CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Faroe Islands


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams) land: 1,399 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Geography - note:
 * 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
 * eight times the size of Washington, DC
 * 0 km
 * 1,117 km
 * territorial sea: 3 nm
 * mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
 * rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
 * lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
 * fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
 * arable land: 2.14%
 * 0 sq km (1998 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * 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
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 64.6% (male 15,975; female 14,187) 65 years and over: 13.7% (male 2,877; female 3,526) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 34.6 years female: 35.8 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 5.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 75.6 years female: 82.51 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Faroese !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: NA male: NA female: NA note: probably the same as Denmark proper
 * 46,662 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 21.6% (male 5,056; female 5,041)
 * total: 35.1 years
 * 0.66% (2004 est.)
 * 13.89 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 8.68 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 1.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1 male(s)/female
 * total: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 79.05 years
 * 2.22 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * NA
 * noun: Faroese (singular and plural)
 * Scandinavian
 * Evangelical Lutheran
 * Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
 * definition: NA
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Faroe Islands local short form: Foroyar local long form: none !| Dependency status: !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: election results: Joannes EIDESGAARD elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - NA% note: coalition of Social Democrats, Union Party, and People's Party 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) head of government: Prime Minister Joannes EIDESGAARD (since 3 February 2004) cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister !| Legislative branch: election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 23.7%, Social Democrats 21.8%, Republican Party 21.7%, People's Party 20.6%, Center Party 5.2%, Independence Party 4.6%; seats by party - Union Party 7, Social Democrats 7, Republican Party 8, People's Party 7, Center Party 2, Independence Party 1 note: election of 2 seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 20 November 2001 (next to be held 8 February 2005); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, Union Party 1 elections: last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: !| Diplomatic representation from the US: !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: none
 * part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948
 * NA
 * Torshavn
 * 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
 * none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
 * Olaifest, 29 July
 * 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
 * Danish
 * 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)
 * 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)
 * none
 * Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Helena Dam a NEYSTABO]; People's Party [Anfinn KALLSBERG]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Lisbeth PETERSEN]
 * NA
 * IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU
 * none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
 * none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
 * 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)
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 11% services: 62% (1999) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $484 million, including capital expenditures of $21 million (1999) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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 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 lessen dependence on 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $1 billion (2001 est.)
 * 10% (2001 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $22,000 (2001 est.)
 * agriculture: 27%
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 5.1% (1999)
 * 24,250 (October 2000)
 * fishing, fish processing, and manufacturing 33%, construction and private services 33%, public services 34%
 * 1% (October 2000)
 * revenues: $488 million
 * milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish
 * fishing, fish processing, shipbuilding, construction, handicrafts
 * 8% (1999 est.)
 * 160.4 million kWh (2001)
 * 149.1 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 4,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $408 million f.o.b. (2002)
 * fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999)
 * Denmark 36.7%, UK 32.1%, Netherlands 6.1%, Nigeria 5.6%, Norway 5.4% (2003)
 * $466 million c.i.f. (2002)
 * machinery and transport equipment 29%, consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, fuels, fish and salt (1999)
 * Denmark 52.7%, Norway 22.5%, Iceland 4.7%, Germany 4.2%, UK 4% (2003)
 * $64 million (1999)
 * $135 million (annual subsidy from Denmark) (1998)
 * Danish krone (DKK)
 * DKK
 * Danish kroner per US dollar - 6.5877 (2003), 7.89 (2002), 8.323 (2001), 8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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 !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 23,000 (2002)
 * 30,700 (2002)
 * general assessment: good international communications; good domestic facilities
 * AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
 * 26,000 (1997)
 * 3 (plus 43 low-power repeaters) (September 1995)
 * 15,000 (1997)
 * .fo
 * 2 (2000)
 * 25,000 (2002)
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!| Highways: paved: 454 km unpaved: 9 km (1999) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: cargo 3, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Denmark 2, Norway 1, United Kingdom 1 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
 * total: 463 km
 * Torshavn, Klaksvik, Tvoroyri, Runavik, Fuglafjordhur
 * total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 24,051 GRT/11,998 DWT
 * 1 (2003 est.)
 * total: 1
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!| Military branches: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: !| Military - note:
 * no regular military forces
 * NA
 * NA
 * defense is the responsibility of Denmark
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