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- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- Header
-
-
- Affiliation:
- (part of the Danish realm)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- 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
- Map references:
- Europe
- 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
- Natural resources:
- fish
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 2%
- permanent crops:
- 0%
- meadows and pastures:
- 0%
- forest and woodland:
- 0%
- other:
- 98%
- Irrigated land:
- NA sq km
- 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
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 48,871 (July 1995 est.)
- Age structure:
- 0-14 years:
- 24% (female 5,673; male 6,119)
- 15-64 years:
- 63% (female 14,164; male 16,835)
- 65 years and over:
- 13% (female 3,335; male 2,745) (July 1995 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 0.99% (1995 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 17.54 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Death rate:
- 7.59 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 78.29 years
- male:
- 74.91 years
- female:
- 81.8 years (1995 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 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:
- NA%
- Labor force:
- 17,585
- by occupation:
- largely engaged in fishing, manufacturing, transportation, and commerce
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Faroe Islands
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Foroyar
- Digraph:
- FO
- 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 ESAKSON; Centrist Party, Tordur NICLASEN;
- Christian People's Party, Niels Pauli DANIELSEN; People's Party, Arnfinn
- KALLSBERG; Liberal Party; Christian Democratic Party
- Member of:
- none
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- Government
- US diplomatic representation:
- none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
- 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)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- Economy
-
-
- Overview:
- The Faroese, who have long enjoyed the affluent living standards of the
- Danes and other Scandinavians, now must cope with the decline of the
- all-important fishing industry and one of the world's heaviest per capita
- external debts of about $25,000. When the nations of the world extended
- their fishing zones to 200 nautical miles in the early 1970s, the Faroese no
- longer could continue their traditional long-distance fishing and
- subsequently depleted their own nearby fishing areas. The government's tight
- controls on fish stocks and its austerity measures have caused a recession,
- and subsidy cuts will force nationalization in the fishing industry, which
- has already been plagued with bankruptcies. Copenhagen has threatened to
- withhold its annual subsidy of $130 million - roughly one-third of the
- islands' budget revenues - unless the Faroese make significant efforts to
- balance their budget. To this extent the Faroe government is expected to
- continue its tough policies, including introducing a 20% value-added tax
- (VAT) in 1993, and has agreed to an IMF economic-political stabilization
- plan. In addition to its annual subsidy, the Danish government has bailed
- out the second largest Faroe bank to the tune of $140 million since October
- 1992.
- National product:
- GDP - purchasing power parity - $662 million (1989 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- -10.8% (1993 est.)
- National product per capita:
- $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%, UK 14.2%, France 11.2%, Spain 7.9%, US 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%, US 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)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- Economy
- 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 - 6.034 (January 1995), 6.361 (1994), 6.484
- (1993), 6.036 (1992), 6.396 (1991), 6.189 (1990)
- Fiscal year:
- 1 April - 31 March
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- Transportation
-
-
- Railroads:
- 0 km
- Highways:
- total:
- 200 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
- Airports:
- total:
- 1
- with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
- 1
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- 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:
- NA
- Television:
- broadcast stations:
- 3 (repeaters 29)
- televisions:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Faroe Islands
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- no organized native military forces; only a small Police Force and Coast
- Guard are maintained
- Defense expenditures:
- $NA, NA% of GDP
- Note:
- defense is the responsibility of Denmark
-