logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
7m 54s

The Danish Empire - without Greenland?

KAY XANDER MELLISH
About this episode

Denmark, as Danes like to tell you, is a little country. But it used to be a much bigger country, a bit of an empire. Norway was once part of Denmark. Iceland was once part of Denmark. The southern half of Sweden and a bit of northern Germany used to be part of Denmark. What is now called the US Virgin Islands used to be part of Denmark.

And Denmark had colonies in Africa and India, which is why when you'll go into many Danish supermarkets – even online supermarkets – you'll see a section called Kolonial, or Colonial.

It features long-life products, like spices and nuts, that used to come from trading posts in the faraway Danish colonies.

Over time, through war losses and independence movements, the Danish Empire shrank…and today we're going to talk about how it might shrink further.

The US has made clear that it wants Greenland to be part of its own territory. Are they serious about this? And what do the Danes think?

 

Up next
Oct 28
The Danish Brick
The Danish brick is the basis of almost every Danish home, school, church, and public building. 95% of Danish single-family homes have a brick facade, and builders of concrete apartment blocks sometimes put fake bricks across the surface to make them look warm and homey. Denmark ... Show More
9m 19s
Sep 27
Bakeries and the Danish soul
Just fifteen or twenty years ago, bakeries in Denmark seemed to be dying. They couldn't find staff. Nobody, it was said, wanted to get up in the middle of the night and make bread. The few bakeries that were left tended to have dirty windows and sour service and offer stale, dust ... Show More
7m 40s
Aug 28
13 Quick Tips for Newcomers to Copenhagen
Just arrived in Copenhagen? Welcome to Denmark! Now here's what nobody tells you. From getting an ugly bicycle and navigating the honor system on public transport to dating, drinking, saving money, seeing a Danish doctor, and even talking to a priest when you're feeling lonely, h ... Show More
9m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
265. Danish Greenland: Eradicating Inuit Culture (Ep 3)
How did the Danish missionary Hans Egede combine capitalism and religion in his colonisation of Greenland in the 1700s? Why have we forgotten about Danish colonialism in India and Greenland? When did Greenlanders gain self-determination? Anita and William discuss how the Danes co ... Show More
40m 33s
Jun 2025
Denmark Should Not be Rich
How does tiny, cold Denmark defy the odds to become one of the richest nations? Despite sky-high taxes and a lack of oil wealth, it boasts free education, universal healthcare, and global giants like Novo Nordisk. Unpack the Nordic model, flexicurity, and explore why high taxes h ... Show More
20m 45s
Jun 2024
Denmark and the Novo Nordisk effect
<p>In the first of a two-part series, in collaboration with The Food Chain, we look at the impact of the success of weight-loss drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk on the small country of Denmark. </p><p>The Scandinavian nation is where the company is based, and with a population of l ... Show More
17m 29s
Apr 2025
America’s Cold War Obsession with Greenland
April 27, 1951. The United States has been putting pressure on Denmark for a long time. Because the small European kingdom has something the Americans really, really want: Greenland. Today, they sign a treaty that will basically let the U.S. military build whatever it wants on th ... Show More
29m 41s
Nov 2020
Scandinavia: The Viking Inheritance
The Swedes are very proud that they have not fought in a war since 1814, but they have not always been the knitwear pacifists they are today. Following a traumatic moment in their history - the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520 - they set off on a two century rampage fuelled by religio ... Show More
33 m
Mar 2025
Greenland
In this special episode of the Reuters World News podcast, we visit Greenland – the Arctic island that usually flies under the radar. But since U.S. President Donald Trump recently revived his desire to buy, or take, the autonomous Danish territory, Greenland is taking center sta ... Show More
23m 13s
May 2024
Vikings Went Everywhere in the Middle Ages, From Baghdad to Constantinople to….. Oklahoma?
Scandinavia has always been a world apart. For millennia Norwegians, Danes, Finns, and Swedes lived a remote and rugged existence among the fjords and peaks of the land of the midnight sun. But when they finally left their homeland in search of opportunity, these wanderers—includ ... Show More
42m 47s