Faroe Islands (2006) | Reunion (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | 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 | none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.9% (male 4,940/female 4,952)
15-64 years: 65.1% (male 16,247/female 14,522) 65 years and over: 13.9% (male 2,976/female 3,609) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 30.4% (male 120,698/female 115,108)
15-64 years: 63.6% (male 243,668/female 250,143) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 19,234/female 28,097) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 1,399 sq km
land: 1,399 sq km water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams) |
total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative | eight times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | 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. | The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. |
Birth rate | 14.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 19.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $488 million
expenditures: $484 million; including capital expenditures of $21 million (1999) |
revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1998) |
Capital | name: Torshavn
geographic coordinates: 62 01 N, 6 46 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Saint-Denis |
Climate | mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April |
Coastline | 1,117 km | 207 km |
Constitution | 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Foroyar |
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
Death rate | 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $64 million (1999) | $NA |
Dependency status | part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948 | overseas department of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) | none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) | none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full independence have been deferred; Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line boundary; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $135 million (annual subsidy from Denmark) (1998) | NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) |
Economy - overview | 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 minimal 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 have helped 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 (about 15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes and other Scandinavians. | The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. |
Electricity - consumption | 242 million kWh (2003) | 1.084 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 260.2 million kWh (2003) | 1.166 billion kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | Scandinavian | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian |
Exchange rates | Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001) | euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) |
Executive branch | 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)
head of government: Prime Minister Joannes EIDESGAARD (since 3 February 2004) cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister 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 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: Joannes EIDESGAARD elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - NA |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Laurent CAYREL (since 16 July 2005)
head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils |
Exports | NA bbl/day | NA |
Exports - commodities | fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999) | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) |
Exports - partners | Denmark 38.2%, UK 29.6%, Nigeria 8.9%, Norway 6.1%, Netherlands 4.3% (2005) | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | 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) | the flag of France is used |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 27%
industry: 11% services: 62% (1999) |
agriculture: 8%
industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 10% (2001 est.) | 2.5% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 62 00 N, 7 00 W | 21 06 S, 55 36 E |
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 | this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean |
Highways | - | total: 1,214 km (including 88 km of four-lane roads) (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA bbl/day | NA |
Imports - commodities | consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, fuels, fish, salt (1999) | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products |
Imports - partners | Denmark 46.2%, Norway 18.2%, Germany 8.2%, Spain 7.5%, Iceland 4.8% (2005) | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) |
Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 8% (1999 est.) | NA% |
Industries | fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction |
Infant mortality rate | total: 6.12 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
total: 7.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.1% (1999) | NA% |
International organization participation | Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU | InOC, UPU, WFTU |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | 120 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | none | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | 24,250 (October 2000) | 309,900 (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 33%
industry: 33% services: 34% |
agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.14%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2005) |
arable land: 13.6%
permanent crops: 1.2% other: 85.2% (2001) |
Languages | Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish | French (official), Creole widely used |
Legal system | Danish | French law |
Legislative branch | 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)
elections: last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 23.7%, Social Democratic Party 21.8%, Republican Party 21.7%, People's Party 20.6%, Center Party 5.2%, Independence Party 4.6%; seats by party - Union Party 7, Social Democratic Party 7, Republican Party 8, People's Party 7, Center Party 2, Independence Party 1 note: election of two seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, People's Party 1 |
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.35 years
male: 75.91 years female: 82.8 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 73.95 years
male: 70.55 years female: 77.52 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% note: probably 100%, the same as Denmark proper |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) |
Location | Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
Map references | Europe | World |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,265 GRT/9,171 DWT
by type: cargo 10, container 2, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Iceland 4, Norway 4) (2006) |
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Denmark | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | no regular military forces | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | - |
National holiday | Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Faroese (singular and plural)
adjective: Faroese |
noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
Natural hazards | NA | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano |
Natural resources | fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas | fish, arable land, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Kari P. HOJGAARD]; People's Party [Anfinn KALLSBERG]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Kaj Leo JOHANNESEN] | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [leader NA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 47,246 (July 2006 est.) | 776,948 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.58% (2006 est.) | 1.38% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Le Port |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) |
Religions | Evangelical Lutheran | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: good international communications; good domestic facilities
domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable |
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia |
Telephones - main lines in use | 23,800 (2005) | 300,000 est (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 42,500 (2005) | 489,800 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus 43 low-power repeaters) (September 1995) | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) |
Terrain | rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast |
Total fertility rate | 2.17 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.47 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 1% (October 2000) | 36% (1999 est.) |