Faroe Islands a reaction to the growing self-government and independence movements, Denmark finally granted the Faroe Islands home-rule with a high degree of local autonomy on 30 March 1948. In 1973 the Faroe Islands declined to join Denmark in entering the European Economic Community (later absorbed into the European Union). The islands experienced considerable economic difficulties following the collapse of the fishing industry in the early 1990s, but have since made efforts to diversify the economy. Support for independence has grown and is the objective of the Republican Party. The Faroe Islands are an island group consisting of 18 major islands (and
Flora of the Faroe Islands Flora of the Faroe Islands The flora of the Faroe Islands consists of over 400 different plant species. Most of the lowland area is grassland and some is heather mainly "Calluna vulgaris". The Faroese nature is characterized by the lack of trees, and resembles that of Connemara and Dingle in Ireland. Among the numerous herbaceous flora that occur in the Faroe Islands is the marsh thistle, "Cirsium palustre". There are no native forests in the Faroe Islands, and only a few woody plants occur. Findings of "Betula pubescens" trunks and branches in the soil, dated to c. 2300 BC, and