Compare Faroe Islands (2007) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

Compare Faroe Islands (2007) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

	Faroe Islands (2007)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

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 34 municipalities	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 20.6% (male 4,882/female 4,904) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 16,353/female 14,668) 65 years and over: 14.1% (male 3,041/female 3,663) (2007 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish	-
Airports	1 (2007)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 1,399 sq km land: 1,399 sq km water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Area - comparative	eight times the size of Washington, DC	land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
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.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	14.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $588 million expenditures: $623 million (2005)	-
Capital	name: Torshavn geographic coordinates: 62 01 N, 6 46 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	-
Climate	mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	1,117 km	698 km
Constitution	5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Foroyar	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Death rate	8.69 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Debt - external	$64 million (1999)	-
Dependency status	part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full independence have been deferred; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	$105 million; note - annual subsidy from Denmark (2005)	-
Economy - overview	The Faroese economy is dependent on fishing, which makes the economy vulnerable to price swings. Since 2003 the Faroese economy has picked up as a result of higher prices for fish and for housing. Unemployment is minimal and government finances are relatively sound. Oil finds close to the Islands give hope for economically recoverable deposits, which could eventually lay the basis for a more diversified economy and 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.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.
Electricity - consumption	269.7 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - production	290 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	NA	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Marine Dumping -associate member to the London Convention and Ship Pollution	-
Ethnic groups	Scandinavian	-
Exchange rates	Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002)	-
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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA bbl/day	-
Exports - commodities	fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999)	-
Exports - partners	Denmark 32%, UK 27%, Norway 10.2%, Nigeria 9.3%, Netherlands 5.5% (2006)	-
Fiscal 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)	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 27% industry: 11% services: 62% (1999)	-
GDP - real growth rate	2.4% (2005 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	62 00 N, 7 00 W	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 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	archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Imports	NA bbl/day	-
Imports - commodities	consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, fuels, fish, salt (1999)	-
Imports - partners	Denmark 53%, Norway 20.7%, Iceland 6%, Sweden 4.3% (2006)	-
Independence	none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)	-
Industrial production growth rate	8% (1999 est.)	-
Industries	fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 6.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	1.8% (2005)	-
International organization participation	Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU	-
Irrigated land	0 sq km	0 sq km
Judicial branch	none	-
Labor force	24,250 (October 2000)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 33% industry: 33% services: 34% (October 2000)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 2.14% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Languages	Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish	-
Legal system	the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
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%, other 2.4%; seats by party - Republican Party 8, Union Party 7, Social Democratic Party 7, 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 in February 2009); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, People's Party 1	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.49 years male: 76.06 years female: 82.93 years (2007 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% note: probably 100%, the same as Denmark proper	-
Location	Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Europe	Political Map of the 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: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 92,454 GRT/63,291 DWT by type: cargo 10, container 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 8 (Iceland 4, Norway 4) (2007)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Denmark	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	no regular military forces	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	-
National holiday	Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July	-
Nationality	noun: Faroese (singular and plural) adjective: Faroese	-
Natural hazards	NA	NA
Natural resources	fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	47,511 (July 2007 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.543% (2007 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Evangelical Lutheran	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.996 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.115 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.045 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	-
Suffrage	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: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	23,000 (2006)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	50,000 (2006)	-
Television broadcast stations	3 (plus 43 repeaters) (September 1995)	1 (1997)
Terrain	rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast	flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	2.15 children born/woman (2007 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	2.1% (2006)	-

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