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Index

Geography

Thr Faroe Islands consist of 18 islands with a total area of around 875sq.miles (1400 sq.km) lying some 175 miles (275 Km) north of Scotland, 375 miles (600Km)west of Norway and 250 miles (400 Km) south east of Iceland.

The islands can be divided into 4 separate areas. The two main islands are Eysturoy and Streymoy. Tórshavn, literally 'Thor's harbour' after the god Þór who took in settlers escaping the wrath of Oðinn in Norway, is the capital and lies at the southern end of Streymoy. Around the base of Streymoy are the small islands of Hestur, Koltur and Nólsoy. The second area comprises the two islands west of Streymoy, Vágar, which is the only island in the Faroes flat enough to build the airport, and Mykines the most westerly island in the group which is famous for the abundance of birdlife. The third group lies to the north east of Eysturoy, comprising the rocky islands of Kalsoy, Kunoy, Borðoy, Viðoy, Svínoy and Fugloy. The second largest centre of population, Klaksvík, lies on the island of Borðoy, but the rest of these islands are somewhat off the beaten track. The fourth group comprises the southern islands of Suðuroy, Sandoy, Skúvoy, Stóra Dímun and Lítla Dímun. Lítla Dímun is the only uninhabited island in the group as the only access is by helicopter due to the high cliffs.

Geology

Legend has it that when the Earth was created the man in charge cleaned his finger nails and what came out was dropped into the Atlantic Ocean creating the Faroe Islands. The islands are part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge formed volcanically when Europe, North America and Greenland separated. Other notable parts of the ridge in the area are County Antrim in Northern Ireland, the Westfjords of Iceland and parts of Western Scotland. The rock strata is derived from four distinct periods of vulcanism producing basalt type rocks interspersed with periods of volcanic inactivity. In between two of the layers small seams of coal have been found, suggesting life forms in those periods. during the Ice Age the Faroes and the whole of the continental shelf was covered in ice. When the icecap receded the remnants gouged out the cirques, valleys and fjords which are a characteristic of the islands today. The landscape is a series of mountain ridges separasted by cirques. The strata of the Faroes tends to dip towards the south east, therefore the cliffs in the north and west are higher reaching up to 475 feet at Enniberg on the island of Viðoy, whereas the southern islands have gently sloping coastlines.

History

The Faroes were uninhabited until they were discovered, possibly by St.Brendan, in the 6th century, although it is not known if they landed. It is known they discovered two islands several days sailing north from Scotland which they called the Island of Sheep and Paradise of Birds. One can speculate if the Island of Sheep is somewhere in the Faroes as the name Føroyar comes from faar oy meaning islands of sheep. Paradise of Birds could mean Mykines, which has an unusually high avian population.

The first settlers were probably Irish monks. It is very likely they were responsible for the flocks of sheep found by the Norsemen when they arrived in the 9th century who called the islands Føroyar. They arrived from the Orkneys and Southern Norway seeking an independant country which they could live peacefully as they were not the archetypical type of Viking but farmers. Very little is known about this period in history as very little was recorded. The Færinga Saga was written in the 13th century which reported that Christianity was accepted around 1000 and around 1035 the islands became a part of Norway. The government lay in the hands of the Althing, equivalent to the Icelandic Alþing, which remained in force until 1380. Under the Union of Kalmar Norway was joined to Denmark, the Faroes became a Danish province. The Alting remained with little power and the parliament renamed Løgting. In the middle of the 13th century The Hanseatic League was formed by a number of German cities but Norwegian regulations banned them from entering Scandinavia, but in 1361 Norway realised it was powerless to resist economic encroachment from the south which benefitted the region for the next 200 years.

In 1535 King Christian III of Denmark granted Thomas Kröppen of Hamburg exclusive trading rights in the Faroes, which lasted for 300 years. At the same time Denmark introduced the Lutherian church to the country to 'release the country from Catholicism'. These events tightened Denmarks grip on the Faroes. during the nineteenth century, Denmark was increasingly dominant over the islands. The Løgting had remained a link with independance but in 1816 was abolished, the Faroese language was discouraged to be replaced by Danish and in 1849 Denmark officially incorporated the Faroes into Denmark. In 1852 Løgting was re-established as a local council with a view to independance in the future.

In 1890, after a period of economic prosperity, the islanders started to look towards home rule again. In the early part of the twentieth century the economy expanded to take in fishing as well as the farming industries and as the islands were Danish the fishermen were granted fishing rights throughout the Danish regions. During the Second World War the British occupied the islands and with Denmark being occupied resulted in the Løgting being upgraded to a legislative body. In 1948 the Faroes became a self-governing community within the Kingdom of Denmark. When Denmark joined the EEC, the Faroes refused to follow. The islands now have their own flag and issue their own stamps and banknotes. In the late 1980s, the Faroes enjoyed the world's highest standard of living, howver 2 or 3 years later the was a disastrous decline in fish stocks representing 96% of the islands export economy. The government had to rely on Denmark to bail them out, and together with an austerity program means that the economy is recovering.

Birds of The Faroes

    Curlew                     Oystercatcher                      Snipe     

Faroese stamps featuring Gannet, Puffin and Bridled Guillemot.

The bird population of the Faroes is probably the densest of the world. This is due to the amount of plankton available, thereby increasing the amount of fish and other marine life. There are 49 species which breed regularly and up to 30 occasional breeders. Common breeding seabirds include Puffin, Razorbill, Guillemot, Fulmar, Great Skua, Gannets, Cormorants and Kittiwake. Inland can be found Eider Ducks, Golden Plover, Snipe, Curlew as well as the Faroese national bird the Oystercatcher or Tjaldur

Sealife of The Faroes

The seas around the Faroes teem with marine life. Cetaceans are common, large schools of Pilot Whales occur as well as Bottlenose,Fin and Killer whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. The only seal that occurs is the Grey Seal. The fish comprise Halibut, Sand Eel, Redfish, Haddock, Lemon Sole, Blue Whiting, Lobster and Scallops. A small number of cod are also present.

Faroes Island Links

Faroe Island Information.

  Bird Cliffs of the Faroes.

  Faroe Island Tourism.

  Faroe Island Travel.

  Føroyar.

  Jeff's Faroe Island Stamps.

  Postverk Føroya.