Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
was divided into 13
counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
('' amter''), and 270 municipalities ('' kommuner''). See
List of municipalities of Denmark
This is a list of current Municipalities of Denmark. The number of municipalities was reduced from 270 to the current 98 on Monday 1 January 2007. The archipelago of Ertholmene is not part of any municipality or region but is administered by the ...
for the subdivision into 5
regions
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
and 98
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
from January 1, 2007. The easternmost land in Denmark, the small
Ertholmene
Ertholmene (formerly spelled ''Ærtholmene)'' is a small archipelago in Denmark. The largest island is Christiansø, whose name is often used with reference to the entire archipelago. Ertholmene are situated northeast of Gudhjem, Bornho ...
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
, area 39
hectares
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
(0.16 square miles), normally only mentioned by the name of its largest islet, '' Christiansø'', which lies 11 miles (18 kilometers) to the northeast of
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...
, was and is not part of a municipality or county or region but was and still is administered by the
Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
. Its population was 83 (January 1, 2018).
''Municipal seat is indicated if the name differs from the name of the municipality.''
Ã…rhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Ã…rhus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
)
From 1 April 1948, Aa was changed to Å as a result of the ''Spelling reform'' (Danish ''Retskrivningsreformen''). Aarhus municipal council and Aarhus county chose to use the letter Å instead of Aa, but it was optional for counties or municipalities or cities/towns whether they would keep or change the original spelling from before 1948. From January 2011, four (4) years after the counties were abolished, the politicians in the municipality chose to return to the original spelling Aa instead of Å. But the county of Århus from 1948 until it was abolished 1 January 2007 and the municipality Århus and city Århus from 1948 until 2010 was spelled Århus, and from January 2011 Aarhus again. Å (in capital) or å (in minor) and Aa/aa, where it is part of one word is placed as the last letter in the Danish alphabet, after the letters Æ/æ and Ø/ø, so the alphabetical order is Æ/æ,Ø/ø,Å/å- as (part of) a whole word also AA/aa (In Sweden, the order of the last 3 letters is Å/å,Ä/ä,Ö/ö, in Norway Ø/ø,Æ/æ,Å/å). So Aarhus and Århus is placed last, i.e. in a list, directory or encyclopedia in the Danish language.
Rønne
Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...
)
Bornholm County, which had existed since 1662, when it replaced '' Hammershus Len'', was abolished as of Wednesday 1 January 2003, after the voters decided this in a referendum on the island on Tuesday May 29, 2001. This brought the number of counties down to 13, which were all abolished as of 2007. It was merged with the municipalities on the island to form one municipality, ''Bornholm Regional Municipality''. This merger was not a part of the structural reform that merged most of Denmark's municipalities and other entities in the public sector a few years later. From 2003-2006 (4 years) it also had the responsibilities of a county, after that becoming part of
Region Hovedstaden
The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital.
The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...
. The 5 municipalities that existed from 1970 until 2002 were:
*
Aakirkeby
Aakirkeby or Ã…kirkeby is a town in Denmark with a population of 2,117 (1 January 2024). It is the third largest town on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It was the main town of the now abolished Aakirkeby Municipality.
The town is si ...
Nexø
Nexø, sometimes spelled Neksø, is a town on the east coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. With a population of 3,657 (as of 1 January 2025), it is the second largest town, as well as the largest fishing port on the island. Fishing ...
*
Rønne
Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...
)
Frederiksberg Municipality was never a part of a county. Instead, it also held county privileges. But after 1 January 2007 it has lost its county privileges and is part of
Region Hovedstaden
The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital.
The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...
Hillerød
Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Fyns Amt (Funen County, seat:
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...
Glostrup
Glostrup is a Denmark, Danish town in Capital Region of Denmark, Region Hovedstaden, forming one of the Western suburbs (Copenhagen), western suburbs of Copenhagen. It is the administrative seat of Glostrup Municipality, with an estimated populati ...
)
The borders of Copenhagen County surrounded the municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg but did not include them.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
)
Copenhagen Municipality was not part of a county. Instead it held county privileges of its own. But these privileges were lost when the municipality became part of
Region Hovedstaden
The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital.
The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...
Aalborg
Aalborg or Ã…lborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...
Ringkøbing
Ringkøbing (older spelling ''Ringkjøbing'') is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Central Denmark Region, Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. It has a population of 9,830 (1 January 2025).
Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a city on the island of Falster in southern Denmark. It has a population of 16,682 (1 January 2025). Including the satellite town Sundby (Lolland), Sundby on the Lolland side, with a populatio ...
Aabenraa
Aabenraa (; , ; South Jutlandic: ''Affenråe'', also known as Åbenrå) is a town in Southern Denmark, at the head of the Aabenraa Fjord, an arm of the Little Belt, north of the Denmark–Germany border and north of German town of Flensburg. It ...
Municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...