Facts about the Faroe Islands

Facts about the Faroe Islands

1. Tax debt: Until 1992, you couldn’t buy beer if you owed the taxman money

2. Obituaries: The obituaries are read out twice a day on the radio in connection with the radio news broadcast: at 12:00 and again at 18:00

3. Mutton: Although there are 70,000 sheep in the Faroe Islands – and only 49,706 people – the Faroese only cover around 40% of their total lamb consumption; the rest is imported from New Zealand. Lamb is generally hard to find in Faroese supermarkets

4. Geographical facts: The Faroe Islands are 113 km long, 75 km wide and consist of 18 islands. There are approximately 1,400 km2 and 1,117 km of coastline and no matter where you are in the Faroe Islands, you are never more than 5 km from the sea. The average altitude of the country is around 300 meters and the highest mountain (Slættaratindur) is 882 meters high.

5. Weather and climate: Considering the northern location of the Faroe Islands, the weather is generally very mild, but also very changeable. The sea never freezes, as the Faroe Islands are located in the middle of the warm Gulf Stream. Summers are cool (average temp. 12 degrees), while winters are mild (average temp. 3.5 degrees) with limited snowfall

Fact: Tinganes is the name of the old town in the capital city of Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands
Attribution: Erik Christensen – Wikipedia.org

Fact: Tinganes is the old quarter of the Faroese capital Tórshavn. The name ‘Tinganes’ comes from the Lagting, which was established on this isthmus in the Vinking Age (900) and remains here today

 

6. Days and nights: At midsummer, the longest day is 19 ½ hours long. The long days and bright nights give the Faroe Islands a very special atmosphere

7. Governance: The Faroe Islands are formally part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but have gradually gained autonomy since 1948 and are also represented in the Danish Parliament. The highest authority in the country is the Lagting, which was formed in 900 AD (under the name Altinget), making it one of the oldest parliaments in the world. The Faroe Islands are not members of the EU and trade on the islands is governed by trade agreements. The Faroe Islands also have their own flag, called Merkið (“The Mark”)

8. National Day: The national day of the Faroe Islands is called Ólavsøka (“Olaf Festival”) and is celebrated on July 28 and 29 to commemorate the death of the Norwegian King Olav the Holy on July 29, 1030. The national day also expresses the Faroese’s special union of politics and Christianity, which is deeply rooted in their culture and society. King Olav is also the patron saint of the Faroese

9. Public holidays: Basically, the Faroese public holidays are the same as the Danish, but they have three more: Flag Day on April 25, Ólavsøkuaftan on July 28 and Ólavsøkudagur on July 29.

10. Languages: There are two official languages in the Faroe Islands; Faroese and Danish. Although Danish used to be the only official language, today the Faroese only speak Faroese on a daily basis. Danish is taught in schools from grade 1 and the Danish exam is the same as in Denmark. Faroese originates from Old Norse and is closely related to all the other Nordic languages, but most closely resembles Icelandic. Most Faroe Islanders can understand all Nordic languages and English

Fact: The Faroe Islands have a beautiful and very special nature and a relatively mild climate
Attribution: DavideGorla + Peter Leth – Flickr.com

Fact: The Faroe Islands are known for their harsh nature and mild climate

Geographic facts

  • Location: Northern Europe. An archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. About halfway between Norway and Iceland
  • Country borders: 0 km
  • Coastline: 1,117 km
  • Climate: Mild winters, cool summers. Mostly cloudy, foggy and windy
  • Landscape: Uneven and rocky with some low points, but otherwise rocky along most of the coastline
  • Lowest point: 0 m (Atlantic Ocean)
  • Highest point: 882 m (Slættaratindur)
  • Natural resources: Fish, whales and hydropower. Possibly oil and natural gas
  • Largest city: Tórshavn
  • Capital city: Tórshavn
  • Total area (square kilometers): n/a
  • Land areas (km2): n/a
  • Urban areas (km2): n/a
  • Agricultural land (km2): n/a
  • Agricultural area (% of total area): n/a
  • Forest area (% of land area): n/a
  • Plant species (higher), endangered: n/a
  • CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita): n/a

Demographic facts

Population

  • Population density (people per km2 total area): n/a
  • Population of largest city: n/a
  • Population growth (annual %): n/a
  • Population, total: n/a
  • Population growth in urban areas (annual %): n/a
  • Population in urban areas (% of total population): n/a
  • Population in rural areas (% of total population): 0,82 (2023)
  • Population growth in rural areas (annual %): n/a
  • Etniske grupper: 91.7% Faroese, 5.8% Danes, 0.4% Icelanders, 0.2% Norwegians and 0.2% Poles
  • Sprog: Faroese and Danish
  • Religioner: 85% are Evangelical Lutheran Christians and 10% belong to the Moravian Church. The remaining 10% belong to one of the following: The Catholic Church, Salvation Army, Pentecostal, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventist Church or Bahá'í
  • Net immigration: n/a

Birth and death rates

  • Fertility rate, total (births per woman): 106,62 (2022)
  • Birth rate, gross (per 1,000 inhabitants): 9,10 (2022)
  • Teenage mothers (% of women aged 15-19 who have had children or are pregnant): n/a
  • Death rate, gross (per 1,000 people): 2,05 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, women (years): n/a
  • Life expectancy at birth, men (years): n/a
  • Life expectancy at birth, all (years): n/a
  • Mortality caused by traffic accidents (per 100,000 inhabitants): n/a
  • Mortality, women (per 1,000 adult women): n/a
  • Mortality, male (per 1,000 adult males): n/a
  • Suicide rate, women (per 100,000 women): n/a
  • Mortality, infant (per 1,000 live births): n/a

Work, income and education

  • Wage earners, total (% of total labor force): n/a
  • Income share of the highest 10%: 4,00 (2018)
  • Income share of the lowest 10%: 111,96 (2021)
  • Unemployment, total (% of total labor force): n/a
  • Labor force, total: n/a
  • Workforce with basic education (% of the workforce): 53.270,00 (2023)
  • Labor force with medium education (% of labor force): n/a
  • Number of poor cf. national poverty limits (% of the population): n/a
  • Proportion of the population with moderate or severe food insecurity (%): -0,03 (2023)
  • School enrolments, primary school (gross %): n/a
  • Youth unemployment, all young people (% of total labor force aged 15 - 24): n/a
  • Young people not in education, employment or training, total (% of all young people): n/a
  • Literacy/literacy, total adults (% of population over 15): n/a

    Spending

  • Household (and NPIS) consumption expenditure (US$): 81,30 (2022)
  • Electricity consumption (kWh per inhabitant): 88,05 (2009)
  • Inhabitants using the Internet (% of the population): 0,00 (2023)
  • Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people): n/a
  • Number of smokers, total (over 15 years): n/a
  • Alcohol consumption per capita (litres of pure alcohol, expected estimates, +15 years): n/a

Business and tourism

  • Employers, total (% of total labor force): 17,07 (2009)
  • New companies (number of registrations): n/a
  • New businesses (new registrations per 1,000 inhabitants aged 15 - 64): n/a
  • Listed companies, total: n/a
  • Business conditions (0 = lowest grade to 100 = highest grade): 4,03 (2013)
  • International tourism, number of arrivals: 38,61 (2021)
  • International tourism, number of departures: 0,34 (2023)
  • Railway lines (total route kilometers): 4,03 (2013)
  • Railways, number of passengers transported (million passenger-kilometres): 42,99 (2023)

Health

  • Hospital beds (per 1,000 inhabitants): 83,30 (2022)
  • Suicide rate, men (per 100,000 men): n/a
  • Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 inhabitants): n/a
  • Doctors (per 1,000 inhabitants): n/a
  • Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population aged 15 - 49): 57,01 (2023)

Facts the Faroe Islands's economy

GDP and GNI

  • BNP (US$): 4.064.913.347,93 (2022)
  • GDP growth (annual %): 3.656.817.999,39 (2022)
  • GDP per capita (US$): 28,78 (2011)
  • GDP, KPP (US$): 18,08 (2022)
  • BNI (US$): 642.778.730,59 (2022)
  • GNI growth (annual %): 107,10 (2022)
  • Gross savings (% of GDP): 6,93 (2022)

Inflation, interest rates and consumer prices

  • Deposit rate (%): 5,40 (2022)
  • Lending rate (%): n/a
  • Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 1.096.198.681,40 (2017)
  • Consumer Price Index (2010 = 100): 3.555.929.833,05 (2022)

Trade and production

  • Trade (% of GDP): n/a
  • Vareeksport (US$): n/a
  • Vareimport (US$): n/a
  • Food exports (% of merchandise exports): 1.481.311.149,68 (2021)
  • Food imports (% of goods imports): 97,58 (2017)
  • Food Production Index (2004 - 2006 = 100): 85,40 (2022)
  • Index of animal production (2004 - 2006 = 100): n/a

Industry

  • Industry (including construction), value added (% of GDP): 246.405.108,31 (2022)
  • Industry (including construction), value added (US$): 1.305.756.809,93 (2017)
  • Industry, value added (% of GDP): n/a
  • Industry, value added (US$): n/a

Military

  • Armed forces, total: 11,80 (2022)
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): n/a
  • Military Expenditure (US$): n/a

Others

  • Current health expenditure (% of GDP): 5,40 (2022)
  • Labor tax and contribution (% of company profit): 124,91 (2022)
  • Development Assistance (ODA) received per capita (US$): n/a
  • Social contributions (% of income): n/a