q km
land: 1,399 sq km
water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)

Area--comparative: eight times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,117 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy,
windy

Terrain: rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m

Natural resources: fish, whales

Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 94% (1996)

Irrigated land: 0 sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: NA

Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography--note: 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

People

Population: 41,059 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23% (male 4,819; female 4,629)
15-64 years: 62% (male 13,600; female 11,811)
65 years and over: 15% (male 2,786; female 3,414) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -2.03% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 12.54 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.08 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -23.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 10.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.56 years
male: 75.66 years
female: 81.58 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.36 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Faroese (singular and plural)
adjective: Faroese

Ethnic groups: Scandinavian

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran

Languages: Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish

Literacy: NA
note: similar to Denmark proper

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Faroe Islands
local long form: none
local short form: Foroyar

Data code: FO

Dependency status: part of the Ki