Faroe Islands Government

Map showing the location of Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands make up one of the two constituent countries of the Kingdom of Netherlands, and they have a parliamentary democracy. The island has one of the oldest Parliaments known as the Løgting. It goes back more than a 1,000 years ago during the Viking Era and is composed of 33 members. The islands were granted self-governing rights within the framework of the Home Rule Act of 1948 which specified the matters that the Løgting could or could not legislate.

Elections for the members of the Løgting are held either once the Prime Minister calls for them or the members agree to dissolve the Løgting. They are elected either through direct, public or secret election to a four-year term. The Chairman after consulting with party leaders forwards a candidate as Prime Minister who has to be accepted by the majority of the members, to a four-year term. The Queen of the Kingdom of Netherlands appoints the High Commissioner.

The house of Parliament, locally referred to as the Løgting House, was built in 1856 in Vaglið which is located in the capital, Tórshavn. The Queen of Denmark lives in the Amalienborg palaces which are four palaces overlooking a plaza. Work on building the palaces started in 1750 and was completed in 1760.

Political parties in the Faroe Islands include the Union Party, the People's Party, the Social Democratic Party, and Republic.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Torshavn
Languages	Faroese 93.8% (derived from Old Norse), Danish 3.2%, other 3% (2011 est.)
Ethnic Groups	Faroese 89.2% (Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon descent), Danish 7.1%, other 3.7% (includes Icelander, Norwegian, Greenlander, Filipino, Thai, British)
Religion	Christian 89.3% (predominantly Evangelical Lutheran), other 0.7%, more than one religion 0.2%, none 3.8%, unspecified 6% (2011 est.)
Government	Parliamentary democracy (Faroese Parliament); part of the Kingdom of Denmark
Independance	None (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Area	1,393.00 km²
Land Area	1,393.00 km²
Population	50,456.00 The island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population; it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island; seven of the inhabited islands have less than 100 people
Location	Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Iceland and Norway
GDP(PPP)	$2,001,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$40,000.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are fish and fish products.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Denmark, Norway, and Germany.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include goods for household consumption, machinery and transport equipment, and fuels.
Climate	Mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
Terrain	Rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast

Faroe Islands Government

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