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Guide
Introduction
| |
| 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 |
|
