A sovereign state is a state that has the supreme sovereignty or ultimate authority over a territory . It is commonly understood that a sovereign state is independent . When referring to a specific polity , the term " country " may also refer to a constituent country, or a dependent territory .
112-774: The Danish Realm , officially the Kingdom of Denmark , or simply Denmark , is a sovereign state and refers to the area over which the Constitution of Denmark applies. It consists of metropolitan Denmark —the kingdom's territory in continental Europe and sometimes called "Denmark proper" (Danish: egentlige Danmark )—and the realm's two autonomous regions: the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America . The relationship between
224-572: A Danish county ( amt ); the Home Rule Act abolished the post of Amtmand (County Governor) and replaced it with the role of Rigsombudsmand ( High Commissioner of the Danish government ). These powers were expanded in a 2005 Act, which named the Faroese home government as an "equal partner" with the Danish government. The 1978 "Greenland Home Rule Act" devolves powers in much the same way as
336-591: A Supreme Court judge, said that due to the special circumstances, the scope of delegation need not be strictly defined. Proponents of the second interpretation include Edward Mitens, Max Sørensen and Frederik Harhoff . Mitens, a Faeroese jurist and politician, argued that the Faeroese home rule had been approved by both the Løgting and the Rigsdag , so it was an agreement between two parties, in particular because
448-481: A separate people under international law. Greenland is now described as having " self rule ", with its home government exercising a wider range of powers. There are a number of matters that can not be acquired by the territories; Constitutional affairs, foreign policy, defence , the Supreme Court , citizenship , and monetary policy . Additionally, the Faroese and Greenlandic parliaments are subordinate to
560-636: A county and given representation in the Folketing . When Denmark joined the European Communities (EC) in 1972, Greenland followed, despite 70% of the Greenlandic voters voting against it in the referendum . As a home rule agreement would allow them to leave again (the Faroe Islands did not join the EC ), this was an important factor in the increasing support for home rule. Another factor was
672-509: A desire to make Greenland more Greenlandic and less Danish . They were given home rule in 1979 and left the EC in 1985. Under the home rule agreement, Greenland gradually took over more responsibility from the Danish state. In 2009, the home rule was replaced with "self rule", granting greater autonomy. The Danish constitution also applies in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, as section one states that it "shall apply to all parts of
784-466: A different meaning with the development of the principle of self-determination and the prohibition against the threat or use of force as jus cogens norms of modern international law . The United Nations Charter , the Draft Declaration on Rights and Duties of States , and the charters of regional international organizations express the view that all states are juridically equal and enjoy
896-538: A historical context; the historic German-Danish struggle regarding the status of the Duchy of Schleswig vis-à-vis a Danish nation-state . It describes people of Danish nationality , both in Denmark and elsewhere–most importantly, ethnic Danes in both Denmark proper and the former Danish Duchy of Schleswig . Excluded from this definition are people from the formerly Norway, Faroe Islands , and Greenland ; members of
1008-556: A legal basis in domestic law for the purposes of the Convention". On 9 October 2014, the US's Federal Court stated that "the TRNC purportedly operates as a democratic republic with a president, prime minister, legislature and judiciary". On 2 September 2015, ECtHR decided that "...the court system set up in the "TRNC" was to be considered to have been "established by law" with reference to
1120-455: A modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard themselves as a nationality and reserve the word "ethnic" for the description of recent immigrants , sometimes referred to as "new Danes". The contemporary Danish national identity is based on the idea of "Danishness", which is founded on principles formed through historical cultural connections and
1232-491: A more powerful neighbour; Belarus, in its relationship with Russia, has been proposed as a contemporary example of a semi-sovereign state. In a somewhat different sense, the term semi-sovereign was famously applied to West Germany by political scientist Peter Katzenstein in his 1987 book Policy and Politics in West Germany: The Growth of a Semi-sovereign State, due to having a political system in which
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#17327655335271344-410: A new entity, but other states do not. Hersch Lauterpacht, one of the theory's main proponents, suggested that a state must grant recognition as a possible solution. However, a state may use any criteria when judging if they should give recognition and they have no obligation to use such criteria. Many states may only recognise another state if it is to their advantage. In 1912, L. F. L. Oppenheim said
1456-446: A prominent part in the process. Two defining cultural criteria of being Danish were speaking the Danish language and identifying Denmark as a homeland. The ideology of Danishness has been politically important in the formulation of Danish political relations with the EU , which has been met with considerable resistance in the Danish population, and in recent reactions in the Danish public to
1568-629: A referendum in Greenland. It also needs consent from the Folketing, in accordance with section 19 of the Danish constitution. That section states that any changes to the Kingdom's territory needs to be approved by the Folketing. Greenlandic independence does not require a constitutional change; instead, should Greenland become independent, the rules in the constitution regarding Greenland becomes void. With regards to international law , Denmark signed
1680-456: A share in government, and in an attempt to avert the sort of bloody revolution occurring elsewhere in Europe, Frederick VII gave in to the demands of the citizens. A new constitution emerged, separating the powers and granting the franchise to all adult males, as well as freedom of the press, religion, and association. The king became head of the executive branch . Danishness ( danskhed )
1792-416: A state to recognise other states. Recognition is often withheld when a new state is seen as illegitimate or has come about in breach of international law. Almost universal non-recognition by the international community of Rhodesia and Northern Cyprus are good examples of this, the former only having been recognized by South Africa, and the latter only recognized by Turkey. In the case of Rhodesia, recognition
1904-443: A state was defined by having a territory, a population, government, and capacity to enter into relations with other states. The Montevideo Convention criteria do not automatically create a state because additional requirements must be met. While they play an important role, they do not determine the status of a country in all cases, such as Kosovo , Rhodesia , and Somaliland . In practice international relations take into account
2016-835: A whole is a member of the United Nations , NATO , the OECD and the World Trade Organization . The Faroe Islands and Greenland are associated members of the Nordic Council in their own right as part of Denmark's membership. Although the Kingdom of Denmark is a member of the European Union , both areas have special dispensation and remain outside the EU. Greenland joined the EU as part of Denmark in 1973, but opted to leave in 1985 after Greenlandic home rule
2128-471: Is binding on all the members of the community of nations on the criteria for statehood. Some argue that the criteria are mainly political, not legal. L.C. Green cited the recognition of the unborn Polish and Czechoslovak states in World War I and explained that "since recognition of statehood is a matter of discretion, it is open to any existing State to accept as a state any entity it wishes, regardless of
2240-471: Is by far the largest, and makes up 98% of the realm. The entire kingdom has an area of 2.2 million square kilometres (0.85 million square miles), and is according to The World Factbook the twelfth largest country in the world, the same rank held by Greenland alone. Denmark alone has an area of about 43,000 km, and is no. 133 on that list. Denmark is situated in Northern Europe and
2352-458: Is commonly considered to be such a state. Outlining the concept of a de facto state for EurasiaNet in early 2024, Laurence Broers wrote: De facto states can be understood as a product of the very system that excludes the possibility of their existence: the post-Second World War and post-colonial system of sovereign and equal states covering every centimeter of the globe. The hegemony of this system, at least until recent years,
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#17327655335272464-412: Is contested or where it is not exercised over their whole area. Currently, the international community includes more than 200 sovereign states, most of which are represented in the United Nations . These states exist in a system of international relations, where each state takes into account the policies of other states by making its own calculations. From this point of view, States are integrated into
2576-531: Is flat and arable, the Faroe Islands in the Northern Atlantic and are rugged with cliffs along the coast, while Greenland is in the North Atlantic and Arctic , and is 79% covered in ice . Greenland is the most sparsely populated territory in the world, according to the World Bank . The Kingdom has submitted five claims to the United Nations that its exclusive economic zone extends beyond
2688-506: Is more controversial than that of sovereignty. It is an indisputable fact that this conception, from the moment when it was introduced into political science until the present day, has never had a meaning, which was universally agreed upon." In the opinion of H. V. Evatt of the High Court of Australia , "sovereignty is neither a question of fact, nor a question of law, but a question that does not arise at all". Sovereignty has taken on
2800-470: Is most commonly conceptualised as something categorical, which is either present or absent, and the coherence of any intermediate position in that binary has been questioned, especially in the context of international law. In spite of this, some authors admit the concept of a semi-sovereign state , a state which is officially acknowledged as sovereign but whose theoretical sovereignty is significantly impaired in practice, such as by being de facto subjected to
2912-532: Is now northern Germany . The political and economic defeat ironically sparked what is known as the Danish Golden Age during which a Danish national identity first came to be fully formed. The Danish liberal and national movements gained momentum in the 1830s, and after the European revolutions of 1848 Denmark became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849. The growing bourgeoisie had demanded
3024-433: Is recognised as sovereign by at least one other state. This theory of recognition was developed in the 19th century. Under it, a state was sovereign if another sovereign state recognised it as such. Because of this, new states could not immediately become part of the international community or be bound by international law, and recognised nations did not have to respect international law in their dealings with them. In 1815, at
3136-467: Is the concept of nation-state sovereignty based on territoriality and the absence of a role for external agents in domestic structures. It is an international system of states, multinational corporations , and organizations that began with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Sovereignty is a term that is frequently misused. Up until the 19th century, the radicalised concept of a "standard of civilization"
3248-401: Is the concept on which contemporary Danish national and ethnic identity is based. It is a set of values formed through the historic trajectory of the formation of the Danish nation. The ideology of Danishness emphasizes the notion of historical connection between the population and the territory of Denmark and the relation between the thousand-year-old Danish monarchy and the modern Danish state,
3360-643: Is typically not based on ethnic heritage. Denmark has been inhabited by various Germanic peoples since ancient times, including the Angles , Cimbri , Jutes , Herules , Teutones and others. The first mention of Danes within Denmark is on the Jelling Rune Stone , which mentions the conversion of the Danes to Christianity by Harald Bluetooth in the 10th century. Between c. 960 and
3472-414: Is usually required to have a permanent population, defined territory, a government not under another, and the capacity to interact with other sovereign states . In actual practice, recognition or non-recognition by other states plays an important role in determining the status of a country. Unrecognized states often have difficulty engaging in diplomatic relations with other sovereign states. Since
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3584-607: Is what created the possibility of a de facto state as an anomaly existing outside of it - or in Alexander Iskandaryan 's memorable phrase, as "temporary technical errors within the system of international law." The Soviet and Yugoslav collapses resulted in the emergence of numerous such entities, several of which, including Abkhazia, Transdniester, South Ossetia and the NKR , survived in the margins of international relations for decades despite non-recognition. Sovereignty
3696-713: The Alpha - Mendeleev Ridge complex). Constitutionally, the Kingdom of Denmark encompasses the realm or the country, but the Faroe Islands and Greenland have an extended degree of autonomy to govern their relations. The Faroe Islands and Greenland have been under the Crown of Denmark since 1397 ( de facto ) when the Kalmar Union was ratified, and part of the Danish Realm since 1814 ( de jure ). However, due to their separate historical and cultural identities, these parts of
3808-568: The Congress of Vienna , the Final Act recognised only 39 sovereign states in the European diplomatic system, and as a result, it was firmly established that in the future new states would have to be recognised by other states, and that meant in practice recognition by one or more of the great powers . One of the major criticisms of this law is the confusion caused when some states recognise
3920-580: The Danish parliament , where the two territories are represented by two seats each (from a total of 179 seats). The Faroe Islands have gradually taken control of more and more areas of responsibility according to their Home Rule Act from 1948. The Faroese/Danish act of 2005 states: "This law is based on an agreement between the Governments of the Faroe Islands and Denmark as equal partners." Previously, most foreign relations were undertaken exclusively by
4032-670: The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) , etc.). Most sovereign states are both de jure and de facto (i.e., they exist both according to law and in practice). However, states which are only de jure are sometimes recognised as being the legitimate government of a territory over which they have no actual control. For example, during
4144-536: The German minority; and members of other ethnic minorities. Importantly, since its formulation, Danish identity has not been linked to a particular racial or biological heritage, as many other ethno-national identities have. N. F. S. Grundtvig , for example, emphasized the Danish language and the emotional relation to and identification with the nation of Denmark as the defining criteria of Danishness. This cultural definition of ethnicity has been suggested to be one of
4256-581: The Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention in 1996 and acknowledged the Greenlandic Inuit as an Indigenous people . In the 2009 self rule act, Denmark recognised the Greenlandic people as a "people" within the context of international law, and their inherent right to self-determination . The Kingdom of Denmark constitutes a unified sovereign state, with equal status between its constituent parts. Devolution differs from federalism in that
4368-552: The Kingdom of Norway , which included the territories of Norway , Iceland and the Faroese Islands . Olaf's mother, Margrethe I , united Norway, Sweden and Denmark into the Kalmar Union . In 1523, Sweden won its independence, leading to the dismantling of the Kalmar Union and the establishment of Denmark–Norway . Denmark–Norway grew wealthy during the 16th century, largely because of the increased traffic through
4480-702: The New Testament into Danish ; it became an instant best-seller. Those who had traveled to Wittenberg in Saxony and come under the influence of the teachings of Luther and his associates included Hans Tausen , a Danish monk in the Order of St John Hospitallers . In the 17th century Denmark–Norway colonized Greenland . After a failed war with the Swedish Empire , the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658 removed
4592-602: The Parliament of the Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Folketing ), the Government of Denmark and the Supreme Court of Denmark . The Faroe Islands were granted home rule via an independence referendum in 1946, and Greenland did so in a 1979 referendum . In 2005, the Faroes received a self-government arrangement, and in 2009 Greenland received " self rule ", thus leaving the government of Denmark with little influence over
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4704-629: The Second World War , governments-in-exile of several states continued to enjoy diplomatic relations with the Allies , notwithstanding that their countries were under occupation by Axis powers . Other entities may have de facto control over a territory but lack international recognition; these may be considered by the international community to be only de facto states. They are considered de jure states only according to their own law and by states that recognise them. For example, Somaliland
4816-582: The Treaty of Kiel , but kept control of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. The colonies on Greenland were situated on the west coast, and as a condition for the sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States in 1917, the U.S. recognised Danish sovereignty over the whole island, and most countries followed suit. One exception was Norway who in 1931 occupied parts of East Greenland , but abandoned their claim in 1933, when it lost
4928-683: The Western United States or the Midwestern United States . California has the largest population of people of Danish descent in the United States. Notable Danish communities in the United States are located in Solvang, California , and Racine, Wisconsin , but these populations are not considered to be Danes for official purposes by the Danish government , and heritage alone can not be used to claim Danish citizenship, as it can in some European nations. According to
5040-441: The declarative theory of statehood defines a state as a person in international law if it meets the following criteria: 1) a defined territory; 2) a permanent population; 3) a government and 4) a capacity to enter into relations with other states. According to declarative theory, an entity's statehood is independent of its recognition by other states, as long as the sovereignty was not gained by military force. The declarative model
5152-620: The Øresund . The Crown of Denmark could tax the traffic, because it controlled both sides of the Sound at the time. The Reformation , which originated in the German lands in the early 16th century from the ideas of Martin Luther (1483–1546), had a considerable impact on Denmark. The Danish Reformation started in the mid-1520s. Some Danes wanted access to the Bible in their own language. In 1524, Hans Mikkelsen and Christiern Pedersen translated
5264-581: The "constitutional and legal basis" on which it operated, and it has not accepted the allegation that the "TRNC" courts as a whole lacked independence and/or impartiality". On 3 February 2017, The United Kingdom's High Court stated "There was no duty in the United Kingdom law upon the Government to refrain from recognizing Northern Cyprus. The United Nations itself works with Northern Cyprus law enforcement agencies and facilitates co-operation between
5376-418: The 1915 constitution gave Risdagen the legislative power, any laws by the Løgting necessarily derived its authority from powers delegated to it from Rigsdagen. With regards to the extent Rigsdagen was allowed to delegate its legislative power under section 2, Meyers argued that more powers could be delegated to the Faroe Islands than other parts of the country, due to its special history. Similarly, Christensen,
5488-410: The 1979 Greenlandic home rule use the term rigsenheden instead. Jurist Frederik Harhoff argued in 1993 that rigsenheden should be replaced with rigsfællesskabet , as the former implies a common identity, while the latter implied a community of different identities. The use of the expression Rigsfællesskabet though can be traced back to at least 1908. Denmark's population is by far the largest of
5600-416: The 19th-century national romantic idea of "the people" ( folk ), a view of Danish society as homogeneous and socially egalitarian as well as strong cultural ties to other Scandinavian nations. As a concept, det danske folk (the Danish people) played an important role in 19th-century ethnic nationalism and refers to self-identification rather than a legal status. Use of the term is most often restricted to
5712-479: The 2006 Census, there were 200,035 Canadians with Danish background , 17,650 of whom were born in Denmark. Canada became an important destination for the Danes during the post war period. At one point, a Canadian immigration office was to be set up in Copenhagen . In Greenland , a self-governing territory under Danish sovereignty , there are approximately 6,348 Danish Greenlanders making up roughly 11% of
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#17327655335275824-523: The Faroe Islands and Greenland to be somewhere in between the constitution and a usual act by the Folketing, as it had been treated as such . The Greenlandic self rule act of 2009 gives Greenland a way to achieve independence. First, the Greenlandic people must make the decision, after which there should be negotiations between the Greenlandic government ( Naalakkersuisut ) and the Danish government about how to practically implement it. The agreement reached needs to be ratified by Inatsisartut, and approved in
5936-485: The Faroe Islands must be prepared for that court, like any Danish matter. Danish currency is also legal tender in Greenland, but not in the Faroes. Denmark is responsible for the military defence of both nations. The Kingdom of Denmark is a member state of the European Communities , the predecessor of the European Union , since 1973. In 1982, Greenland voted to leave the Communities after gaining home rule from
6048-409: The Faroe Islands were given "home rule" in 1948, and Greenland in 1979. Greenland's home rule was replaced in 2009 by "self rule". There is an ongoing legal debate about what constitutional weight these arrangements have. In general, there are two conflicting views: (a) the laws delegate power from the Folketing and can be revoked unilaterally by it, and (b) the laws have special status so changes require
6160-604: The Faroese Home Rule Act. It sets out a home rule government and Greenlandic parliament . Specific areas of governance specified in the act include: Organization of local government; Fishing and agriculture; Welfare system; protection of the environment ; other areas affecting Greenlanders directly, etc. On 21 June 2009, Greenland assumed self-determination with responsibility for self-government of judicial affairs, policing, natural resources, immigration and border controls. Also, Greenlanders were recognised as
6272-535: The Government of Denmark on behalf of the entire realm, but more recently the Faroe Islands and Greenland have increased their role in foreign policy. Representatives for both have joined Danish delegations in discussions on some international matters, such as fishing rights. Greenlandic representatives were included in the process of a new treaty between Denmark and the US regarding the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark as
6384-414: The Kingdom of Denmark". The sovereignty of the Faroe Islands and Greenland is held by the Danish state. The Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary state , with the Folketing being its unicameral legislature. The Faroe Islands and Greenland each elect two members to the parliament; the remaining 175 members are elected in Denmark. The Folketing have by law given the Faroe Islands and Greenland extensive autonomy;
6496-458: The Realm now have an extensive degree of self-government and have assumed legislative and administrative responsibility in a substantial number of fields. Legal matters in the country or realm are subject to the Constitution of the Realm of Denmark . It stipulates that it applies for all parts of the Kingdom of Denmark and that legislative, executive and judicial powers are the responsibility of
6608-524: The Realm of Denmark. The Faroe Islands was never part of the EU, as explicitly asserted by both Rome treaties. The relations of the Faroe Islands with the EU are governed by a Fisheries Agreement (1977) and a Free Trade Agreement (1991, revised 1998). The main reason for remaining outside the EU is disagreements about the Common Fisheries Policy . Denmark: Faroe Islands: Greenland: Sovereign state A sovereign state
6720-404: The Realm", the "commonwealth of the Realm", or the "Danish Commonwealth" refers to the constitutional status of the relationship between Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. The name was used by Danish and Greenlandic authorities in the negotiations for home rule introduced in 1979, and has become popular since the beginning of the 1990s. The acts establishing the 1948 Faroese home rule and
6832-439: The United States . The Faroe Islands were made a Danish county in 1816, and with the constitution of 1849 , it gained representation in the Rigsdag . During World War II, the Faroe Islands were occupied by the United Kingdom and they largely administered themselves. After the war, it was clear that the old system could not be reinstated. In an independence referendum in 1946, 50.7% of the Faeroese voted for independence, but
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#17327655335276944-416: The approval by the Løgting happened according to special rules put in place in 1940 with the consent of the Danish representative there, during the occupation by the United Kingdom. Sørensen said the intention with the Faeroese home rule was that it should not be unilaterally changed, as stated in the preamble, so it had that effect. Harhoff, in his 1993 Doctorate dissertation, considered the home rule acts of
7056-418: The area north of the Faroe Islands. The Kingdom was in a dispute with Canada on who has sovereignty over Hans Island between 1978 and 2022. The two governments eventually settled on a border running approximately halfway through the island, establishing a land border between the two states. The Faroe Islands were settled by Norwegian Vikings in the 9th century, displacing Irish monks already there. Iceland
7168-644: The areas of the Scandinavian peninsula from Danish control, thus establishing the boundaries between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden that exist to this day. In the centuries after this loss of territory, the populations of the Scanian lands , who had previously been considered Danish, came to be fully integrated as Swedes . In the early 19th century, Denmark suffered a defeat in the Napoleonic Wars ; Denmark lost control over Norway and territories in what
7280-517: The attribute of every nation". Absolute sovereign immunity is no longer as widely accepted as it has been in the past, and some countries, including the United States, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa, have introduced restrictive immunity by statute, which explicitly limits jurisdictional immunity to public acts, but not private or commercial ones, though there is no precise definition by which public acts can easily be distinguished from private ones. State recognition signifies
7392-550: The case at the Permanent Court of International Justice . In Iceland there was a growing nationalism in the 19th century, and Iceland was in 1874 given its own constitution and increased autonomy, but still with the executive power in Danish hands. Iceland was granted home rule in 1904, and, by the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union , full independence in 1918. The act established a personal union between Denmark and
7504-551: The community that has the intention to inhabit the territory permanently and is capable to support the superstructure of the State, though there is no requirement of a minimum population. The government must be capable of exercising effective control over a territory and population (the requirement known in legal theory as "effective control test") and guarantee the protection of basic human rights by legal methods and policies. The "capacity to enter into relations with other states" reflects
7616-476: The concept of " government-in-exile " is predicated upon that distinction. States are non-physical juridical entities, not organisations of any kind. However, ordinarily, only the government of a state can obligate or bind the state, for example by treaty. Generally speaking, states are durable entities, though they can become extinguished, either through voluntary means or outside forces, such as military conquest. Violent state abolition has virtually ceased since
7728-546: The consent of the Faeroese Løgting or the Greenlandic Inatsisartut , respectively. Proponents of the first interpretation include Alf Ross , Poul Meyer and Jens Peter Christensen . Ross, the chief architect of the Faeroese home rule, argued that it was "a municipal self-government of extraordinary extensive scope". Meyer wrote in 1947, prior to the Faeroese home rule, that since section 2 of
7840-446: The death of Canute the Great in 1035, England broke away from Danish control. Canute's nephew Sweyn Estridson (1020–74) re-established strong royal Danish authority and built a good relationship with the archbishop of Bremen , at that time the archbishop of all Scandinavia . Over the next centuries, the Danish empire expanded throughout the southern Baltic coast. Under the 14th century king Olaf II , Denmark acquired control of
7952-453: The decision of a sovereign state to treat another entity as also being a sovereign state. Recognition can be either expressed or implied and is usually retroactive in its effects. It does not necessarily signify a desire to establish or maintain diplomatic relations. There are debates over whether states can exist as a fact independent of recognition or whether recognition is one of the facts necessary to bring states into being. No definition
8064-453: The devolved powers of the subnational authority ultimately reside in central government, thus the state remains de jure unitary. The Self-Government Arrangements devolves political competence and responsibility from the Danish political authorities to the Faroese and the Greenlandic political authorities. The Faroese and Greenlandic authorities administer the tasks taken over from the state, enact legislation in these specific fields and have
8176-566: The early 980s, Bluetooth established a kingdom in the lands of the Danes, stretching from Jutland to Scania. Around the same time, he received a visit from a German missionary who, by surviving an ordeal by fire according to legend, convinced Harold to convert to Christianity . The following years saw the Danish Viking expansion , which incorporated Norway and England into the Danish North Sea Empire . After
8288-412: The economic responsibility for solving these tasks. The Danish government provides an annual grant to the Faroese and the Greenlandic authorities to cover the costs of these devolved areas. The 1948 "Home Rule Act of the Faroe Islands" sets out the terms of Faroese home rule . The Act states, "...the Faroe Islands shall constitute a self-governing community within the State of Denmark." It establishes
8400-404: The effect of recognition and non-recognition. It is the act of recognition that affirms whether a country meets the requirements for statehood and is now subject to international law in the same way that other sovereign states are. State practice relating to the recognition of states typically falls somewhere between the declaratory and constitutive approaches. International law does not require
8512-553: The end of World War II. Because states are non-physical juridical entities, it has been argued that their extinction cannot be due to physical force alone. Instead, the physical actions of the military must be associated with the correct social or judiciary actions for a state to be abolished. The ontological status of the state has been a subject of debate, especially, whether or not the state, being an object that no one can see, taste, touch, or otherwise detect, actually exists. It has been argued that one potential reason as to why
8624-654: The end of the 19th century, almost the entire globe has been divided into sections (countries) with more or less defined borders assigned to different states. Previously, quite large plots of land were either unclaimed or deserted, or inhabited by nomadic peoples that were not organized into states. However, even in modern states, there are large remote areas, such as the Amazon's tropical forests , that are either uninhabited or inhabited exclusively or mainly by indigenous people (and some of them are still not in constant contact). Additionally, there are states where de facto control
8736-665: The entity's degree of independence. Article 3 of the Montevideo Convention declares that political statehood is independent of recognition by other states, and the state is not prohibited from defending itself. A similar opinion about "the conditions on which an entity constitutes a state" is expressed by the European Economic Community Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee , which found that
8848-447: The existence of states has been controversial is because states do not have a place in the traditional Platonist duality of the concrete and the abstract. Characteristically, concrete objects are those that have a position in time and space, which states do not have (though their territories have a spatial position, states are distinct from their territories), and abstract objects have a position in neither time nor space, which does not fit
8960-438: The existence of territory or of an established government." International lawyer Hersch Lauterpacht states that recognition is not merely a formality but an active interpretation in support of any facts. Once made however it cannot be arbitrarily revoked on account of another state's own discretion or internal politics. The constitutive theory of statehood defines a state as a person of international law if, and only if, it
9072-464: The following, regarding constitutive theory: International Law does not say that a State is not in existence as long as it is not recognised, but it takes no notice of it before its recognition. Through recognition only and exclusively a State becomes an International Person and a subject of International Law. Recognition or non-recognition by other states can override declarative theory criteria in cases such as Kosovo and Somaliland . By contrast,
9184-506: The frames of a certain territory, that is its supremacy in the domestic policy and independence in the foreign one. Named after the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, the Westphalian System of state sovereignty, according to Bryan Turner, "made a more or less clear separation between religion and state, and recognized the right of princes "to confessionalize" the state, that is, to determine the religious affiliation of their kingdoms on
9296-658: The home government of the Faroe Islands ( Landsstýrið ) and the Faroese parliament, the Løgting . More significantly, the Act specifies the powers devolved from the Government of Denmark, including: local government and municipal affairs; taxation , at a local and territorial level; public services , including police and town planning; welfare services , such as housing; primary and secondary education; Archives, libraries, museums; agriculture and fishing; entertainment; among other areas. The Faroe Islands were previously administered as
9408-436: The increase in the number of states can partly be credited to a more peaceful world, greater free trade and international economic integration, democratisation, and the presence of international organisations that co-ordinate economic and political policies. Danes Danes ( Danish : danskere , pronounced [ˈtænskɐɐ] ), or Danish people , are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and
9520-417: The increasing influence of immigration . The Danish diaspora consists of emigrants and their descendants, especially those who maintain some of the customs of their Danish culture. A minority of approximately fifty thousand Danish-identifying German citizens live in the former Danish territory of Southern Schleswig ( Sydslesvig) , now located within the borders of Germany, forming around ten percent of
9632-487: The international system has surged. Some research suggests that the existence of international and regional organisations, the greater availability of economic aid, and greater acceptance of the norm of self-determination have increased the desire of political units to secede and can be credited for the increase in the number of states in the international system. Harvard economist Alberto Alesina and Tufts economist Enrico Spolaore argue in their book, Size of Nations, that
9744-478: The international system of special internal and external security and legitimization of the dilemma. Recently, the concept of the international community has been formed to refer to a group of States that have established rules, procedures and institutions for the implementation of relations. Thus, the foundation for international law , diplomacy between officially recognized sovereign states, their organizations and formal regimes has been laid. Westphalian sovereignty
9856-566: The jurisprudence has developed along the lines of affording immunity from prosecution to foreign states in domestic courts. In The Schooner Exchange v. M'Faddon , Chief Justice John Marshall of the United States Supreme Court wrote that the "perfect equality and absolute independence of sovereigns" has created a class of cases where "every sovereign is understood to waive the exercise of a part of that complete exclusive territorial jurisdiction, which has been stated to be
9968-575: The local population. In Denmark, the latter group is often referred to as "Danes south of the border" ( De danske syd for grænsen ), the "Danish-minded" ( de dansksindede ), or simply "South Schleswigers". Due to immigration there are considerable populations with Danish roots outside Denmark in countries such as the United States, Brazil , Canada , Greenland and Argentina . Danish Americans ( Dansk-amerikanere ) are Americans of Danish descent. There are approximately 1,500,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. Most Danish-Americans live in
10080-675: The matters of internal affairs that are devolved to the local governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The country or realm has land borders with Germany (the Danish-German border ) and Canada ( Hans Island ), and a road and rail bridge-tunnel that connects to Malmö , Sweden (the Danish-Swedish border ). The Constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark refers to the state's territory as Danmarks Rige (Danish Realm), which means "The Realm of Denmark". The Danish term rigsfællesskabet , translated as "The unity of
10192-401: The newly created Kingdom of Iceland , with Denmark handling coastal protection and foreign affairs. In 1944, Iceland abolished the personal union and adopted a new constitution that established the current republic , after a referendum on the subject. This happened during World War II, where Denmark and Iceland were cut off from each other, as Denmark was occupied by Germany , and Iceland by
10304-421: The ontological state of the state is. Realists believe that the world is one of only states and interstate relations and the identity of the state is defined before any international relations with other states. On the other hand, pluralists believe that the state is not the only actor in international relations and interactions between states and the state is competing against many other actors. Another theory of
10416-464: The ontology of the state is that the state is a spiritual, or "mystical entity" with its own being, distinct from the members of the state. The German Idealist philosopher Georg Hegel (1770–1831) was perhaps the greatest proponent of this theory. The Hegelian definition of the state is "the Divine Idea as it exists on Earth". Since the end of World War II, the number of sovereign states in
10528-469: The pragmatic principle of cuius regio eius religio [ whose realm, his religion ]." Before 1900, sovereign states enjoyed absolute immunity from the judicial process, derived from the concepts of sovereignty and the Westphalian equality of states . First articulated by Jean Bodin , the powers of the state are considered to be suprema potestas within territorial boundaries. Based on this,
10640-410: The reasons that Denmark was able to integrate their earliest ethnic minorities of Jewish and Polish origins into the Danish ethnic group with much more success than neighboring Germany. Jewishness was not seen as being incompatible with a Danish ethnic identity, as long as the most important cultural practices and values were shared. This inclusive ethnicity has in turn been described as the background for
10752-489: The recognition of a country is a political issue. On 2 July 2013, The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decided that "notwithstanding the lack of international recognition of the regime in the northern area, a de facto recognition of its acts may be rendered necessary for practical purposes. Thus the adoption by the authorities of the "TRNC" of civil, administrative or criminal law measures, and their application or enforcement within that territory, may be regarded as having
10864-540: The relative lack of virulent antisemitism in Denmark and the rescue of the Danish Jews , saving 99% of Denmark's Jewish population from the Holocaust . Modern Danish cultural identity is rooted in the birth of the Danish national state during the 19th century. In this regard, Danish national identity was built on a basis of peasant culture and Lutheran theology , with Grundtvig and his popular movement playing
10976-474: The result was rejected by the Danish government. Instead, after negotiations between the Faroe Islands and Denmark, the Faroe Islands were granted "home rule" in 1948. Greenland was originally administered as two separate colonies, viz. North and South Greenland . In 1950, these two were merged as the Colony of Greenland . Following the constitutional reform in 1953 , Greenland was incorporated into Denmark as
11088-402: The role of documents in understanding all of social reality. Quasi-abstract objects, such as states, can be brought into being through document acts, and can also be used to manipulate them, such as by binding them by treaty or surrendering them as the result of a war. Scholars in international relations can be broken up into two different practices, realists and pluralists, of what they believe
11200-430: The same rights and duties based upon the mere fact of their existence as persons under international law. The right of nations to determine their own political status and exercise permanent sovereignty within the limits of their territorial jurisdictions is widely recognized. In political science, sovereignty is usually defined as the most essential attribute of the state in the form of its complete self-sufficiency in
11312-514: The sovereignty of the state was subject to limitations both internal (West Germany's federal system and the role of civil society) and external (membership in the European Community and reliance on its alliance with the United States and NATO for its national security). Although the terms "state" and "government" are often used interchangeably, international law distinguishes between a non-physical state and its government; and in fact,
11424-407: The supposed characteristics of states either, since states do have a temporal position (they can be created at certain times and then become extinct at a future time). Therefore, it has been argued that states belong to a third category, the quasi-abstract, that has recently begun to garner philosophical attention, especially in the area of Documentality , an ontological theory that seeks to understand
11536-560: The three parts of the Kingdom is known as The unity of the Realm . The Kingdom of Denmark is not a federation ; it is a concept encompassing the three autonomous legal systems of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, united under its monarch . The Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary sovereign state. It has Arctic territorial claims in the Arctic Ocean : various sites near the North Pole ( Lomonosov Ridge , Gakkel Ridge , and
11648-717: The three; 5.8 million people live in Denmark, and about 52,000 and 56,000 in the Faroe Island and Greenland, respectively. In comparison, there are ten cities in Denmark with a population above 50,000 people. Denmark is populated by the Danes , the Faroe Island by the Faroese , and Greenland by the Greenlandic Inuit . In both the Faroe Islands and Greenland, Danes make up 7.6% of the population, as of 2018. As of 2020, there are about 11,000 Faeroese-born and 17,000 Greenlandic-born people living in Denmark. With respect to area, Greenland
11760-710: The two parts of the island". and revealed that the co-operation between the United Kingdom police and law agencies in Northern Cyprus is legal. Turkish Cypriots gained "observer status" in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) , and their representatives are elected in the Assembly of Northern Cyprus. As a country, Northern Cyprus became an observer member in various international organizations (the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),
11872-535: The usual 200 nautical miles limit: one north and one south of the Faroe Islands, and three around Greenland. One Greenlandic claim includes the North Pole and the Lomonosov Ridge , and extend all the way to the Russian exclusive economic zone. Claims overlapping with other nations' claims have to be resolved through negotiation; in 2019, Iceland , Norway and the Kingdom of Denmark settled their claims to
11984-521: The words Dansk (Danish) and Danmark (Denmark). The provisions for home rule are limited to internal matters only. Neither Greenland nor the Faroe Islands can write laws that concern the relationship with other states, nor laws that apply to the entire Realm; furthermore, the Supreme Court (Danish: Højesteret ) in Copenhagen is the final legal instance, and legal matters from Greenland and
12096-441: Was expressed in the 1933 Montevideo Convention . A "territory" in the international law context consists of land territory, internal waters, territorial sea, and air space above the territory. There is no requirement on strictly delimited borders or minimum size of the land, but artificial installations and uninhabitable territories cannot be considered as territories sufficient for statehood. The term "permanent population" defines
12208-514: Was introduced in 1979. The "Home Rule Act of the Faroe Islands" specifies that a 'Faroese' shall be understood to mean a person who is a " national of Denmark and a resident of the Faroe Islands". The Government of Denmark issues special passports for its citizens living in the Faroe Islands and Greenland with the right to choose a regular Danish passport as well. The Faroese Home Rule Act states that, in Faroese passports , Føroyingur (Faroese) and Føroyar (Faroe Islands) shall be inserted after
12320-403: Was routinely deployed to determine that certain people in the world were "uncivilized", and lacking organised societies. That position was reflected and constituted in the notion that their "sovereignty" was either completely lacking or at least of an inferior character when compared to that of the "civilized" people". Lassa Oppenheim said, "There exists perhaps no conception the meaning of which
12432-601: Was settled in the 9th century by Norsemen , and was a free state until 1262/1264, when it came under Norwegian taxation. Greenland, already populated by the Indigenous Greenlandic Inuit , was settled by Norwegians in the 10th century, among those Erik the Red . The connection to Greenland was lost in the 15th century, but Denmark–Norway again established connections in 1721 through the missionary Hans Egede . In 1814, Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden under
12544-517: Was widely withheld when the white minority seized power and attempted to form a state along the lines of Apartheid South Africa , a move that the United Nations Security Council described as the creation of an "illegal racist minority régime". In the case of Northern Cyprus, recognition was withheld from a state created in Northern Cyprus. International law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence, and
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