Official name Føroyar (Faroese); Færøerne (Danish) (Faroe Islands1)
Political status self-governing region of the Danish realm with a single legislative body (Løgting, or Parliament [33])
Chief of state Danish Monarch
Heads of government High Commissioner (for Denmark); Prime Minister (for Faroe Islands)
Capital Tórshavn (Thorshavn)
Official languages Faroese; Danish
Official religion Faroese Lutheran2
Monetary unit Danish krone3 (DKK)
Population estimate (2008) 48,400
Total area (sq mi) 540
Total area (sq km) 1,399
group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and the Shetland Islands. They form a self-governing region within the kingdom of Denmark. There are 17 inhabited islands and many islets and reefs. The main islands are Streymoy (Streym), Eysturoy (Eystur), Vágar, Suduroy (Sudur), Sandoy (Sand), Bordoy (Bord), and Svínoy (Svín). The capital is Tórshavn (Thorshavn) on Streymoy. Area 540 square miles (1,399 square km). Pop. (2008 est.) 48,700.
Composed of volcanic rocks covered by a thin layer of moraine or peat soil, the islands are high and rugged with perpendicular
cliffs the highest at Mount Slaettara (Slaettaratindur; 2,894 feet [882 metres]) on Eystur
Island and flat summits separated by narrow ravines. The coasts are deeply indented with fjords, and the narrow passages between islands are agitated by strong tidal currents.
The climate is oceanic and mild, with little variation in temperature and frequent fog and rain; annual precipitation totals 60 inches (1,600 mm). The warm North Atlantic Current keeps the harbours free of ice. Natural vegetation is moss, grass, and mountain bog. The islands are naturally treeless because of the cool summers, strong westerly winds, and frequent gales, but some hardy trees have been planted in sheltered plantations. There are no toads, reptiles, or indigenous land mammals; hares, rats, and mice came on ships. Seabirds are numerous and were in earlier times economically
important the puffin as food and the eider for feathers.
The Faroese are of Scandinavian origin; many are descendants of Norwegian Vikings who colonized the islands about ad 800. About a fourth of the population lives in Tórshavn, the remainder live in small settlements, almost all of which are on the coasts. The official languages are
Faroese most closely related to Icelandic and Danish. Most islanders are Lutherans belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The population tripled between 1801 and 1901 and has more than doubled since then.
Since 1900 the economy of the islands has changed from agricultural (primarily sheep raising) to one based on fishing and related industries, especially the export of frozen and dried cod. Supplements to fishing include fowling and sheep
raising wool is still used in a small, home-based spinning and knitting industry. Little of the land is cultivated; the main crop is grass for sheep. Fuels, basic manufactures, and transport equipment are the major imports. The main harbour is at Tórshavn, and there is an airport on Vágar. There are regular shipping services with Denmark, Iceland, and, in summer, the Shetland Islands. In the middle of the 1990s the islands suffered a severe economic crisis, which generated a substantial emigration to Denmark. After a recovery in 1997–98, many returned.
The islands are a self-governing region within the Danish state and send two representatives (elected every four years) to the Folketing, the Danish legislature. The Faroe Islands Parliament (Lagting) has 32 elected members, who in turn elect an executive body (Landsstyre) headed by a chairman. Foreign policy, defense, and the monetary and judicial systems are overseen by the Folketing. A commissioner represents Denmark in the islands. Education is based on the Danish system. The islands have good medical services. For a long time a substantial minority has sought full independence from Denmark, and in 1999 the Landsstyre entered negotiations with the Danish government about conditions for full independence. An important point in the talks was the yearly payment of one billion Danish krone from Denmark as half the export earnings.
The name first appeared as Faereyiar (c. 1225), meaning “Sheep Islands,” which presumably led to the national symbol, a ram. First settled by Irish monks (c. 700), the islands were colonized by the Vikings (c. 800) and were Christianized by the king of Norway (c. 1000). The remains of a Gothic cathedral, begun in the 13th century but never completed, are at Kirkjubøur (Kirkebø). The Faroes became a Norwegian province in 1035 and passed to Denmark with the rest of Norway in 1380. Separated from Norway administratively in 1709, they were attached to the diocese of Zealand and became a Danish royal trade monopoly, which inhibited economic development.
Early Faroese oral literature became the basis for modern nationalism in the 19th century and led to the creation of a written Faroese language by the folklorist Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb. Nationalist agitation hastened the restoration of the old Faroese Lagting (a combined jury and parliament) in 1852 and the end of the trade monopoly in 1856. A Home Rule Party was formed in 1906. During World War II Great Britain controlled the Faroes while the Germans occupied Denmark, a situation that strengthened demands for home rule. After the Lagting elections of 1946 reversed the majority vote for independence in an earlier plebiscite, negotiations began again in Copenhagen. In 1948 the islands were granted self-government under the authority of Denmark, with their own flag and unit of currency (the krona); Faroese was given equal status with Danish. The University of the Faroe Islands in Tórshavn was founded in 1965.
Poor fiscal discipline in the 1980s, coupled with the collapse of the Faroese fishing industry because of
over fishing, resulted in an economic crash in the early 1990s that required Danish intervention. The islands rebounded, though, to face the 21st century with renewed vigour, buoyed by the economic promise of offshore oil drilling and a growing independence movement.
Faeroe Islands
Faeroe Islands or Faröe Islands , Dan. Færøerne, Faeroese Føroyar, group of volcanic islands (2005 est. pop. 47,000), 540 sq mi (1,399 sq km), Denmark, in the N Atlantic, between Iceland and the Shetland Islands. There are 18 main islands and a few small, uninhabited islands. The largest islands are Streymoy, on which the group's capital, Tórshavn , is situated, and Østerø. The Faeroes are high and rugged and have only sparse vegetation. The climate is relatively mild because of the influence of the North Atlantic Drift ; there are frequent storms and much fog.
The population is Scandinavian and almost totally Lutheran; they speak Faeroese (a Germanic language derived from Old Norse and related to Danish) and Danish. The inhabitants depend mainly on fishing and to a lesser extent on sheep raising, shipbuilding, and fish farming. Fish, animal feeds, stamps, and ships are exported, while consumer goods, raw materials, machinery, and fuels are imported. The chief fishing ports are Vágur, Tórshavn, and Klaksvíg. The potential for petroleum production is being explored.
The Faeroes are a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark; they are governed under the Danish constitution of 1953. The Danish monarch, represented by a high commissioner, is the head of state. The government is headed by the prime minister, who is elected by the legislature. The cabinet is appointed by the prime minister. The 32 members of the unicameral Faeroese Parliament or Logting are popularly elected to four-year terms
The earliest known inhabitants were Celtic. In the 8th cent. AD the islands were settled by Norsemen. In the early 11th cent. they became part of the kingdom of Norway and were Christianized. The population was nearly wiped out by an outbreak of black plague in the 14th cent. and was soon after replaced by Norwegian settlers. Along with Norway, the Faeroes passed under Danish rule in 1380, and they remained Danish after the Treaty of Kiel (1814) transferred Norway from the Danish to the Swedish crown. A nationalist movement in the 19th cent. led to the revival of Faeroese, a language akin to Icelandic, and there is an extensive native literature.
In World War II, Great Britain established (1940) a protectorate over the islands after the German occupation of Denmark. After the war there was considerable sentiment for full independence, and following a plebiscite in 1946, the islands' parliament proclaimed independence. The Danish king dissolved the Lagting, and after a new parliament was elected, the proclamation was reversed. However, in 1948 the Faeroese obtained home rule from Denmark. Since 1953 they have sent two representatives to the Danish parliament. The Faeroes did not join the European Community (EC; now the European Union ) with Denmark in 1972 because it would have opened their fishing waters to other EC members. In 1977 the fishing limit was extended to 200 nautical mi (370 km). Sentiment in favor of independence remains strong among many islanders.
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