List of municipalities of the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are administratively divided in 30 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 kommuna is an example of this. The larger municipalities are organized in Kommunusamskipan Føroya (KFS) and the smaller are organized in Føroya Kommunufelag (FKF).

30 municipalities (since 2009)

Municipalities of the Faroe Islands since 2009

As of January 1, 2009, there are 30 municipalities:

Municipality	Population	Inhabitants per km²	Area (in km²)	Markatal	Island(s)	Region
Tórshavn	19,339	112	173	327	Streymoy, Nólsoy, Hestur, Koltur	Tórshavn
Klaksvík	4,938	44	113		Borðoy, Svínoy, Kalsoy	Klaksvík
Runavík	3,753	39	96		Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Eystur	1,939	46	42		Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Vágar	1,897	18	108		Vágar	Vágar
Tvøroyri	1,819	42	43	60	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Fuglafjørður	1,584	70	23	32	Eysturoy	Northern Eysturoy
Sunda	1,564	10	158	152	Eysturoy, Streymoy	Northern Eysturoy and Northern Streymoy
Vágur	1,402	67	21	61	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Nes	1,238	88	14	40	Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Vestmanna	1,234	24	52	56	Streymoy	Streymoy
Sørvágur	1,071	13	84	124	Vágar, Mykines	Vágar
Sjóvar	1,027	31	33	70	Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Hvalba	765	19	40	99	Suðuroy, Lítla Dímun	Suðuroy
Eiði	705	19	37	49	Eysturoy	Northern Eysturoy
Kvívík	615	13	49	75	Streymoy	Streymoy
Sandur	586	12	48	97	Sandoy	Sandoy
Skopun	507	56	9	0	Sandoy	Sandoy
Hvannasund	441	13	33	38	Viðoy and Borðoy	Klaksvík
Sumba	383	15	25	64	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Viðareiði	339	11	30	48	Viðoy	Norðoyggjar
Porkeri	333	24	14	37	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Skálavík	183	6	29	24	Sandoy	Sandoy
Kunoy	157	4	35	65	Kunoy	Norðoyggjar
Húsavík	131	5	26	66	Sandoy	Sandoy
Hov	125	12	10	24	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Fámjin	113	9	13	24	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Húsar	61	4	16	41	Kalsoy	Norðoyggjar
Skúvoy	57	4	13	73	Skúvoy, Stóra Dímun	Sandoy
Fugloy	44	4	11	14	Fugloy	Norðoyggjar

History

Municipalities from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2008

• On 1 January 2009 (34 municipalities reduced to 30):
  • Funningur fused with Runavík.
  • Gøta and Leirvík fused into Eysturkommuna.
  • 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 kommuna.
  • 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.

Notes

^ Hagstova Føroya - informations from 2007.
^ Tórshavn is both the capital of the Streymoy region and its own region, the latter being identical with Tórshavnar kommuna, but not including the area of the former Kollafjarðar kommuna.
^ Klaksvík both capital of the Norðoyggjar region as well of its own region, which constitute of the two municipalities Klaksvík and Hvannasund.

See also

• List of towns in the Faroe Islands
• Regions of the Faroe Islands
• List of islands of the Faroe Islands
• Subdivisions of Norden
• Politics of the Faroe Islands

References

• Hagstova Føroya - Municipalities by size and width, population growth and density, age and sex - December 31, 2002 (in PDF)