Faroe Islands — North Atlantic archipelago, culture and self-governance

Ethnic composition

Of the approximately 50,000 inhabitants of the Faroe Islands (spread over more than 17,000 private households), 98 % are Reich citizens, i.e. Faroese, Danes or Greenlanders. From the place of birth one can deduce the following origin of the inhabitants: 91.7% were born in the Faroe Islands, 5.8% in Denmark and 0.3% in Greenland. Together with some naturalised people, these three groups make up the Reich citizens.

The largest group of foreigners are Icelanders with 0.5%, followed by Norwegians with 0.37%, Filipinos with 0.27%, Thais with 0.23% and British with 0.2%. In total, people from 77 countries live in the Faroe Islands.

It is not possible to draw conclusions about the Faroese native speakers from these figures for two reasons: Firstly, a great many Faroese native speakers live in Denmark, quite a few were born there and return with their parents or as adults in the course of their lives. Secondly, there are long-established Danish families in the Faroe Islands who speak Danish at home.

Demographic development

If the first inhabitants of the Faroe Islands, Irish monks, lived as small groups of hermits, a significant population arose through the land-grabbing of the Vikings, which leveled off at about 4000 inhabitants and never exceeded 5000 until the 18th century. Around 1349/50, about half the population died of the plague. A further wave of immigration from Scandinavia gradually compensated for this population loss. Only with the advent of deep-sea fishing (and thus independence from difficult agriculture) and the general progress in health care, a rapid population growth took place in the Faroe Islands. From the end of the 18th century the population increased tenfold within 200 years. In the early 1990s, there was a severe economic crisis with noticeable emigration, but this reversed to net immigration in subsequent years. By the time the 48,000 population mark was passed in 2004, the population had returned to roughly the same level as at the beginning of the crisis in the early 1990s. In April 2015, the population reached a new high of 48,795, and in August 2015, for the first time in Faroese history, more than 49,000 people lived on the 18 rocky islands in the North Atlantic.

The Faroe Islands are one of the countries in the world where there are more male than female inhabitants. There are 52% male inhabitants and 48% female inhabitants (1 January 2007). In the 20-39 age group, the difference is 11%. This is mainly due to the employment situation for young women.

Faroese women have an average of 2.6 children. That is the highest birth rate of the Nordic countries. At the same time, it has the fewest divorces, the fewest suicides and the fewest abortions. Population growth in 2015 was +0.8%.

Life expectancy in 2016 was 80.4 years overall (men: 77.8 years/ women: 83.1 years).

Language

Originating from Old Norse, Faroese is one of the smallest Germanic languages. It is most intelligible to speakers of Icelandic and West Norwegian dialects. Its closest relative was the now extinct Norn of the Shetland Islands.

With the Reformation, it was replaced by Danish in all official areas around 1540, and for centuries it was only passed on orally in the form of the countless Faroese ballads. Pioneers such as Jens Christian Svabo and Johan Henrik Schrøter ensured that their language was first written down at the end of the 18th, beginning of the 19th century. V. U. Hammershaimb and Jakob Jakobsen formed the present orthography. As a result of the language dispute in the 20th century, Faroese was able to assert itself as the main language in all areas, so that Danish today only has the character of an official lingua franca. For example, Faroese laws must always be translated into Danish.

Signs and announcements are basically in Faroese, and if a second language is added, it is English, not the official second language Danish, which is taught in school and therefore understood - at least in writing - by most Faroese. Other foreign languages are German and French.

The Faroese language policy, coined by Jóhan Hendrik Winther Poulsen, ensures an active re-creation of terms used in modern life. It is similarly purist to that in Iceland and avoids foreign words and Anglicisms.

In addition to the approximately 45,000 ethnic Faroese on the Faroe Islands themselves, there are at least 15,000 other native speakers, mostly in Denmark. In 1998, Føroysk orðabók, the first native dictionary, was published. Faroese can be studied at the University of the Faroes.

For patronymic and metronymic naming rights, which have been in effect again since 1992, see Faroese personal names.

Religion

The Faroe Islands were Christianized from 999 by Sigmundur Brestisson. Already before that Irish monks lived there as hermits. Almost all Faroese are Christians. In 2017, about 80% of the inhabitants were members of the Evangelical Lutheran state church. About 7-10% are members of the Brethren congregations (in Faroese: Brøðrasamkoman), which were founded through the work of the revivalist preacher William Gibson Sloan.

About 5 % belong to other Christian churches: Apart from the Pentecostals with their seven churches, there are the Adventists, who run a relatively large general education private school in Tórshavn, and the approximately 124 Jehovah's Witnesses in four congregations. The Catholic Church in the Faroes today has about 270 members. Its old Franciscan school is now run again by the municipality of Tórshavn.

In addition, there are about 15 Bahai who meet in four different places. Ahmadiyya Muslims founded their own community in 2010.

The most famous church buildings include Olav's Church and the unfinished Magnus Cathedral in Kirkjubøur, Tórshavn Cathedral, St. Mary's Catholic Church in Tórshavn, Christianskirkjan in Klaksvík, Fámjin Church, the octagonal church in Haldórsvík and, last but not least, Gøtu Kirkja in Norðragøta.

Bible translations in Faroese appeared in 1948 (Victor Danielsen, Church of the Brethren) and 1961 (Jacob Dahl and Kristian Osvald Viderø, State Church).

Management structure

Regions

Generally, a distinction is made between six geographical regions. These are identical to the sýslur (syssel), which originally formed legal and police districts, each headed by a sýslumaður (sysselman). Today, the Tórshavn Police Directorate has five police sections under it.

1. Norðoya sýsla: The most rugged landscapes and most of the highest mountains are found on the six northern islands in the northeast. These are: Kalsoy, Kunoy, Borðoy, Viðoy, Svínoy and Fugloy in the very east of the Faroe Islands. The North Islands metropolis Klaksvík on Borðoy is the second largest town and the most important location of the fishing industry. Viðareiði on Viðoy is the northernmost town in the country in the middle of a unique landscape.
2. Eysturoyar sýsla: Eysturoy, the second largest island of the archipelago, is located west of the northern islands. Together with Streymoy it forms the centre of the Faroe Islands. The agglomeration around Runavík is the largest urban settlement there, followed by Fuglafjørður. The two northern towns of Eiði and Gjógv are known for their scenic beauty.
3. Streymoyar sýsla: The largest island of Streymoy is also the most populous, with the capital Tórshavn as its administrative and cultural centre and the country's main seaport. The town of Vestmanna on the west coast of the island is famous for the imposing bird cliffs (Vestmannabjørgini) further north. Saksun and Tjørnuvík in the north are also attractions, as is Kirkjubøur in the south. The main island region includes the offshore islands of Nólsoy to the east, and Hestur and Koltur to the west.
4. Vága sýsla: To the west of Streymoy is Vágar, with its only airport and the bird paradise further west on the deserted island of Mykines, which forms the western outpost of the archipelago.
5. Sandoyar sýsla: South of Streymoy lies Sandoy, which takes its name from the relatively rare sandy beaches here. This region includes the small islets of Skúvoy and Great Dimun.
6. Suðuroyar sýsla: Finally, Suðuroy forms the fourth largest island of the archipelago and also the southernmost part of the country. Geographically, this includes Little Dimun. The towns of Tvøroyri and Vágur are the regional centres there. Sumba is the southernmost municipality in the Faroe Islands. The spectacular west coast by land there is particularly easily accessible.

Municipalities and settlements

The Faroe Islands are politically divided into 29 municipalities, up from 30 before 1 January 2017 and 34 before 1 January 2009.

Statistical data on the division of municipalities can be found in the list of municipalities in the Faroe Islands.

The settlement is spread over 116 places today, from urban settlements to individual farms.

The list of cities and towns in the Faroe Islands also includes some now abandoned places of residence.

Politics

Head of state is Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the Danish government is represented by the Imperial Ombudsman's Office. The head of the Faroese government is the social democrat Aksel V. Johannesen. His centre-left government has consisted of Social Democrats, Socialists and Liberals since 15 September 2015. The parliament is the Løgting. On 25 October 2007, the seven Faroese constituencies (after the seven regions) were merged into a single electoral area.

A high degree of autonomy was achieved with the Act on Internal Self-Government on 31 March 1948. The Faroe Islands fly their own flag and are considered a "nation within the imperial community with Denmark".

With the Treaty of Fámjin, the Faroe Islands gained more foreign policy competences on 29 March 2005. The Faroes had already maintained a diplomatic mission in London since January 2002, but as a section of the Danish embassy. The Faroese envoy in London is also the representative to the International Maritime Organization, a UN institution based in London, of which the Faroe Islands are an associate member. Since October 2006, the Faroese representative in London has been simultaneously accredited to the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland and thus has an additional seat at the Danish Embassy in Dublin. Since 2007, the Faroe Islands have also had a legation in Reykjavík. Even before that, the Faroe Islands had their own representations in Brussels to the EU and in Copenhagen to the Nordic Council. The representation in Copenhagen is housed in Nordatlantens Brygge, which is shared with Iceland and Greenland.

The 2005 Hoyvík Agreement established the Faroe Islands' economic union with Iceland. Greenland is to join later. Already since 1985 these three countries have been cooperating in the West Nordic Council. In 2005, Prime Minister Eidesgaard announced that the Faroe Islands wanted to join the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). However, by 2010 at the latest it became clear that this was not possible, as the Faroe Islands are not a state.

Unlike Denmark, the Faroe Islands are not a member of the EU or the Schengen area. They are represented in the Nordic Council. The Ålands Document of 2007 assures the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland equal membership in the Nordic Council. The Faroe Islands became a consultative member of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on 17 November 2007.

There are influential groups that seek complete secession from Denmark. The balance of power in the Faroese party spectrum from separatist republicans to pro-Danish unionists is relatively balanced. Coalitions to form the Faroese government often include both camps.

State power

Færøernes Politi (fär. løgregla) is headed by the fúti, who is also the chief public prosecutor. The official title of the fúti, who is a Danish civil servant, is Danish Landfogeden på Færøerne. Police applicants are self-selected in the Faroe Islands, but trained at the Police School in Copenhagen.

NATO operates a radar early warning station at Mjørkadalur, which is part of the network of early warning systems around the Arctic Circle. The Faroe Islands do not have a military of their own, nor are their citizens subject to Danish conscription. On the other hand, several Faroese serve as professional soldiers in the Danish armed forces.

The Færøernes Kommando (ISCOMFAROES) comprised the Danish military units responsible for the autonomous Faroe Islands. The head of ISCOMFAROES was Captain Christian A. Nørgaard. As of 31 October 2012, the command was dissolved together with Grønlands Kommando in favour of the newly formed Arktisk Kommando (Arctic Command) based in Nuuk, Greenland.

Citizens' Initiatives

The Faroese section of Amnesty International is significant, with around 1,200 members. It was founded in 1965 and is one of the oldest Amnesty groups in the world.