Photos

Red dots mark the locations of fires burning in countries south and east of the Baltic Sea in this early April image. The scattered fires were probably set to clear land for agricultural purposes. The Scandinavian countries, Norway and Sweden, and Finland to the north of the Sea, are still blanketed in snow. From the left, the countries lining the Baltic on the south are Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia (Kaliningrad), Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia. Belarus forms the lower right corner of the image. Photo courtesy of NASA.

The Kingdom of Denmark consists of the Jutland Peninsula and roughly 500 islands. It is also a part of the generally fertile and mostly agricultural region known as the North European Plain. This entire region is generally flat to slightly rolling and is overlain with glacial deposits. This photo, taken from the International Space Station in late winter, shows little snow except for northeastern Germany, Sweden, and the rugged mountains of Norway. Image courtesy of NASA.

The Royal Danish Theater in Copenhagen, home of the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera.

The Hans Christian Andersen Castle serves as one of the entrances to the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Opened in 1843, the Gardens are one of the oldest amusement parks in the world and feature open-air concerts, dancing, numerous cafes and restaurants, and, of course, amusement park rides.

Statue of Denmark's most beloved author, Hans Christian Andersen, in the town hall square in Copenhagen.

Changing of the guard in the large octagonal courtyard of the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. The plaza is bordered by four buildings with identical facades, which serve as the winter home of the royal family.

One of four identical rococo buildings making up the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. The crowds gather to watch the changing of the guard ceremony.

The ultra-modern Copenhagen Opera House, completed in 2005, stands on the island of Holmen in the center of the city.

Side view of Christiansborg Palace on the island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen. The structure serves as the seat of the Folketinget (Danish parliament), the prime minister's office, and the Danish Supreme Court. It is the only building in the world where all three branches of government - the executive, legislative, and judicial - are housed in one building.

Copenhagen City Hall, first opened in 1905, is the headquarters for the Municipal Council and the Lord Mayor.

The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen Harbor has been a symbol of the city since 1913. Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the small, unimposing, bronze statue has been damaged or defaced many times in the past half century, but has always been restored.

The Nyhavn area of Copenhagen was home to fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen. He occupied three different dwellings along this scenic canal at different times in his life. Many of these picturesque structures have been converted into cafes and restaurants.