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.

Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway
62 00 N, 7 00 W
Europe
total: 1,399 sq km ; land: 1,399 sq km ; water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)
eight times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
1,117 km
territorial sea: 3 nm ; continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line ; exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m ; highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m
fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
arable land: 2.14% ; permanent crops: 0% ; other: 97.86% (2005)
0 sq km


NA
NA
party to: Marine Dumping -associate member to the London Convention and Ship Pollution
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
47,511 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 20.6% (male 4,882/female 4,904) ; 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 16,353/female 14,668) ; 65 years and over: 14.1% (male 3,041/female 3,663) (2007 est.)
total: 35 years ; male: 34.8 years ; female: 35.3 years (2007 est.)
0.543% (2007 est.)
14.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
8.69 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 0.996 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.115 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female ; total population: 1.045 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 6.01 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 7.25 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 79.49 years ; male: 76.06 years ; female: 82.93 years (2007 est.)
2.15 children born/woman (2007 est.)
NA
NA
NA
noun: Faroese (singular and plural) ; adjective: Faroese
Scandinavian
Evangelical Lutheran
Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
definition: NA ; total population: NA% ; male: NA% ; female: NA% ; note: probably 100%, the same as Denmark proper


conventional long form: none ; conventional short form: Faroe Islands ; local long form: none ; local short form: Foroyar
NA
name: Torshavn ; geographic coordinates: 62 01 N, 6 46 W ; time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ; daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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 34 municipalities

none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July
5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Birgit KLEIS, chief administrative officer (since 1 November 2001) ; head of government: Prime Minister Joannes EIDESGAARD (since 3 February 2004) ; 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 majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) ; election results: Joannes EIDESGAARD elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - NA
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 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) ; election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 23.7%, Social Democratic Party 21.8%, Republican Party 21.7%, People's Party 20.6%, Center Party 5.2%, Independence Party 4.6%, other 2.4%; seats by party - Republican Party 8, Union Party 7, Social Democratic Party 7, People's Party 7, Center Party 2, Independence Party 1 ; note: election of two seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 13 November 2007 (next to be held no later than November 2011); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, Union Party 1
none
Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Kari P. HOJGAARD]; People's Party [Jorgen NICLASEN]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Kaj Leo JOHANNESEN]
NA
Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU
white with a red cross outlined in blue extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted toward the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948




The Faroese economy is dependent on fishing, which makes the economy vulnerable to price swings. Since 2003 the Faroese economy has picked up as a result of higher prices for fish and for housing. Unemployment is minimal and government finances are relatively sound. Oil finds close to the Islands give hope for economically recoverable deposits, which could eventually lay the basis for a more diversified economy and lessen dependence on Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (about 15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes and other Scandinavians.
$1 billion (2001 est.)
$1.7 billion (2005 est.)
2.4% (2005 est.)
$31,000 (2001 est.)
agriculture: 27% ; industry: 11% ; services: 62% (1999)
24,250 (October 2000)
agriculture: 33% ; industry: 33% ; services: 34% (October 2000)
2.1% (2006)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

1.8% (2005)

revenues: $588 million ; expenditures: $623 million (2005)

milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish
fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts
8% (1999 est.)
290 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 62.4% ; hydro: 37.6% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
269.7 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
4,600 bbl/day (2005 est.)
0 bbl/day (2004)
4,580 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$634 million f.o.b. (2006)
fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999)
Denmark 32%, UK 27%, Norway 10.2%, Nigeria 9.3%, Netherlands 5.5% (2006)
$751 million c.i.f. (2006)
Denmark 53%, Norway 20.7%, Iceland 6%, Sweden 4.3% (2006)


$64 million (1999)



Danish krone (DKK)
DKK
Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)
calendar year
$105 million; note - annual subsidy from Denmark (2005)
23,000 (2006)
50,000 (2006)
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: country code - 298; 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
AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
26,000 (1997)
3 (plus 43 repeaters) (September 1995)
15,000 (1997)
.fo
8,490 (2007)
2 (2000)
34,000 (2006)

1 (2007)
total: 1 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)




total: 458 km ; note: no roads between towns (2003)

total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 92,454 GRT/63,291 DWT ; by type: cargo 10, container 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 ; foreign-owned: 8 (Iceland 4, Norway 4) (2007)
Torshavn, Vagur

no regular military forces

males age 18-49: 10,695 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 8,852 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 366 (2005 est.)
NA
defense is the responsibility of Denmark
because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full independence have been deferred; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm



