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
University of the Faroe Islands aquaculture. University of the Faroe Islands The University of the Faroe Islands () is a state-run university located in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands. It consists of two faculties: the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education and the Faculty of Natural and Health Sciences. The university offers bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D.'s in both faculties. The student body is small, having almost 600 students. The university organizes an annual dissertation competition open to all students. The educational language of the university is Faroese, making it the only university in the world to conduct classes officially in that language.