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Health Health (2013): physicians 76 (1 per 635 persons); hospital beds 227 (1 per 212 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (2014) 6.3; undernourished population, n.a. T he Faroe Islands came under criticism once again from animal rights activists in July 2016 as islanders renewed the centuries-old tradition of the grindadráp (“grind”), in which pods of pilot whales are forced by boats to beach and are then slaughtered. Although whaling was outlawed by the European Union, of which Denmark is a member, the Danish government said that it was up to the Faroe Islands, as a self-governing division of Denmark, to determine its own stance on whaling. Islanders cited tradition and the subsistence nature of the prac- tice in their defense of it; activists condemned it as a bloody, brutal assault. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (2015): 12.4 (world avg. 19.5). Death rate per 1,000 population (2015): 7.7 (world avg. 8.1). Life expectancy at birth (2015): male 79.0 years; female 84.4 years. pally fish processing; also handicrafts, woolen textiles and clothing, and small ship repair. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 2015) 314,000,000 ([2011] 274,000,000), by source (2013): fossil fuels 39.9%; renewable energy 60.1%, of which hydroelectric 42.3%, wind 17.8%; coal, none (none); crude petroleum, none (none); petroleum products (metric tons; 2012) none (193,000); natural gas, none (none). Population economically active (2015 8 ): total 29,950; participation rates: ages 15–74, male 82.0%; female 79.1%; unemployed 3.5%, of which youth (ages 15–24; 2005) 9.4%. Public debt (external, outstanding; January 2009): U.S.$511,448,000. Average household size: n.a. Land use as % of total land area (2009): in temporary crops, left fallow, or in permanent crops 2.1%; in pasture, n.a.; forest area 0.1%. Faroe Islands 1 Official name: Føroyar (Faroese); Færøerne (Danish) (Faroe Islands). Political status: self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark with one legislative house (Løgting, or Parliament [33]). Head of state: Danish Monarch, Queen Margrethe II. Heads of government: High Commissioner (for Denmark) Dan M. Knudsen; Prime Minister (for Faroe Islands) Aksel V. Johannesen. Capital: Tórshavn (Thorshavn). Official languages: Faroese; Danish. Official religion: Faroese Lutheran 2 . Monetary unit: Danish krone 3 (DKK); valuation (Sept. 1, 2016) 1 U.S.$ = DKK 6.65; 1 £ = DKK 8.84. National economy Budget (2009). Revenue: DKK 4,042,000,000 (tax revenue 84.3%, trans- fers from the Danish government 15.7%). Expenditures: DKK 4,544,- 000,000 (current expenditure 94.9%, development expenditure 5.1%). Gross national income (at current market prices; 2009): U.S.$2,232,- 000,000 (U.S.$45,822 per capita). Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (2014): potatoes 1,600, other vegetables, grass, hay, and silage are pro- duced; livestock (number of live animals) 72,000 sheep, 2,650 cattle; roundwood, none; fisheries production 629,290 (including blue whiting 226,228, mackerel 150,544, herring 43,327, cod 36,461, and pollock 26,513; from aquaculture 13% [including salmon 70,893]). Pilot whales captured 48. Mining and quarrying: negligible 7 . Manufacturing: princi- Foreign trade 9 Imports (2015): DKK 6,095,038,000 (machinery and apparatus 23.5%, food and food products 17.3%, refined petroleum products 13.1%, chemicals and chemical products 9.0%, road vehicles 7.1%). Major import sources: Denmark 27.7%; Norway 15.3%; Germany 10.0%; China 6.0%; Sweden 4.7%; Italy 2.7%; other 33.6%. Exports (2015): DKK 6,851,804,000 (chilled, frozen, salted and dried fish 96.6%, ships and aircraft 0.5%). Major export destinations (2015): Russia 25.9%; U.S. 8.8%; U.K. 8.6%; Denmark 7.5%; Germany 5.3%; China 5.2%; other 38.7%. Transport Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (2007): total length 292 mi, 470 km (paved 99%); passenger-km (2011) 216,900,000; metric ton-km cargo, n.a. Vehicles (2016 4 ): passenger cars 22,188; trucks, vans, and buses 4,458. Military Defense responsibility lies with Denmark. 1 English-language alternative spelling is Faeroe Islands. 2 Formally independent of the national Danish Lutheran church from July 2007. 3 The local currency, the Faroese króna (plural krónur), is equivalent to the Danish krone. Banknotes used are Faroese or Danish; coins are Danish. 4 January 1. 5 Represents the 5 main islands (with associ- ated islets) and the northeasternmost (Northern) islands. Actual local administration is based on 34 municipalities. 6 Detail does not add to total given because of rounding. 7 The maritime boundary demarcation agreement between the Shetland Islands (U.K.) and the Faroes in 1999 has allowed for the still unsuccessful exploration for deep-sea petroleum as of mid-2015. 8 November. 9 Imports c.i.f.; exports f.o.b. Internet resources for further information: • Statistics Faroe Islands www.hagstova.fo/en • Statistics Denmark www.dst.dk/en Demography Population (2016): 49,500. Density (2016): persons per sq mi 91.6, persons per sq km 35.4. Urban-rural (2014): urban 42.0%; rural 58.0%. Sex distribution (2016 4 ): male 51.68%; female 48.32%. Age breakdown (2016 4 ): under 15, 20.9%; 15–29, 18.6%; 30–44, 17.9%; 45–59, 19.8%; 60–74, 15.5%; 75–84, 5.1%; 85 and over, 2.2%. Population projection: (2020) 50,500; (2030) 51,500. Ethnic composition (2015 4 ): Faroese 88.7%; Danish 7.3%; other Scandinavian 1.3%; Filipino 0.3%; other 2.4%. Religious affiliation (2005): Protestant c. 91%, of which Lutheran c. 79%, Plymouth Brethren c. 10%; other (mostly nonreligious) c. 9%. Major municipalities (2016 4 ): Tórshavn 20,521; Klaksvík 4,961; Runavík 3,911; Eystur 2,022; Vága 1,991. Area and population area population Largest 2016 4 Regions 5 municipalities sq mi sq km estimate Eysturoy Runavík 110 286 10,944 Nordhoy (Northern) Klaksvík 93 241 5,931 Sandoy Skopun 48 125 1,263 Streymoy Tórshavn 151 392 23,353 Sudhuroy Tvøroyri 64 167 4,586 Vágar Sørvágur 73 188 3,106 TOTAL 540 6 1,399 49,183 © 2017 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. World Data ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica
