Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Faroe Islands
local long form: none
local short form: Foroyar
etymology: the archipelago's name may derive from the Old Norse word "faer," meaning sheep

Dependency status:
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948

Government type:
parliamentary democracy (Faroese Parliament); part of the Kingdom of Denmark

Capital:
name: Torshavn
geographic coordinates: 62 00 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

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 30 municipalities

Independence:
none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

National holiday:
Olaifest (Olavsoka) (commemorates the death in battle of King Olaf II of Norway, later St. Olaf), 29 July (1030)

Constitution:
history: 5 June 1953 (Danish Constitution), 23 March 1948 (Home Rule Act), and 24 June 2005 (Takeover Act) serve as the Faroe Islands constitutional position in the Unity of the Realm
amendments: see entry for Denmark (2016)

Legal system:
the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply

Citizenship:
see Denmark

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Dan Michael KNUDSEN, chief administrative officer (since 1 January 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Aksel V. JOHANNESEN (since 15 September 2015)
cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister
elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held on 1 September 2015 (next to be held in 2019)
election results: Aksel V. JOHANNESEN elected prime minister; Parliament vote - NA

Legislative branch:
description: unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (33 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 1 September 2015 (next to be held no later than October 2019)
election results: percent of vote by party - JF 25.1%, Republic 20.7%, People's Party, 18.9%, Union Party 18.7%, Progressive Party 7%, Center Party 5.5%, Self-Government Party 4.1%; seats by party - JF 8, Republic 7, People's Party 6, Union Party 6, Center Party 2, Progressive Party 2, Self-Government Party 2
note: election for 2 seats in the Danish Parliament was last held on 18 June 2015 (next to be held no later than June 2019); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Social Democratic Party 1, Republican Party 1

Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Faroese Court or Raett (Rett - Danish) decides both civil and criminal cases; the Court is part of the Danish legal system
subordinate courts: Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif; Mixed Commercial Court; Land Court

Political parties and leaders:
Center Party (Midflokkurin) [Jenis av RANA] New Self-Government Party (Nytt Sjalvstyri) [Jogvan SKORHEIM] (formerly Self-Govenment Party) (Sjalvstyrisflokkurin) People's Party (Folkaflokkurin) [Jorgen NICLASEN] Progressive Party (Framsokn) [Poul MICHELSEN] Republic (Tjodveldi) [Hogni HOYDAL] (formerly the Republican Party) Social Democratic Party (Javnadarflokkurin) or JF [Aksel V. JOHANNESEN] Union Party (Sambandsflokkurin) [Bardur a STEIG NIELSEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
conservationists

International organization participation:
Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

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); referred to as Merkid, meaning "the banner" or "the mark," the flag resembles those of neighboring Iceland and Norway, and uses the same three colors - but in a different sequence; white represents the clear Faroese sky as well as the foam of the waves; red and blue are traditional Faroese colors
note: the blue on the flag is a lighter blue (azure) than that found on the flags of Iceland or Norway

National symbol(s):
ram; national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem:
name: "Mitt alfagra land" (My Fairest Land)
lyrics/music: Simun av SKAROI/Peter ALBERG
note: adopted 1948; the anthem is also known as "Tu alfagra land mitt" (Thou Fairest Land of Mine); as a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark, the Faroe Islands are permitted their own national anthem