| Background: |
The population of
the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers
who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been
connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A
high degree of self-government was attained in 1948. |
| Location: |
Northern Europe,
island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to
Norway |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
62 00 N, 7 00 W |
| Area: |
total:
1,399 sq km
land: 1,399 sq km
water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams) |
| Area
- comparative: |
eight times the
size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental
shelf: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM or agreed
boundaries or median line
territorial sea: 3 NM |
| Climate: |
mild winters,
cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy |
| Terrain: |
rugged, rocky,
some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m |
| Natural
resources: |
fish, whales,
hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 94% (1996) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Geography
- note: |
archipelago of 17
inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, and a few
uninhabited islets; strategically located along important
sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain
limits habitation to small coastal lowlands |
| Population: |
45,661 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
22.62% (male 5,193; female 5,136)
15-64 years: 63.64% (male 15,463; female
13,596)
65 years and over: 13.74% (male 2,802; female
3,471) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.78% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
13.64
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.69 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
2.89 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
6.8 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.59 years
male: 75.12 years
female: 82.06 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.3 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Faroese (singular and plural)
adjective: Faroese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Scandinavian |
| Religions: |
Evangelical
Lutheran |
| Languages: |
Faroese (derived
from Old Norse), Danish |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
note: similar to Denmark proper |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Faroe Islands
local long form: none
local short form: Foroyar |
| Dependency
status: |
part of the
Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative
division of Denmark since 1948 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (part of the
Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative
division of Denmark); there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government,
but there are 49 municipalities |
| Independence: |
none (part of the
Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative
division of Denmark) |
| National
holiday: |
Olaifest, 29 July |
| Constitution: |
5 June 1953
(Danish constitution) |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14
January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Ms. Vibeke
LARSEN, chief administrative officer (since NA)
head of government: Prime Minister Anfinn
KALLSBERG (since 15 May 1998)
cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime
minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; high
commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative
elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats
is usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament;
election last held 30 April 1998 (next to be held no later
than April 2002)
election results: Anfinn KALLSBERG elected
prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - 52.8%
note: coalition of People's Party, Republican
Party and Home Rule Party |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Faroese Parliament or Logting (32 seats; members are elected
by popular vote on a proportional basis from the seven
constituencies to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 April 1998 (next to be
held not later than April 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party -
Republican Party 23.8%, People's Party 21.3%, Social
Democratic Party 21.9%, Union Party 18%, Home Rue Party
7.7%, Center Party 4.1%; seats by party - Republican Party
8, People's Party 8, Social Democratic Party 7, Union Party
6, Home Rule Party 2, Center Party 1
note: election of 2 seats to the Danish
Parliament was last held on 11 March 1998 (next to be held
not later than March 2002); results - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - Social Democratic Party 1,
People's Party 1 |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Center Party [Jenis
A. RANA]; Home Rule Party [Helena Dam a NEYSTABO]; People's
Party [Oli BRECKMANN]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL];
Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party
[Edmund JOENSEN] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
NC, NIB |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none
(self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none
(self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |
| Flag
description: |
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 has had a strong performance since 1994, mostly as a
result of increasing fish landings and high and stable
export prices. Unemployment is falling and there are signs
of labor shortages in several sectors. The positive economic
development has helped the Faroese Home Rule Government
produce increasing budget surpluses which in turn help to
reduce the large public debt, most of it owed to Denmark.
However, the total dependence on fishing makes the Faroese
economy extremely vulnerable, and the present fishing
efforts appear in excess of what is required to ensure a
sustainable level of fishing in the long term. Oil finds
close to the Faroese area give hope for deposits in the
immediate Faroese area, which may eventually lay the basis
for a more diversified economy and thus less dependence on
Denmark and Danish economic assistance. Aided by a
substantial annual subsidy (15% of GDP) from Denmark, the
Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes
and other Scandinavians. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $910 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $20,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
27%
industry: 11%
services: 62% (1999) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
5.1% (1999) |
| Labor
force: |
24,250 (October
2000) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
fishing, fish
processing, and manufacturing 33%, construction and private
services 33%, public services 34% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
1% (October 2000) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$488 million
expenditures: $484 million, including capital
expenditures of $21 million (1999) |
| Industries: |
fishing, fish
processing, shipbuilding, construction, handicrafts |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
8% (1999 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
170 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
58.82%
hydro: 41.18%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
158.1 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
milk, potatoes,
vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish |
| Exports: |
$471 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
fish and fish
products 94%, stamps, ships (1999) |
| Exports
- partners: |
Denmark 32%, UK
21%, France 9%, Germany 7%, Iceland 5%, US 5% (1996) |
| Imports: |
$469 million
(c.i.f., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
transport equipment 29%, consumer goods 36%, raw materials
and semi-manufactures 32%, fuels, fish and salt (1999) |
| Imports
- partners: |
Denmark 28%,
Norway 26%, Germany 7%, UK 6% Sweden 5%, Iceland 4%, US
(1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$64 million
(1999) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$135 million
(annual subsidy from Denmark) (1999) |
| Currency: |
Danish krone (DKK) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Danish kroner per
US dollar - 7.951 (January 2001), 8.093 (2000), 6.976
(1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997), 5.799 (1966) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
24,851 (1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
10,761 (1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: good international communications;
good domestic facilities
domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998;
both NMT (analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems
are installed
international: satellite earth stations - 1
Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland
Islands, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland;
fiber-optic submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe
cable |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 13,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
3 (plus 43
low-power repeaters) (September 1995) |
| Televisions: |
15,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.fo |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
3,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
463 km
paved: 454 km
unpaved: 9 km (1999) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Torshavn,
Klaksvik, Tvoroyri, Runavik, Fuglafjorour |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,247 GRT/11,736 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea
passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
defense is the
responsibility of Denmark; no organized native military
forces; only a small Police Force and Coast Guard are
maintained |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of Denmark |
| Disputes
- international: |
Faroese are
considering proposals for full independence |
|
