Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self-government was attained in 1948.
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Location:
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Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway
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Geographic coordinates:
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62 00 N, 7 00 W
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 1,399 sq km
water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)
land: 1,399 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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eight times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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1,117 km
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
territorial sea: 3 NM
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Climate:
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mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
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Terrain:
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rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m
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Natural resources:
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fish, whales, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.14%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 97.86% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Geography - note:
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archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands
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Population:
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46,345 (July 2003 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 22% (male 5,103; female 5,077)
15-64 years: 64.4% (male 15,822; female 14,002)
65 years and over: 13.7% (male 2,842; female 3,499) (2003 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 35.1 years
male: 34.5 years
female: 35.8 years (2002)
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Population growth rate:
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0.7% (2003 est.)
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Birth rate:
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13.81 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Death rate:
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8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 6.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.9 years
male: 75.44 years
female: 82.36 years (2003 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA%
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Faroese (singular and plural)
adjective: Faroese
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Ethnic groups:
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Scandinavian
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Religions:
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Evangelical Lutheran
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Languages:
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Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
note: similar to Denmark proper
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Faroe Islands
local short form: Foroyar
local long form: none
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Dependency status:
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part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948
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Government type:
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NA
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Capital:
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Torshavn
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Administrative divisions:
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none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 49 municipalities
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Independence:
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none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
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National holiday:
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Olaifest, 29 July
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Constitution:
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5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
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Legal system:
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Danish
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Birgit KLEIS, chief administrative officer (since 1 November 2001)
election results: Anfinn KALLSBERG elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - 52.8%
note: coalition of People's Party, Republican Party, Home Rule Party, and Center Party
elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held 30 April 2002 (next to be held no later than April 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Anfinn KALLSBERG (since 15 May 1998)
cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the seven constituencies to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 26%, Republican Party 23.7%, Social Democrats 20.9%, People's Party 20.8% Home Rule Party 4.4%, Center Party 4.2%; seats by party - Union Party 8, Republican Party 8, Social Democrats 7, People's Party 7, Home Rule Party 1, Center Party 1
note: election of 2 seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 20 November 2001 (next to be held no later than November 2005); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, Union Party 1
elections: last held 30 April 2002 (next to be held no later than April 2006)
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Judicial branch:
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none
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Political parties and leaders:
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Center Party [Tordur NICLASEN]; Home Rule Party [Helena Dam a NEYSTABO]; People's Party [Oli BRECKMANN]; Republican Party [Finnabogi ISAKSON]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Edmund JOENSEN]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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IMO (associate), NC, NIB
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
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Flag description:
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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)
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Economy - overview:
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The Faroese economy has had a strong performance since 1994, mostly as a result of increasing fish landings and high and stable export prices. Unemployment is falling and there are signs of labor shortages in several sectors. The positive economic development has helped the Faroese Home Rule Government produce increasing budget surpluses, which in turn help to reduce the large public debt, most of it owed to Denmark. However, the total dependence on fishing makes the Faroese economy extremely vulnerable, and the present fishing efforts appear in excess of what is a sustainable level of fishing in the long term. Oil finds close to the Faroese area give hope for deposits in the immediate Faroese area, which may eventually lay the basis for a more diversified economy and thus lessen dependence on Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes and other Scandinavians.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $1 billion (2001 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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10% (2001 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $22,000 (2001 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 27%
industry: 11%
services: 62% (1999)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5.1% (1999)
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Labor force:
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24,250 (October 2000)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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fishing, fish processing, and manufacturing 33%, construction and private services 33%, public services 34%
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Unemployment rate:
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1% (October 2000)
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Budget:
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revenues: $488 million
expenditures: $484 million, including capital expenditures of $21 million (1999)
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Industries:
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fishing, fish processing, shipbuilding, construction, handicrafts
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8% (1999 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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160.4 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 62.4%
hydro: 37.6%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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149.1 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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4,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Agriculture - products:
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milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish
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Exports:
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$418 million f.o.b. (2001)
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Exports - commodities:
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fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999)
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Exports - partners:
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Denmark 39.9%, UK 32.1%, Norway 7.4%, Netherlands 6.1% (2002)
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Imports:
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$469 million c.i.f. (1999)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment 29%, consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, fuels, fish and salt (1999)
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Imports - partners:
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Denmark 53.8%, Norway 24.2%, Iceland 5.7% (2002)
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Debt - external:
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$64 million (1999)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$55 million (annual subsidy from Denmark)
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Currency:
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Danish krone (DKK)
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Currency code:
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DKK
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Exchange rates:
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Danish kroner per US dollar - 7.89 (2002), 8.32 (2001), 8.08 (2000), 6.98 (1999), 6.7 (1998)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Railways:
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0 km
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Highways:
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total: 463 km
paved: 454 km
unpaved: 9 km (1999)
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Waterways:
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none
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Ports and harbors:
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Torshavn, Klaksvik, Tvoroyri, Runavik, Fuglafjordhur
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Merchant marine:
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total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 100,951 GRT/139,396 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 3, Norway 1, United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1
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Airports:
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1 (2002)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
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Disputes - international:
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Faroese are considering proposals for full independence; Denmark dispute with Iceland over the Faroe Islands fisheries median line boundary of 200 NM; Denmark disputes with Iceland, the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM
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This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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