of the peninsula since 1825, when it broke through the narrow isth- mus which had separated it from the North Sea. From its formation, the kingdom can have no rivers, properly so called; its streams, called Aa, are mostly large brooks. There are several impor- tant canals, however, including in Jut- land works for the canalization of the Guden-Aa, its largest stream, and of the Limfjord. Lakes abound in all parts of the kingdom, the most considerable being found in Seeland. Climate, Commerce, aiid Productions. — Owing to the lowness of the land and its proximity to the sea on all sides, the climate is remarkably temperate for so northerly a region, though the thermom- eter in winter may sink to 22° below zero, and in summer rise to 89". Vio- lents winds are frequent, and rains and fogs prevalent, but the climate is favor- able to vegetation. The soils of Jutland are generally light, but those in the S. E. part and in the islands are stronger; about 80 per cent, of the area of Den- mark is productive, and of the remainder about one-sixth is in peat-bogs. Nearly half of the population is engaged in agriculture; the land for the most part is parceled out into small holdings, and this is encouraged by the laws, which since 1849 have prohibited the throwing of small farms into large estates. The center and W. of Jutland is nearly bare of wood, but in the other parts of the peninsula the forests cover about 215,- 000 acres, and in the islands over 291,- 000 acres. The beech, which flourishes more luxuriantly in Denmark than in any other land, is almost universally predominant, though three centuries ago the oak, now comparatively rare, was the characteristic Danish tree. Peat, which is obtained in abundance from the bogs, brown coal or lignite, and seaweed, generally take the place of wood as fuel. Porcelain clay and some coal are found in Bornholm; fuller's efai'th, potterls clay, saltpeter, chalk, and a poor marble occur in several parts of the kingdom, while some amber is collected on the W. coast of Jutland. In 1919 there were produced of the principal crops the following amounts m tons: wheat, 161,200; rye, 378,700; barley, 533,900; oats, 690,700; mixed grain, 397,000; and potatoes, 1,440,800. There were in 1919 558,471 horses; 2,- 188,142 head of cattle; 509,466 sheep; 715,909 swine; and 12,134,521 poultry. In 1914 there were 82,442 industrial establishments, employing 346,000 per- sons. Among the most important pro- ductions are distilled liquors and beet sugar. There were, in 1919, 21 distiller- ies, which produced 2,390,000 liters of brandy. In the same year the produc- tion of beet sugar was 141,300 tons. Fisheries are important, and the value of the catch in 1918 was £2,318,866. Over 20,000 persons are engaged in the fisheries and over 15,000 boats are em- ployed. The imports in 1919 were valued at £139,390,000, and the exports at £51,- 042,000. These figures may be com- pared with those of 1914, in which year the imports amounted to £44,182,666, and the exports to £48,191,444. The ex- ports of home produce in 1919 amounted to £41,299,000. The principal imports are food substances, fuel, raw products, and industrial products. The chief ex- ports are butter, eggs, bacon, and other agricultural and dairy products. Denmark is one of the most important countries engaged in mercantile marine. There were in 1919 3,366 vessels, with 470,989 tons, engaged in foreign com- merce. In the same year 18,965 vessels entered Danish ports from foreign coun- tries and 19,224 vessels cleared from Danish ports. Fhiances. — The total revenue for 1919 and 1920 was £23,957,514 from current revenue, and £8,662,203 from the state capital. The expenditures amounted to £26,205,779 for current expenditure, and £4,358,072 for the increase of state capital. A reserve fund of a compara- tively large amount is maintained. This in 1919 amounted to £623,189. The pub- lic debt in 1919 amounted to £43,361,483. The total foreign debt amounted to £14,296,273. Railways. — There were in 1919 about 2,700 miles of railway, of which about 1,275 belonged to the state. Government. — Denmark was original- ly an elective monarchy. In 1661 it be- came a hereditary and absolute mon- archy, and in 1849 a hereditary consti- tutional monarchy, the legislative power being in the king and Diet jointly. The- present government is founded on the