Faroe Islands

Part of the Danish realm

Faroe Islands

 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the north Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway

Area

Total area: 1,400 sq km
Land area: 1,400 sq km
Comparative area: slightly less than eight times the size of Washington, DC

Land Boundaries

0 km

Coastline

764 km

Maritime Claims

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 3 nm

International Disputes

None

Climate

Mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy

Terrain

Rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m

Natural Resources

Fish

Land Use

Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 98%

Irrigated Land

Environment

Current issues: NA
Natural hazards: NA
International agreements: NA

Note: Archipelago of 18 inhabited islands and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands

PEOPLE

Population

43,857 (July 1996 est.)
48,871 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

24% (male 5,461; female 5,280)
24% (male 6,119; female 5,673)

15-64 Years

62% (male 14,488; female 12,617)
63% (male 16,835; female 14,164)

65 Years and Over

14% (male 2,661; female 3,350) (July 1996 est.)
13% (male 2,745; female 3,335) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

-1.8% (1996 est.)
0.99% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

13.91 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
17.54 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

8.69 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
7.59 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-23.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 0.99 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.06 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 77.83 years (1996 est.), 78.29 years (1995 est.)
Male: 74.75 years (1996 est.), 74.91 years (1995 est.)
Female: 80.88 years (1996 est.), 81.8 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.38 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.42 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Faroese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Faroese

Ethnic Divisions

Scandinavian

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran

Languages

Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish

Literacy

Labor Force

17,585

By occupation:

Largely engaged in fishing, manufacturing, transportation, and commerce

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Faroe Islands
Local long form: none
Local short form: Foroyar

Digraph

Type

Part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark

Capital

Torshavn

Administrative Divisions

None (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Independence

None (part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

National Holiday

Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)

Constitution

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Legal System

Danish

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Bent KLINTE (since NA)
Head of government: Prime Minister Edmund JOENSEN (since 15 September 1994)
Cabinet: Landsstyri; elected by the local legislature

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

Faroese Parliament (Logting)

Elections last held 8 July 1994 (next to be held by July 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (32 total) Liberal Party 8, People's Party 6, Social Democrats 5, Republicans 4, Workers' Party 3, Christian Democrats 2, Center Party 2, Home Rule Party 2

Danish Parliament

Elections last held on 21 September 1994 (next to be held by September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) Liberals 2

Judicial Branch

None

Political Parties and Leaders

Social Democratic Party, Marita PETERSEN; Workers Front, Oli JACOBSEN; Home Rule Party, Helena Dam A NEYSTABOE; The 'Coalition Party', Edmund JOENSEN; Republican Party, Finnbogir ISAKSON; Centrist Party, Tordur NICLASEN; Christian People's Party, Niels Pauli DANIELSEN; People's Party, Arnfinn KALLSBERG; Liberal Party, Jorgen ESTRUP; Christian Democratic Party

Member of

None

Flag

White with a red cross outlined in blue that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag)

ECONOMY

Overview

The Faroese economy is experiencing a moderate upturn after several years of decline brought on by over-fishing and declining fish prices, large budget deficits by the Faroese Home Rule Government (FHRG), plummeting property values, and a bail-out merger of the two largest Faroese banks. Near-term forecasts suggest continued economic recovery, and oil finds close to the Faroese area may lay the basis for an eventual economic rebound. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy from Denmark, the Faroese have enjoyed a standard of living comparable to the Danes and other Scandinavians.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $733 million (1995 est.), $662 million (1989 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

-10.8% (1993 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$15,000 (1995 est.)
$14,000 (1989 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

6.8% (1993 est.)

Unemployment Rate

23% (1993)

Budget

Revenues: $407.2 million
Expenditures: $482.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1993 est.)

Exports

$345.3 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Fish and fish products 88%
Animal feedstuffs
Transport equipment (ships) (1989)

Partners:

Denmark 20%
Germany 18.3%
U.K. 14.2%
France 11.2%
Spain 7.9%
U.S. 4.5%

Imports

$234.4 million (c.i.f., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Machinery and transport equipment 24.4%
Manufactures 24%
Food and livestock 19%
Fuels 12%
Chemicals 6.5%

Partners:

Denmark 43.8%
Norway 19.8%
Sweden 4.9%
Germany 4.2%
U.S. 1.3%

External Debt

$1.2 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate NA

Electricity

Capacity: 90,000 kW
Production: 200 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 3,953 kWh (1992)

Industries

Fishing
Shipbuilding
Handicrafts

Agriculture

Accounts for 27% of GDP; principal crops - potatoes and vegetables; livestock - sheep; annual fish catch about 360,000 metric tons

Economic Aid

Recipient: receives an annual subsidy from Denmark of about $130 million

Currency

1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 oere

Exchange Rates

Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1 - 5.652 (January 1996), 5.602 (1995), 6.361 (1994), 6.484 (1993), 6.036 (1992), 6.396 (1991), 6.189 (1990)

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Total: 443 km
Paved: NA
Unpaved: NA

Ports

Klaksvick, Torshavn, Tvoroyri

Merchant Marine

Total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,879 GRT/18,444 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1 (1995 est.)

Airports

Total: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

27,900 telephones; good international communications; fair domestic facilities

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 3 coaxial submarine cables

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3 repeaters 10, shortwave 0
Radios: 24,000 (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 3 (repeaters 29)
Televisions: 14,000 (1992 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

No organized native military forces; only a small Police Force and Coast Guard are maintained

Defense Expenditures

NA, % of GDP: NA

Note: Defense is the responsibility of Denmark

History
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