| Country name | 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 |
| Dependency status | part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948 |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy (Faroese Parliament); part of the Kingdom of Denmark |
| Capital | 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 |
| Administrative divisions | 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 |
| Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |
| National holiday | Olaifest (Olavsoka) (commemorates the death in battle of King OLAF II of Norway, later St. OLAF), 29 July (1030) |
| Constitution | 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 |
| Legal system | the laws of Denmark apply where applicable |
| Citizenship | see Denmark |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | 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 Bardhur A STEIG NIELSEN (since 16 September 2019) 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 31 August 2019 (next to be held in 2023) election results: Bardhur A STEIGNIELSEN elected prime minister; Parliament vote - NA |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (33 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) the Faroe Islands elect 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms elections: Faroese Parliament - last held on 31 August 2019 (next to be held in 2023) Faroese seats in the Danish Parliament last held on 5 June 2019 (next to be held no later than June 2023) election results: Faroese Parliament percent of vote by party - People's Party 24.5%, JF 22.1%, Union Party 20.3%, Republic 18.1%, Center Party 5.4%, Progressive Party 4.6%, New Self-Government Party 3.4%, other 1.4%, seats by party - People's Party 8, JF 7, Union Party 7, Republic 6, Center Party 2, Progressive Party 2, New Self-Government Party 1, composition - men 25, women 8; percent of women 24.2% Faroese seats in Danish Parliament - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Social Democratic Party 1, Republican Party 1; composition - 2 men |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: 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 |
| Political parties and leaders | Center Party (Midflokkurin) [Jenis av RANA] Self-Government Party (Sjalvstyri or Sjalvstyrisflokkurin) [Jogvan SKORHEIM] People's Party (Folkaflokkurin) [Jorgen NICLASEN] Progressive Party (Framsokn) [Poul MICHELSEN] Republic (Tjodveldi) [Hogni HOYDAL] (formerly the Republican Party) Social Democratic Party (Javnadarflokkurin) or JF [Aksel V. JOHANNESEN] Union Party (Sambandsflokkurin) [Bardhur A STEIG NIELSEN] |
| International organization participation | Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |
| Flag description | 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 |
| National symbol(s) | ram; national colors: red, white, blue |
| National anthem | name: "Mitt alfagra land" (My Fairest Land) lyrics/music: Simun av SKAROI/Peter ALBERG note: adopted 1948; the anthem is also known as "Tu alfagra land mitt" (Thou Fairest Land of Mine); as a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark, the Faroe Islands are permitted their own national anthem |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
