Information about country:Faroe Islands

Capital: Torshavn. The Faroes, an archipelago of 18 islands in the North Atlantic, constitute an autonomous region of Denmark. While the islands'' rugged coastlines and extensive bird life are a draw for some, the Faroes also offer the prospect of major offshore reserves of oil and gas. The Danish government has toughened its stance against plans by its semi-autonomous territory in the North Atlantic, the Faeroe Islands, to gain full independence. After a day of talks between the two sides in Copenhagen, the Danish prime minister, Poul Nyrop Rasmussen, said Denmark would cut off all financial aid to the Faeroes within four years of it gaining independence. At present, Denmark pays about one hundred and thirty million dollars a year to the islands, which have a population of forty-five thousand. The Faroes have been under Danish rule for 600 years, and gained their present status in 1948. They first tried to gain independence in 1906.