Copenhagen

Copenhagen (English pronunciation: /ˈkoʊpənheɪɡən/^[4]); Danish: København (pronounced [kʰøb̥ənˈhaʊ̯ˀn] ( listen)^[5]) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,167,569 (2009) and a metropolitan population of 1,875,179 (2009). Copenhagen is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager.

First documented in the 11th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century and during the 17th century under the reign of Christian IV it became an important regional centre. With the completion of the transnational Oresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Oresund Region. Within this region, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö are in the process of growing into one common metropolitan area. With around 2.7 million inhabitants within a 50 km radius, Copenhagen is one of the most densely populated areas in Northern Europe. Copenhagen is the most visited city of the Nordic countries with 1.3 million international tourists in 2007.^[6]

Copenhagen is a major regional center of culture, business, media, and science. In 2008 Copenhagen was ranked #4 by Financial Times-owned FDi magazine on their list of Top50 European Cities of the Future after London, Paris and Berlin.^[7] In the 2008 Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index, published by MasterCard, Copenhagen was ranked 14th in the world and 1st in Scandinavia.^[8] In the The 2008 Global Cities Index, Copenhagen was ranked 36th in the world, 15th in Europe, and 2nd in Scandinavia.^[9] Life science, information technology and shipping are important sectors and research & development plays a major role in the city's economy. Its strategic location and excellent infrastructure with the largest airport in Scandinavia^[10] located 14 minutes by train from the city centre, has made it a regional hub and a popular location for regional headquarters^[11] as well as conventions. As a result, Copenhagen ranks 3rd in Western Europe and 1st in the Nordic countries for attracting head offices.^[12]

Copenhagen has repeatedly been recognized as one of the cities with the best quality of life^[13][14][15] and in 2008 it was singled out as the Most Liveable City in the World by international lifestyle magazine Monocle on their Top 25 Most Liveable Cities 2008 list.^[16] It is also considered one of the world's most environmentally friendly cities with the water in the inner harbor being so clean that it can be used for swimming and 36% of all citizens commuting to work by bicycle, every day bicycling a total of 1.1 million km.

Since the turn of the millennium Copenhagen has seen a strong urban and cultural development and has been described as a boom town.^[17] This is partly due to massive investments in cultural facilities as well as infrastructure and a new wave of successful designers, chefs and architects.^[18] Travellers have voted Copenhagen the cleanest city in Europe.^[19]