Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and its most populous city, with an urban population of 1,213,822 (as of 1 January 2012) and a metropolitan population of 1,950,522 (as of 1 January 2013). Copenhagen is situated on the eastern coast of Zealand and stretches across part of Amager. A number of bridges and tunnels connect the parts of the city together, and the cityscape is characterized by promenades and waterfronts.Originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century. During the 17th century, under the reign of Christian IV, it became a significant regional centre. Since the turn of the millennium, Copenhagen has seen a strong urban and cultural development, partly due to massive investments in cultural facilities and infrastructure. Since the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become increasingly integrated together with the Swedish city of Malmö, growing into a combined metropolitan area, known as the Øresund Region.
Copenhagen is the cultural, economic and governmental centre of Denmark; it houses trade, banking, information industry and shipping. It is an important centre for maritime industries and maritime trade in Europe, offering marine transportation and shipping lanes in both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Copenhagen is among the financial centres of Northern Europe with the Copenhagen Stock Exchange and home of many companies such as Maersk, Carlsberg Group and Novo Nordisk. Copenhagen has 89,000 students enrolled in its educational institutions.
A diverse infrastructure allows for a blend of bicycles, cars and public transport while the Copenhagen Metro serves central Copenhagen, the S-train connects the outlying boroughs. The Copenhagen Airport is largest airport in the Nordic countries, serving 23.3 million passengers in 2012.
