Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/78.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 8.6 KB | 346 lines

@node Header (Faroe Islands)
@section Header (Faroe Islands)

@display

Affiliation:
  (part of the Danish realm)



@end display

@node Geography (Faroe Islands)
@section Geography (Faroe Islands)

@display

Location:
  in the north Atlantic Ocean, located half way between Norway and Iceland
Map references:
  Arctic Region
Area:
 total area:
  1,400 km2
 land area:
  1,400 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly less than eight times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  764 km
Maritime claims:
 exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  3 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
Terrain:
  rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
Natural resources:
  fish
Land use:
 arable land:
  2%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  0%
 forest and woodland:
  0%
 other:
  98%
Irrigated land:
  NA km2
Environment:
  precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands; archipelago
  of 18 inhabited islands and a few uninhabited islets
Note:
  strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic



@end display

@node People (Faroe Islands)
@section People (Faroe Islands)

@display

Population:
  48,065 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.67% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  18.45 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  7.57 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  8.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  77.92 years
 male:
  74.51 years
 female:
  81.45 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.52 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Faroese (singular and plural)
 adjective:
  Faroese
Ethnic divisions:
  Scandinavian
Religions:
  Evangelical Lutheran
Languages:
  Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
Literacy:
 total population:
  NA%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  17,585
 by occupation:
  largely engaged in fishing, manufacturing, transportation, and commerce



@end display

@node Government (Faroe Islands)
@section Government (Faroe Islands)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  Faroe Islands  local long form:
  none
 local short form:
  Foroyar
Digraph:
  FO
Type:
  part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division of
  Denmark
Capital:
  Torshavn
Administrative divisions:
  none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Independence:
  none (part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative
  division of Denmark)
Constitution:
  Danish
Legal system:
  Danish
National holiday:
  Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Political parties and leaders:
 three-party ruling coalition:
  Social Democratic Party, Marita PETERSEN; Republican Party, Signer HANSEN;
  Home Rule Party, Hilmar KASS
 opposition:
  Cooperation Coalition Party, Pauli ELLEFSEN; Progressive and Fishing
  Industry Party-Christian People's Party (PFIP-CPP), leader NA; Progress
  Party, leader NA; People's Party, Jogvan SUND-STEIN
Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal
Elections:
 Danish Parliament:
  last held on 12 December 1990 (next to be held by December 1994); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) Social Democratic 1, People's
  Party 1; note - the Faroe Islands elects two representatives to the Danish
  Parliament
 Faroese Parliament:
  last held 17 November 1990 (next to be held November 1994); results - Social
  Democratic 27.4%, People's Party 21.9%, Cooperation Coalition Party 18.9%,
  Republican Party 14.7%, Home Rule 8.8%, PFIP-CPP 5.9%, other 2.4%; seats -
  (32 total) two-party coalition 17 (Social Democratic 10, People's Party 7),
  Cooperation Coalition Party 6, Republican Party 4, Home Rule 3, PFIP-CPP 2
Executive branch:
  Danish monarch, high commissioner, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
  Cabinet (Landsstyri)
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Parliament (Lgting)
Judicial branch:
  none



@end display

@node Government (Faroe Islands 2. usage)
@section Government (Faroe Islands 2. usage)

@display

Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner
  Bent KLINTE (since NA)
 Head of Government:
  Prime Minister Marita PETERSEN (since 18 January 1993)
Member of:
  none
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
US diplomatic representation:
  none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Flag:
  white with a red cross outlined in blue that extends to the edges of the
  flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the
  style of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag)



@end display

@node Economy (Faroe Islands)
@section Economy (Faroe Islands)

@display

Overview:
  The Faroese, who have long enjoyed the affluent living standards of the
  Danes and other Scandinavians, now must cope with the decline of the
  all-important fishing industry and one of the world's heaviest per capita
  external debts of nearly $30,000. When the nations of the world extended
  their fishing zones to 200 nautical miles in the early 1970s, the Faroese no
  longer could continue their traditional long-distance fishing and
  subsequently depleted their own nearby fishing areas. The government's tight
  controls on fish stocks and its austerity measures have caused a recession,
  and subsidy cuts will force nationalization in the fishing industry, which
  has already been plagued with bankruptcies. Copenhagen has threatened to
  withhold its annual subsidy of $130 million - roughly one-third of the
  islands' budget revenues - unless the Faroese make significant efforts to
  balance their budget. To this extent the Faroe government is expected to
  continue its tough policies, including introducing a 20% VAT in 1993, and
  has agreed to an IMF economic-political stabilization plan. In addition to
  its annual subsidy, the Danish government has bailed out the second largest
  Faroe bank to the tune of $140 million since October 1992.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $662 million (1989 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  3% (1989 est.)
National product per capita:
  $14,000 (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% (1988)
Unemployment rate:
  5%-6% (1991 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $425 million; expenditures $480 million, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
Exports:
  $386 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
 commodities:
  fish and fish products 88%, animal feedstuffs, transport equipment (ships)
  (1989)
 partners:
  Denmark 20%, Germany 18.3%, UK 14.2%, France 11.2%, Spain 7.9%, US 4.5%
Imports:
  $322 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
 commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment 24.4%, manufactures 24%, food and
  livestock 19%, fuels 12%, chemicals 6.5%
 partners:
  Denmark 43.8%, Norway 19.8%, Sweden 4.9%, Germany 4.2%, US 1.3%
External debt:
  $1.3 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
  80,000 kW capacity; 280 million kWh produced, 5,760 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
  fishing, shipbuilding, handicrafts
Agriculture:
  accounts for 27% of GDP and employs 27% of labor force; principal crops -
  potatoes and vegetables; livestock - sheep; annual fish catch about 360,000
  metric tons
Economic aid:
  receives an annual subsidy from Denmark of about $130 million



@end display

@node Economy (Faroe Islands 2. usage)
@section Economy (Faroe Islands 2. usage)

@display

Currency:
  1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 ore
Exchange rates:
  Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1 - 6.236 (January 1993), 6.036 (1992), 6.396
  (1991), 6.189 (1990), 7.310 (1989), 6.732 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March



@end display

@node Communications (Faroe Islands)
@section Communications (Faroe Islands)

@display

Highways:
  200 km
Ports:
  Torshavn, Tvoroyri
Merchant marine:
  10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,015 GRT/24,007 DWT; includes 1
  short-sea passenger, 5 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 2 refrigerated cargo; note
  - a subset of the Danish register
Airports:
 total:
  1
 useable:
  1
 with permanent-surface runways:
  1  with runways over 3659 m:
  0
 with runways 2440-3659 m:
  0
 with runways 1220-2439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  good international communications; fair domestic facilities; 27,900
  telephones; broadcast stations - 1 AM, 3 (10 repeaters) FM, 3 (29 repeaters)
  TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Faroe Islands)
@section Defense Forces (Faroe Islands)

@display

Branches:
  small Police Force, no organized native military forces
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of Denmark



@end display