Faroe Islands

• mild winters, cool summers;
• usually overcast;
• foggy, windy

• the island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population;
• it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island;
• seven of the inhabited islands have fewer than 100 people

• 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

noun:

Faroese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Faroese

total:

36.8 years (2023 est.)

male:

36.8 years

female:

36.8 years

• the island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population;
• it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island;
• seven of the inhabited islands have fewer than 100 people

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.12 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.94 male(s)/female

total population:

1.08 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

total:

5.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male:

6.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

5.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

81.5 years (2023 est.)

male:

79 years

female:

84.2 years

improved:

urban: NA

rural:

NA

total:

NA

unimproved:

urban: NA

rural:

NA

total:

NA

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• mild winters, cool summers;
• usually overcast;
• foggy, windy

urban population:

43% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

61,000 tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

40,870 tons (2012 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

67% (2012 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Faroe Islands

local long form:

none

local short form:

Foroyar

etymology:

the archipelago's name may derive from the Old Norse word "faer," meaning sheep

name:

Torshavn

geographic coordinates:

62 00 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

etymology:

the meaning in Danish is "Thor's harbor"

• part of the Kingdom of Denmark;
• self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark;
• there are 29 first-order municipalities (kommunur, singular - kommuna) Eidhi, Eystur, Famjin, Fuglafjordhur, Fugloy, Hov, Husavik, Hvalba, Hvannasund, Klaksvik, Kunoy, Kvivik, Nes, Porkeri, Runavik, Sandur, Sjovar, Skalavik, Skopun, Skuvoy, Sorvagur, Sumba, Sunda, Torshavn, Tvoroyri, Vagar, Vagur, Vestmanna, Vidhareidhi

history:

5 June 1953 (Danish Constitution), 23 March 1948 (Home Rule Act), and 24 June 2005 (Takeover Act) serve as the Faroe Islands' constitutional position in the Unity of the Realm

amendments:

see entry for Denmark

chief of state:

Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Lene Moyell JOHANSEN, chief administrative officer (since 15 May 2017)

head of government:

Prime Minister Aksel V. JOHANNESEN (since 22 December 2022)

cabinet:

Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• high commissioner appointed by the monarch;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament;
• election last held on 8 December 2022 (next to be held in 2026)

highest court(s):

Faroese Court or Raett (Rett - Danish) decides both civil and criminal cases; the Court is part of the Danish legal system

subordinate courts:

• Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance;
• Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif;
• Mixed Commercial Court;
• Land Court

• Center Party or H (Midflokkurin) [Jenis av RANA]
• People's Party or A (Folkaflokkurin) [Benir JOHANNESEN]
• Progress Party or F (Framsokn) [Ruth VANG]
• Republic or E (Tjodveldi) [Hogni HOYDAL] (formerly the Republican Party)
• Self-Government Party or D (Sjalvstyri or Sjalvstyrisflokkurin) [Samal Peter I GRUND]
• Social Democratic Party or JF (Javnadarflokkurin) or JF [Aksel V. JOHANNESEN]
• Union Party or B (Sambandsflokkurin) [Bardur A STEIG NIELSEN]

• 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);
• referred to as Merkid, meaning "the banner" or "the mark," the flag resembles those of neighboring Iceland and Norway, and uses the same three colors - but in a different sequence;
• white represents the clear Faroese sky, as well as the foam of the waves;
• red and blue are traditional Faroese colors

note: the blue on the flag is a lighter blue (azure) than that found on the flags of Iceland or Norway

• high-income Danish territorial economy;
• party neither to the EU nor the Schengen Area;
• associate Nordic Council member;
• very low unemployment;
• unique foreign ownership allowance in fishing industry;
• known salmon exporter;
• growing IT industries

agriculture:

15%

industry:

15%

services:

70% (December 2016 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

production:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

5,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

0 barrels (2021 est.)

production:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• the Faroe Islands have a highly developed communication network, which covers the whole country;
• from telecommunication and mobile phones to the internet and media, the Faroe Islands are at the forefront of modern communications technology;
• working within the special geographic circumstances of the Faroe Islands;
• companies have become world experts in providing digital communication solutions to remote and sparsely populated areas (2022)

domestic:

29 per 100 teledensity for fixed-line and nearly 110 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2021)

international:

• country code - 298;
• landing points for the SHEFA-2, FARICE-1, and CANTAT-3 fiber-optic submarine cables from the Faroe Islands, to Denmark, Germany, UK and Iceland;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Orion;
• (2019)

• 1 publicly owned TV station;
• the Faroese telecommunications company distributes local and international channels through its digital terrestrial network;
• publicly owned radio station supplemented by 3 privately owned stations broadcasting over multiple frequencies

total:

960 km (2017)

paved:

500 km (2017)

unpaved:

460 km (2017)

note: those islands not connected by roads (bridges or tunnels) are connected by seven different ferry links operated by the nationally owned company SSL; 28 km of tunnels

• the Government of Denmark has responsibility for defense;
• as such, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland is responsible for coordinating the defense of the Faroe Islands;
• the Joint Arctic Command has a contact element in the capital of Torshavn

• 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 to UNCLOS that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm