General information
ISO nationality code................... FO
Capital ......................... Tórshavn
Land area, (18 islands in all).. 1.399 km2
Population (primo l995)............ 43,700
Weights and Measures... The Metric System
Time .............. GMT (Apr-Sept +1 hour)
Valuta Exchange....................... DKK
Geography
- Archipelago of 18 islands
- Total land mass:1399 square kilometres.
- Highest point: 882 meters
- Hilly, average height above sea level : approximately 300 meters, arable land is at a
premium.
Climate
- Wet, changeable and stormy
- Average temperatures during the coldest and hottest month are +3oC and +11oC
respectively. Fog is frequent, and in winter wind, ice and snow may disrupt work/traffic.
- The shortest day is 5 hours and the longest is 19½ hours.
Population
- The population at the start of 1995, was 43,700.
- Approximately 15000 live in the vicinity of the capital.
Language
- The Faroese language, is a West Nordic language, closely related to Icelandic and
Norwegian.
- All Faroese are fluent in Danish/Scandinavian.
- Many are fluent in English
Religion
- 80-90% of the population belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
- There are a number of free churches, the largest being The Baptist Brethren, and the
Pentecostal Movement.
Culture
In spite of being few in numbers, the Faroese have developed their own language and culture traditions.
A wide range of cultural aspects are present, mainly in the nature of:
- Painting
- Theatre
- Music
- Literature