1987 Edition

Climate

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

tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

764 km

1,129 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than Rhode Island

about the size of Massachusetts

Contiguous zone

4 nm

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands; archipelago consists of 18 inhabited islands and a few uninhabited islets

subject to hurricanes from November to January

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land use

2% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadews and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 98% other

8% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 65% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes NEGL4% irrigated

Maritime claims

(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)

Special notes

strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic about midway between Iceland and Shetland Islands

none

Terrain

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

mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Territorial sea

3 nm

12 nm

Total area

25 km © Sseinoy Straymoy| Bordhoy Mykines ee vége? TORSHAVN x 4 Norwegien WW See Sandoy North Skdvoy® Atlantic ry Ocean - Sudhuroy

1,400 km?; land area: 1,400 km?

18,270 km?; land area: 18,270 km?

Ethnic divisions

homogeneous white population

50% Indian, 45% Fijian; 5% European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and others

Infant mortality rate

29/1,000 (1983)

Labor force

17,585; largely engaged in fishing, manufacturing, transportation, and commerce

176,000 (1979); 40% of total work force paid employees, remainder involved in subsistence agriculture; 43.4% agriculture, 15.6% industry

Language

Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish

English (official); Fijian; Hindustani

Life expectancy

72

Literacy

99%

80%

Nationality

noun—Faroese (sing., pl.); adjective—Faroese ae

noun—Fijian(s), adjective— Fijian

Organized labor

about 45,000 employees belong to some 46 trade unions, which are organized along lines of work and ethnic origin (1983)

Population

46,429 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.91%

727,902 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.25%

Religion

Evangelical Lutheran

Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu with a Muslim minority

Administrative divisions

7 districts, 49 communes, 1 town

4 divisions

Branches

legislative authority rests jointly with Crown, acting through appointed High Commissioner, and 32-member provincial parliament (Lagting) in matters of strictly Faroese concern; executive power vested in Crown, acting through High Commissioner, but exercised by provincial cabinet responsible to provincial parliament

executive—Prime Minister and Cabinet; legislative—52-member House of Representatives; 22-member appointed Senate; judicial—Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Magistrate’s Courts

Capital

Torshavn on the island of Streymoy

Suva

Communists

insignificant number

some

Elections

held every four years; most recent, 8 November 1984 Political parties and leaders: four-party ruling coalition—Social Democratic, Atli Dam; Republican, Erlendur Patursson; Home Rule, Tgbijern Poulsen; Peoples, Jogvan Sundstéi.i Voting strength! (January 1985) four-party coalition—17 of 32 seats

every five years unless House dissolves earlier; last held July 1982

Government leader

Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA, Prime Minister (since 1966; was Chief Minister before independence)

Government leaders

MARGRETHE II, Queen (since January 1972); Atli DAM, Lagmand, Prime Minister (since December 1984); Niels BENTSEN, Danish Governor (since 1981)

Legal system

based on Danish law; Home Rule Act enacted 1948

based on British system

Member of

Nordic Council

ADB, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, EC (associate), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday

Fiji Day, 10 October

Official name

Faroe Islands

Fiji

Political parties

Alliance, primarily Fijian, headed by Ratu Mara; National Federation, primarily Indian, headed by Siddiq Koya; Western United Front, Fijian, Ratu Osea Gavidi; Fiji Labor Party (founded in mid-1985), headed by Dr. Timoci Bavadra

Suffrage

universal, but not compulsory, over age 2]

universal adult

Type

self-governing province within the Kingdom of Denmark; 2 representatives in Danish parliament

independent parliamentary state within Commonwealth; Elizabeth II recognized as chief of state

Voting strength

(July 1982) House of Representatives—Alliance Party 28 seats, National Federation Party/Western United Front coalition 24 seats

Agriculture

sheep and cattle grazing

sugar, copra, ginger, rice; major, deficiency, grains

Budget

expenditures, $98.8 million; revenues, $98.8 million (FY8])

revenues, $323 million; expenditures, $402 million (1986 est.)

Electric power

80,000 kW capacity; 225 million kWh produced, 4,890 kWh per capita (1986)

213,000 kW capacity; 220 million kWh produced, 310 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$178.7 million (f.0.b., 1980); mostly fish and fish products

$240 million (f.o.b., 1985); 70% sugar; also copra

Fiscal year

calendar year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 329,900 metric tons (1983); exports, $162.3 million (1980)

GDP

$369.3 million, about $8,800 per capita (1980)

$1.099 billion (1986 est.), $1,254 per capita; annual growth rate, 2.5% (1986)

Imports

$222.1 million (c.i.f., 1980); machinery and transport equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, food products

$447 million (c.i.f., 1985); 24% manufactured goods, 20.0% machinery, 16.3% foodstuffs, 16% fuels

Major industries

sugar refining, tourism, gold, lumber, small industries

Major industry

fishing

Major trade partners

exports 21.3% Denmark, 13.4% UK, 12.4% FRG, 11.7% US (1980)

Australia, New Zealand, Japan, UK, Singapore, US Aid; Western (non-US) countries (1980-84), $527 million

Monetary conversion rate

7.37 Danish kroner=US$1 (December 1986)

1.16 Fiji dollars=US$1 (November 1986)

Natural resources

fish

timber, fish, gold, copper

Airfields

I total, I usable with permanent-surface runways I,220-2,439 m

Civil air

1 DC-8 and 1 light aircraft Airfields; 27 total, 27 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 2 with runways 1,220-2,4389 m

Highways

200 km

3,300 km total (1984)—390 km paved; 1200 km bituminous surface treatment; 1,290 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface; 420 unimproved earth

Inland waterways

203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200metric-ton barges

Ports

2 major, 8 minor

1 major, 6 minor

Railroads

none

644 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, belonging to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation

Telecommunications

good international communications; fair domestic facilities; 27,900 telephones (61.0 per 100 popl.); I AM, 3 FM stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables

modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio center; important COMPAC cable link between US/Canada and New Zealand/Australia; 49,540 telephones (6.9 per 100 popl.); 7 AM, 1 FM , no TV stations; | satellite ground station

Branches

integrated ground and naval forces

Military manpower

included with Denmark «* Rotums South Pacific Ocean Vanua Levu a a ne 2 Ee oe Ge NM we Viti Levu“ SUVA os na Kandevu 2 100 km Cave-i-Ra

males 15-49, 187,000; 104,000 fit for military service; 7,000 reach military age (18) annually