5 June: Denmark Constitution Day

It's Denmark Constitution Day. 10 things you didn't know about Denmark:

1. Denmark has the oldest national Flag in the world still in use by an independent nation. The flag dates back to 1219. According to legend, it fell from the sky during a battle, and the Danish king caught it before it touched the ground. The Danes went on to win the battle. The truth is probably that it originated as a banner in the crusades. Denmark also has the oldest continuing monarchy in the world.
2. The country consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443 islands, of which around 70 are inhabited. The Kingdom of Denmark also includes the self-governing areas of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The ice free part of Greenland is almost 10 times larger than Denmark itself.
3. One of the most famous products to originate in Denmark is Lego. The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen. The word LEGO is derived from the Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well." By coincidence, the same word means "I put together" in Latin, and "I connect" in Italian. In 2014 the LEGO Group became the world's largest toy company by market value.
4. The weather isn't always great in Denmark. It rains on average 171 days each year - that's Snow or rain every other day. It gets windy, too: the average wind speed is 13 miles per hour (5.8 m/sec). During Hurricane Allan in 2013, wind speeds of 88 miles per hour (142 km/h) and gusts of 119 miles per hour (193 km/h) were registered.
5. Despite the weather, Denmark is rated as the happiest country in the world in which to live. It is also rated the least corrupt country in the world.
6. The Danish alphabet has three letters not found in the English alphabet: Æ, Ø, Å. They are all vowels and come after the letter Z in the alphabet.
7. The oldest and longest pedestrian street in the world is in Copenhagen. Strøget is almost 2 miles (3.2 km) long.
8. The first Danish newspaper was founded in 1666 and was written entirely in verse.
9. Famous people from Denmark include: Knud Rasmussen, the first European to cross the Northwest Passage by dog sled, fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen; Karen Blixen, also known by her nom de plume Isak Dinesen, author of Out of Africa; philosopher Søren Kierkegaard who is known as the Father of Existentialism; and Lars Ulrich of Metallica.
10. The Great Dane breed of dog originally came from Germany and not from Denmark.