Danes
the Danes speak Danish, a northGermanic language. The majority of the 5.5 to 6 millions Danes lives in Denmark; besides there are minorities in the north of Schleswig-Holstein (Südschleswig), on Greenland, on the Färöern, as well asin the immigration countries the USA, Canada and Argentina.
Between 200 and 500 n. Chr. the Scandinavian ancestors of the Danes from Norway and Sweden immigrated to today's Denmark. In 9. Century came it to conquest courses andSettling of parts of England by Danish Wikinger. the Danish king Harald blue tooth lets itself 960 be baptized. The Danes become Christians. 1536 becomes the Danes Evangelical-Lutheran.
In the former Danish possession scarcely 1,000 Danes live and form Iceland herethus the second largest group of foreigners.
11.2% the inhabitant of Greenland are ethnical Danes.
Danes in Schleswig-Holstein
the Danes in Südschleswig are recognized like Sorben , Friesen and Sinti and Roma as national minority in the Federal Republic of Germany. Authorities in Germanyestimate the number of the ethnical Danes on 50.000. This number is partly doubted. Thus there are estimations, which to the tuning over the national affiliation of 1920 appoint yourself, for in the plebiscite zone the II, the northern part of the today'sSüdschleswigs, approximately 12,800 persons for Denmark votierten. These estimations go out today 15,000 ethnical Danes in Schleswig-Holstein.
About 6,300 inhabitants of Schleswig-Holstein have the Danish nationality. In Danish associations are organized over 20.000 members.
In the federal state parliament from Schleswig-Holstein are thoseDanes as well as the national minority of the Friesen by Südschleswig voter federation the SSW represent. By the electoral law the SSW is released from the 5%-Hürde. With the election of the federal parliament of 2005 it received 51,920 voices (3.6%).
See also
history of Denmark, Danish language, Danish minority in Germany
