Politics of the Faroe Islands
Constitution Constitution Act of Succession Freedom of Speech and the Press Taxation
The Crown Monarch King Frederik X Privy Council Purveyors to the Royal Court
The unity of the Realm  Kingdom of Denmark  Faroe Islands  Denmark  Greenland
Executive Regeringen The Government of Denmark High Commissioner (list) Lene Moyell Johansen Landsstýri The Government of the Faroe Islands Premier Aksel V. Johannesen Deputy Premier Høgni Hoydal Johannesen Cabinet Privy Council Council of State Queen Margrethe II
Legislature Løgtingið Parliament of the Faroe Islands (35th National Parliament) Speaker Páll á Reynatúgvu Members Folketinget Parliament of the Kingdom of Denmark (69th Kingdom Parliament) Speaker Pia Kjærsgaard Members
Judiciary Supreme Court President Poul Søgaard Courts
Elections Political parties Recent elections Kingdom: 2019 2015 2011 National: 2019 2015 2011 Referendums Alcohol (1907) Independence Alcohol (1973) Act of Succession
Administrative divisions Regions Municipalities Towns
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister: Jenis av Rana Diplomatic missions of / to the Faroes Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Arctic policy of the Kingdom Faroe Islands–European Union relations Politics of the European Union Arctic policy of the EU
Related topics Arctic Command Defence Command Politics of Denmark Politics of Greenland Unitarism Home rule
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The Faroe Islands are administratively divided in 29 municipalities (kommunur), with about 120 cities and villages. Until December 31, 2008, there were 34 municipalities, and until December 31, 2004, there were 48 municipalities. In the coming years the number of Faroese municipalities is expected to drop to somewhere between 7 and 15, as there is currently a rationale towards municipal amalgamation and a decentralization of public services. In 1998 it was suggested that no municipality should have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, but whether this will be true is a political question. The Faroese government has furthermore decided not to conduct forced, top-down amalgamation, but to leave the process to the free will of the municipalities. In many small municipalities there is some resistance to the amalgamation process, and as a result two kinds of municipalities are being created: large municipalities (town-municipalities) that are eager to attract smaller municipalities into amalgamation, and small municipalities which are either trying to avoid amalgamation or seek to amalgamate with other small municipalities. The geographically large Sunda municipality is an example of this. The larger municipalities are organized in Kommunusamskipan Føroya (KFS) and the smaller are organized in Føroya Kommunufelag (FKF).

List of municipalities

As of June 1, 2019, there were 29 municipalities in the Faroe Islands.

History

• On 1 January 2017 (30 municipalities reduced to 29):
  • Húsar fused with Klaksvík
• On 1 January 2009 (34 municipalities reduced to 30):
  • Funningur fused with Runavík.
  • Gøta and Leirvík fused into Eystur.
  • Miðvágur and Sandavágur fused into Vágar.
  • Svínoy fused with Klaksvík.
• On 1 January 2005 (38 municipalities reduced to 34):
  • Elduvík, Oyndarfjørður and Skála fused with Runavík.
  • Gjógv, Haldarsvík, Hósvík, Hvalvík and Saksun fused with Sunda municipality.
  • Hestur, Kirkjubøur and Nólsoy fused with Tórshavn.
  • Mikladalur fused with Klaksvík.
  • Mykines fused with Sørvágur.
• On 1 January 1997
  • Argir and Kaldbak fused with Tórshavn.
• On 1 August 1948
  • Funningur split into Funningur and Gjógv.