Portal:Faroe Islands/Intro

The Faroe Islands, or simply the Faroes or Faeroes (Føroyar ; Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago located 200 mi north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway between Norway and Iceland. Like Greenland, it is an autonomous territory.

The terrain is rugged; the climate is subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) - windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. Temperatures average above freezing throughout the year because of the Gulf Stream. As a result of the moderation and the northerly latitude, summers normally hover around 12 C. Average temperatures are 5 °C (41 °F) in winter. The northerly latitude location also results in perpetual civil twilight during summer nights and very short winter days.

Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroe Islands were part of the Kingdom of Norway, which was in a personal union with Denmark from 1450. In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel transferred Norway to Sweden, whereas Denmark kept its Atlantic territories, which included the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland.

While part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroe Islands have been self-governing since 1948, controlling most areas apart from military defence, |policing, justice, currency, and foreign affairs. Because the Faroe Islands are not part of the same customs area as Denmark, the Faroe Islands has an independent trade policy, and can establish trade agreements with other states. The Faroes have an extensive bilateral free trade agreement with Iceland, known as the Hoyvík Agreement. In the Nordic Council, they are represented as part of the Danish delegation. In certain sports, the Faroe Islands field their own national teams.

At 202.065 laureates per 10 million, the Faroe Islands currently have the most Nobel laureates per capita worldwide, despite their only laureate being Niels Finsen.