Daily Almanac for
Jul 10, 2009
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World > Countries > Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

Facts & Figures
Map of Faeroe
Map of Faroe Islands

Status: Autonomous part of Denmark

Chief of State: Queen Margrethe II (1972)

High Commissioner: Birgit Kleis (2001)

Prime Minister: Jóannes Eidesgaard (2004)

Total area: 541 sq mi (1,401 sq km)

Population (2008 est.): 47,770 (growth rate: 0.5%); birth rate: 14.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.8/1000; life expectancy: 79.6; density per sq mi: 34

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Tórshavn, 17,300

Monetary unit: Faroese krone

More Facts & Figures

This group of 18 islands, of which 17 are inhabited, is located in the North Atlantic about 200 mi (322 km) northwest of the Shetland Islands. They were settled by the Vikings, the ancestors of the modern-day Faroese, in the 8th century. The Faroese language is derived from Old Norse. The islands joined Denmark in 1386 and have been part of the Danish kingdom ever since. The Faroes have had home rule, under Danish authority, since 1948.

See also Encyclopedia: Faroe Islands .
Statistics Faroe Islands www.hagstova.fo .

Outlying Territories of Denmark Greenland