Instead, a compromise was made and the Folketing passed a home-rule law that went into effect in 1948. Other forms of education comprise adult education and music schools. Until the 15th century, Faroese had a similar orthography to Icelandic and Norwegian, but after the Reformation in 1538, the ruling Norwegians outlawed its use in schools, churches and official documents. However the draft has been declared by the former Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, as incompatible with Denmark's constitution and if the Faroese political parties wish to continue with it, then they must declare independence. There are several charismatic churches around the islands, the largest of which, called Keldan (The Spring), has about 200 to 300 members. [81] By June 2008 unemployment had declined to 1.1%, before rising to 3.4% in early 2009. The Faroese population is spread across most of the area; it was not until recent decades that significant urbanisation occurred. This was the first time that the Faroese people had been asked whether they favoured independence or wanted to continue within the Danish kingdom. When the union between Denmark and Norway dissolved as a result of the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, Denmark retained possession of the Faroe Islands; Norway itself was joined in a union with Sweden. The Danish language was also encouraged at the expense of Faroese. [20] Early in the eleventh century, Sigmundur Brestisson (961–1005) – whose clan had flourished in the southern islands before invaders from the northern islands almost exterminated it – escaped to Norway. The G! The parliament currently has 33 members.[41]. Havnar Jazzfelag was established 21 November 1975, and is still active. This means that all poems and stories were handed down orally. Many young people study and move abroad, and this helps them maintain cultural links with their specific Faroese heritage. [53] The Government of Denmark officially supports new membership of the EFTA with effect for the Faroe Islands. The introduction of Burger King in Tórshavn was widely publicized as a sign of the globalization of Faroese culture. Women wear embroidered silk, cotton or wool shawls and pinafores that can take months to weave or embroider with local flora and fauna. The Faroe Islands are an island group consisting of 18 major islands (and a total of 779 islands, islets, and skerries) about 655 kilometres (407 mi) off the coast of Northern Europe, between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Iceland and Norway, the closest neighbours being the Northern Isles and the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Participation in churches is more prevalent among the Faroese population than among most other Scandinavians. Young Faroese musicians who have gained much popularity recently are Eivør Pálsdóttir, Anna Katrin Egilstrøð, Lena (Lena Andersen), Høgni Reistrup, Høgni Lisberg, HEIÐRIK (Heiðrik á Heygum), Guðrið Hansdóttir and Brandur Enni. The only Faroese writer who writes in Faroese who has won the prize is the poet Rói Patursson (born 1947), who won the prize in 1986 for Líkasum. 2006. [67], Compulsory education consists of seven years of primary education and two years of lower secondary education; it is public, free of charge, provided by the respective municipalities, and is called the Fólkaskúli in Faroese. [110] Animal rights groups, such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, criticize it as being cruel and unnecessary, since it is no longer necessary as a food source for the Faroese people. [79] Since there is no medical school in the Faroe Islands, all medical students have to study abroad; as of 2013[update], out of a total of 96 medical students, 76 studied in Denmark, 19 in Poland, and 1 in Hungary. In the late 1820s, the Christian Evangelical religious movement, the Plymouth Brethren, was established in England. As regional development has been difficult on the administrative level, the government has instead invested heavily in infrastructure, interconnecting the regions. Education is compulsory for 9 years between the ages of 7 and 16. [70][72][73] In 2012 the public spending on education was 8.1% of GDP. The Faroes have associate membership in the Nordic Council but have expressed wishes for full membership.[45]. The first element, før, may reflect an Old Norse word fær (sheep), although this analysis is sometimes disputed because Faroese now uses the word seyður (from Old Norse sauðr) to mean "sheep". [44], The Faroe Islands are not a fully independent country, but they do have political relations directly with other countries through agreement with Denmark. Norsemen settled the islands c. 800, bringing Old West Norse, which evolved into the modern Faroese language. The first Faroese opera was by Sunleif Rasmussen. [104] Whaling in the Faroe Islands is regulated by Faroese authorities but not by the International Whaling Commission as there are disagreements about the commission's legal authority to regulate cetacean hunts. The outfit is held together by a row of solid silver buttons, silver chains and locally-made silver brooches and belt buckles, often fashioned with Viking style motifs. Chart and table of Faroe Islands population from 1950 to 2020. Nonetheless, in 2008 the Faroes were able to make a $52 million loan to Iceland to help with that country's banking woes. However, it never exceeded 5,000 until the 19th century. It is worn at weddings and traditional dancing events, and on feast days. [80], Economic troubles caused by a collapse of the Faroese fishing industry in the early 1990s brought high unemployment rates of 10 to 15% by the mid-1990s. The traditional Faroese national dress is also a local handicraft that people spend a lot of time, money, and effort to assemble. The minority of the Løgting left in protest, because they thought these actions were illegal. In recent decades, the village-based social structure has nevertheless been placed under pressure, giving way to a rise in interconnected "centres" that are better able to provide goods and services than the badly connected periphery.