Faroe Islands

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"Faeroes" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Fårö or Fair Isle.


Faroe Islands
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Tú alfagra land mítt
Thou, my most beauteous land
Location of the Faroe Islands (circled) in Northern Europe
Location of the Faroe Islands (circled) in Northern Europe
Location of the Kingdom of Denmark: the Faroe Islands (circled), Greenland and Denmark
and largest city
Official languages
Religion Church of the Faroe Islands
Demonym Faroese
Sovereign state  Kingdom of Denmark
Government Devolved government within parliamentary constitutional monarchy
 -  Monarch Queen Margrethe II
 -  High Commissioner Dan Michael Knudsen
 -  Prime Minister Kaj Leo Johannesen
Legislature Løgting
 -  Unified with Norway[a] c. 1035 
 -  Treaty of Kiel
(ceded to Denmark)[b]
14 January 1814 
 -  Gained home rule 1 April 1948 
 -  Further autonomy 29 July 2005[2] 
 -  Total 1,399 km2 (180th)
540 sq mi
 -  Water (%) 0.5
 -  July 2013 estimate 49,709[3] (206th)
 -  2011 census 48,351[4]
 -  Density 35.5/km2
91/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
 -  Total $1.642 billion
 -  Per capita $33,700
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
 -  Total $2.45 billion
 -  Per capita $50,300
HDI (2008) 0.950[5]
very high
Currency Faroese króna[c] (DKK)
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 -  Summer (DST) WEST (UTC+1)
Drives on the right
Calling code +298
ISO 3166 code FO
Internet TLD .fo
b. ^ The Faeroes, Greenland and Iceland were Norwegian possessions until 1814, as Norway was united with Denmark.

The Faroe Islands (/ˈfɛər/; Faroese: Føroyar pronounced [ˈfœɹjaɹ]; Danish: Færøerne, pronounced [ˈfæɐ̯øːˀɐnə]; Norwegian Bokmål: Færøyene) are an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometres (200 mi) north-northwest of Great Britain. The area is approximately 1,400 km2 (540 sq mi) with a 2015 population of 48,700. The islands are an autonomous country within the Danish kingdom.[6][7]

Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroe Islands were part of the Kingdom of Norway. The 1814 Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the islands, along with two other Norwegian regions: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Danish Realm since 1948. The Faroese have control of most domestic matters; areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, police, justice, currency and foreign affairs.[8] The Faroe Islands have representation in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation.


In Danish, the name Færøerne may reflect an Old Norse word fær (sheep). The morpheme øerne represents a plural (with definite article) of ø (island) in Danish. The Danish name thus translates as "the islands of sheep".

In Faroese, the name appears as Føroyar. Oyar represents the plural of oy, older Faroese for "island", the modern Faroese word for island is oyggj.

In English, the name is sometimes spelled "Faeroe".[9][10]


Archaeological evidence shows settlers living on the Faroe Islands in two successive periods prior to the arrival of the Norse, the first between 400 and 600 AD and the second between 600 and 800 AD.[11] Scientists from Aberdeen University have also found early cereal pollen from domesticated plants, which further suggests people may have lived on the islands before the Vikings arrived.[12] Archaeologist Mike Church noted that Dicuil (see below) mentioned what may have been the Faroes. He also suggested that the people living there might have been from Ireland, Scotland or Scandinavia, with possibly groups from all three areas settling there.[13]

A Latin account of a voyage made by Saint Brendan, an Irish monastic saint who lived around 484–578, includes a description of "insulae" (islands) resembling the Faroe Islands. This association, however, is far from conclusive in its description.[14]

Dicuil, an Irish monk of the early 9th century, wrote a more definite account. In his geographical work De menura orbis terrae he claimed he had reliable information of heremitae ex nostra Scotia ("hermits from our land of Ireland") who had lived on the northerly islands of Britain for almost a hundred years until the arrival of Norse pirates.[15]




According to the Færeyinga saga, more emigrants left Norway who did not approve of the monarchy of Harald I of Norway (ruled c. 872 to 930). These people settled the Faroes around the end of the 9th century.[16] Early in the 11th century, Sigmundur Brestirson (961-1005) – whose clan had flourished in the southern islands before invaders from the northern islands almost exterminated it – escaped to Norway. He was sent back to take possession of the islands for Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway from 995 to 1000. Sigmundur introduced Christianity, forcing Tróndur í Gøtu to convert or face beheading and, though Sigmundur was subsequently murdered, Norwegian taxation was upheld. Norwegian control of the Faroes continued until 1814, although, when Norway entered the Kalmar Union with Denmark, it gradually resulted in Danish control of the islands. The Reformation reached the Faroes in 1538. 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.


On 12 April 1940 British troops invaded the Faroes. The move was meant to counterbalance the invasion of Denmark by Germany on 9 April 1940, and had the objective of strengthening British control of the North Atlantic (see Battle of the Atlantic). In 1942–1943 the British Royal Engineers built the only airport in the Faroes, Vágar Airport. Control of the islands reverted to Denmark following the war, but in 1948 home-rule was introduced, with a high degree of local autonomy. In 1973 the Faroe Islands declined to join Denmark in entering the European Community (now 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.

Politics and government




Relationship with Denmark






Relationship with the European Union


Relationship with international organisations


The Faroe Islands are a member of several international sports federations like UEFA, FIFA in football[21] and FINA in swimming[22] and EHF in handball[23] and have their own national teams. The Faroe Islands have their own telephone country code, Internet country code top-level domain, banking code and postal country code.

The Faroe Islands make their own agreements with other countries regarding commercial treaties. When the EU-embargo against Russia started in 2014, the Faroe Islands were not a part of the embargo because they are not a part of EU, and the islands had just them selves experienced a year of embargo from the EU including Denmark against the islands; the Faroese prime minister Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen went to Moscow to negoatiate the trade between the two countries.[7] The Faroese minister of fisheries makes the negotiations with the EU and other counties regarding the rights to fish.[24]

Regions and municipalities

Relief map of the Faroe Islands.


Traditionally, there are also the six sýslur (similar to the British "shire": Norðoyggjar, Eysturoy, Streymoy, Vágar, Sandoy and Suðuroy). Although today sýsla technically means "police district", the term is still commonly used to indicate a geographical region. In earlier times, each sýsla had its own assembly, the so-called várting ("spring assembly").


NASA satellite image of the Faroe Islands.





The southernmost island of Suðuroy.
Skipanes on Eysturoy. Note the different weather in the distance.

Distances to nearest countries and islands


An October evening on Eysturoy.


The registration of meteorologic data on the Faroe Islands started in 1867.[28]

The following table is for the capital Tórshavn.

Record high °C (°F) 11.6
Average high °C (°F) 5.8
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.0
Average low °C (°F) 1.7
Record low °C (°F) −8.8
Average precipitation mm (inches) 157.7
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 22 17 21 16 13 12 13 13 18 22 21 22 210
Avg. relative humidity (%) 90 89 89 87 88 88 90 90 90 90 89 90 89.2
Source #1: Danish Meteorological Institute[29]
Source #2: NOAA (sun, humidity and precipitation days 1961–1990)[30][31]









The bird fauna of the Faroe Islands is dominated by seabirds and birds attracted to open land like heather, probably because of the lack of woodland and other suitable habitats. Many species have developed special Faroese sub-species: common eider, European starling, winter wren, common guillemot, and black guillemot.[33] The pied raven was endemic to the Faroe Islands, but has now become extinct.


Only a few species of wild land mammals are found in the Faroe Islands today, all introduced by humans. Three species are thriving on the islands today: mountain hare (Lepus timidus), brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the house mouse (Mus musculus). Apart from these, there once was a local domestic sheep breed called Faroes (depicted on the coat of arms), a variety of feral sheep survived on Little Dímun until the mid-19th century.[34]

Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are common around the shorelines.[citation needed] Several species of cetacean live in the waters around the Faroe Islands. Best known are the long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melaena), which are still hunted by the islanders in accordance with longstanding local tradition.[35] Rare killer whales (Orcinus orca) sometimes visit the Faroese fjords.

Faroese sheep

Domestic animals


Natural history and biology




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.[36] Unemployment decreased in the later 1990s, down to about 6% at the end of 1998.[36] By June 2008 unemployment had declined to 1.1%, before rising to 3.4% in early 2009.[36] In December 2014[37] the unemployment was 3.2%. Nevertheless, the almost total dependence on fishing and fish farming means that the economy remains vulnerable. Petroleum found close to the Faroese area gives hope for deposits in the immediate area, which may provide a basis for sustained economic prosperity.[38]

13% of the Faroe Islands' national income comes as economic aid from Denmark.[39] This corresponds to roughly 5% of GDP.[40]






Because of the rocky terrain in the Faroe Islands, its road transport system was not as extensive as in other places of the world. This situation has now changed, and the infrastructure has been developed extensively. Some 80 percent of the population of the islands is connected by tunnels through the mountains and between the islands, bridges and causeways that link the three largest islands and three other larger and smaller islands to the northeast together. While the other two large islands to the south of the main area, Sandoy and Suðuroy, are connected to the main area with fast ferries, the small islands Koltur and Stóra Dímun have no ferry connection, only helicopter service. Other small islands—Mykines in the west, Kalsoy, Svínoy and Fugloy in the north, Hestur west of Streymoy, and Nólsoy east of Tórshavn—have smaller ferries and some of these islands even have helicopter service. In February 2014 all the political parties of the Løgting agreed on making two subsea tunnels, one between Streymoy and Eysturoy (Eysturoyartunnilin) and one between Streymoy and Sandoy (Sandoyartunnilin). The plan is that both tunnels should open in 2021 and they will not be private.[43]


The vast majority of the population are ethnic Faroese, of Norse and Scottish descent.[44]

Recent DNA analyses have revealed that Y chromosomes, tracing male descent, are 87% Scandinavian.[45] The studies show that mitochondrial DNA, tracing female descent, is 84% Scottish.[46]

The fertility rate of the Faroe Islands is currently one of the highest in Europe.[47] The fertility rate is 2.49 children born per woman (2013 est.).[48]

In 2011 the Faroese government took a census called Manntal of the Faroese population, where the whole population was asked various questions. The 2011 census shows that of the approximately 48,600 inhabitants of the Faroe Islands (17,441 private households in 2011), 43,135 were born in the Faroe Islands, 3597 were born in the other two countries of the Kingdom of Denmark (Denmark or Greenland), and 1,614 were born outside the Kingdom of Denmark. People were also asked about their nationality, including Faroese. Children under 15 were not asked about their nationality. 97% said that they were ethnic Faroese, which means that many of those who were born in either Denmark or Greenland consider themselves as ethnic Faroese. The other 3% of those older than 15 said they were not Faroese: 515 were Danish, 433 were from other European countries, 147 came from Asia, 65 from Africa, 55 from the Americas, 23 from Russia.[49] The Faroe Islands have people from 77 different nationalities.




Population trends (1327–2004)

Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1327 4,000 —    
1350 2,000 −50.0%
1769 4,773 +138.6%
1801 5,225 +9.5%
1834 6,928 +32.6%
1850 8,137 +17.5%
1880 11,220 +37.9%
1900 15,230 +35.7%
1925 22,835 +49.9%
1950 31,781 +39.2%
1975 40,441 +27.2%
1985 45,749 +13.1%
1995 43,358 −5.2%
2000 46,196 +6.5%
2006 48,219 +4.4%
2012 49,483 +2.6%
2013 49,709 +0.5%
2014 49,947 +0.5%



At the beginning of the 1990s, the Faroe Islands entered a deep economic crisis leading to heavy emigration; however, this trend reversed in subsequent years to a net immigration. This has been in the form of a population replacement as young Faroese women leave and are replaced with Asian/Pacific brides.[50] In 2011 there were 2,155 more men than women between the age of 0 to 59 in the Faroe Islands.[51]

Urbanisation and regionalisation













The annual Ólavsøka parade on 28 July.

Ólavsøka, is on 29 July, and commemorates the death of Saint Olaf. The celebrations are held in Tórshavn, starting on the evening of the 28th and continuing until the 31st. The 28 July is half working day for the members of some of the labour unions while Ólavsøkudagur (The Saint Olaf's Day) of 29 July is full holiday for most of the members of most of the unions,[52] but not all of them.[53]


Other celebrations are marked by different kinds of sports competitions, the rowing competition (in Tórshavn Harbour) being the most popular, art exhibitions, pop concerts, and the famous Faroese dance in Sjónleikarhúsið and on Vaglið outdoor after the midnight singing on 29 July (30 July when after midnight). The celebrations have many facets, and only a few are mentioned here.


The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands


Faroese literature

Main article: Faroese literature
Rasmus Rasmussen (writer who wrote the first novel in Faroese language, poetical name: Regin í Líð) and Símun av Skarði (poet, who wrote the Faroese national hymn).




The Faroe Islands have an active music scene, with live music being a regular part of the Islands' life and many Faroese being proficient at a number of instruments. Multiple Danish Music Award winner Teitur Lassen calls the Faroes home and is arguably the Islands' most internationally well-known musical export.


Young Faroese musicians who have gained much popularity recently are Eivør (Eivør Pálsdóttir), Anna Katrin Egilstrøð, Lena (Lena Andersen), Høgni Reistrup, Høgni Lisberg, HEIÐRIK (Heiðrik á Heygum), Guðrið Hansdóttir and Brandur Enni.



Traditional food

Main article: Faroese cuisine





Boats driving a pod of pilot whales into a bay of Suðuroy in 2012.

There are records of drive hunts in the islands dating from 1584.[65] It 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. Hundreds of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melaena) could be killed in a year, mainly during the summer. The hunts, called "grindadráp" in Faroese, are non-commercial and are organized on a community level; anyone can participate. When a whale pod by chance is spotted near land the participating hunters first surround the pilot whales with a wide semicircle of boats and then slowly and quietly begin to drive the whales towards the chosen authorised bay.[66] When a pod of whales has been stranded the killing is begun. Faroese animal welfare legislation, which also applies to whaling, requires that animals are killed as quickly and with as little suffering as possible. A regulation spinal lance is used to sever the spinal cord, which also severs the major blood supply to the brain, ensuring both loss of consciousness and death within seconds. The spinal lance has been introduced as preferred standard equipment for killing pilot whales and has been shown to reduce killing time to 1–2 seconds.[67] In recent years, two new items of equipment have been developed, formally approved and required as standard equipment. The latter being a blowhole hook used to secure the whales when stranded. The blow-hole hook is proven not to cause any injury prior to slaughter. Rope and manpower is used to drag the whales ashore.[68]

This "grindadráp" is legal and provides food for many people in the Faroe Islands.[69][70][71] However, a study has found whale meat and blubber to currently be contaminated and not recommended for human consumption, as too much may cause such adverse health effects as birth defects of the nervous system, high blood pressure, damaged immune system, increased risk for developing Parkinson's Disease, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and Type II Diabetes:


Most Faroese consider the hunt an important part of their culture and history. Animal-rights groups, such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, criticize it as being cruel and unnecessary, since it in their point of view is no longer necessary as a food source for the Faroese people, while the hunters claim in return that most journalists do not exhibit sufficient knowledge of the catch methods or its economic significance.

The sustainability of the Faroese pilot whale hunt has been discussed, but with a long-term average catch of around 800 pilot whales on the Faroe Islands a year the hunt is not considered to have a significant impact on the pilot whale population. There are an estimated 128,000 pilot whales in the Northeast Atlantic, and Faroese whaling is therefore widely recognized as a sustainable catch.[citation needed] Annual records of whale drives and strandings of pilot whales and other small cetaceans in the Faroes date back to 1584 and provide over 400 years of documentation, including statistics, and represents one of the most comprehensive historical records of wildlife utilization anywhere in the world.[73][74]


The Faroe Islands compete in the biennial Island Games, which were hosted by the islands in 1989. The Faroes won the Island Games in 2009. Ten football teams contest the Faroe Islands Premier League, currently ranked 51st by UEFA's League coefficient. The Faroe Islands are a full member of UEFA and the Faroe Islands national football team competes in the UEFA European Football Championship qualifiers. The country is also a full member of FIFA and therefore the Faroe Islands football team also competes in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The country won its first ever competitive match when the team defeated Austria 1–0 in a UEFA Euro 1990 qualifying. The nation's biggest success in football came in 2014 after defeating Greece 1–0, a result that was considered "the biggest shock of all time" in football[75] thanks to a 169-place distance between the teams in the FIFA World Rankings when the match was played. The team climbed 82 places to 105 on the FIFA ranking after the 1-0 win against Greece.[76] The team went on to defeat Greece again on June 13, 2015 by a score of 2-1. On 9 July 2015 the national football team of the Faroes climbed another 28 places up on the FIFA ranking.[77]

The Faroe Islands are a full member of FINA and compete under their own flag at World Championships, European Championships and World Cup events. The Faroese swimmer Pál Joensen (born 1990) won a bronze medal at the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)[78] and four silver medals at the European Championships (2010, 2013 and 2014),[79] all medals won in the men's longest and second longest distance the 1500 and 800 meter freestyle, short and long course. The Faroe Islands compete in the Paralympics and have won several gold, silver and bronze medals there. Two Faroese athletes have competed at the Olympics, but under Danish flag, since the Olympic Committee does not allow the Faroe Islands to compete under its own flag. The two Faroese who have competed are the swimmer Pál Joensen (2012) and the rower Katrin Olsen (2008). The Faroe Islands applied to the IOC for full Faroese membership in 1984, but as of 2015 the Faroe Islands are still not a member of the IOC. The Faroes have competed under their own flag at the European Junior Championship for several years, but in 2015 the championship was held at the 1st European Games in Baku, and the Faroe Islands were not allowed to compede under the Faroese flag, they were however allowed to compede under the FINA flag. The Faroese prime minister Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen had a meeting with the IOC president Thomas Bach in Lausanne on 21 May 2015 to discuss Faroese membership in the IOC.[80][81]




There has also been a great interest in Faroese jumpers from the TV series The Killing, where the popular main actress wears a different Faroese jumper for each series (two so far). This has greatly increased the profile of the Faroe Islands, particularly within the fashion industry, as jumpers are now sold in places such as Harrods.


Faroese national dress

Faroese folk dancers, some of them in national costume.

The traditional Faroese national dress is also a local handicraft that people spend a lot of time, money, and effort to assemble. This is worn at weddings, traditional dancing events, and on feast days. The cultural significance of the garment should not be under-estimated both as an expression of local and national identity and a passing on and re-enforcing of traditional skills that bind local communities together.






Public holidays

See also


  2. ^ "Den færøske selvstyreordning, about the Overtagelsesloven (Takeover Act)". Stm.dk. Retrieved 2014-03-14. 
  4. ^ Statistics Faroe Islands, accessed 2 December 2012.
  6. ^ Norden.org - Facts about the Faroe Islands
  10. ^ "Faeroe Islands". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 20 March 2015. 
  15. ^ "Chapter 7.2". Penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2014-03-14. 
  17. ^ "Tingmenn" (in Faroese). Logting.fo. Retrieved 2014-03-14. 
  18. ^ Denmark and Faroe Islands in constitutional clash, IceNews 6 July 2011
  19. ^ http://www.wsj.com/articles/faeroe-islands-boom-by-selling-salmon-to-russia-1424483776
  21. ^ fifa.com - Faroe Islands
  22. ^ fina.org FAR - Faroe Islands - Europe
  23. ^ Eurohandball.com
  24. ^ Europa.eu - Herring dispute between European Union and Faroe Islands nears end
  27. ^ GHCN Climate data, Thorshavn series 1881 to 2007
  30. ^ "TORSHAVN Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 15, 2012. 
  31. ^ "Sunshine data for Tórshavn 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 15, 2012. 
  33. ^ "The Faroese Fauna". Mundofree.com. Retrieved 25 August 2013. 
  40. ^ Hagstova.fo
  42. ^ Logting.fo
  43. ^ Johnsigurd Johannesen (2 February 2014). "Tunlarnir verða lidnir í 2021" (in Faroese). Kvf.fo. Retrieved 2014-03-14. 
  48. ^ "Faroe Islands in Figures 2014 - Hagstova Føroya" (PDF). Hagstova Føroya (Faroe Islands Statistics). June 2014. p. 34. Retrieved 3 February 2015. 
  51. ^ Rana, Danjal av (22 January 2015). "Fáið kvinnurnar heimaftur" (in Faroese). Sosialurin - in.fo. Retrieved 4 February 2015. 
  52. ^ Industry.fo, Frídagar um Ólavsøkuna
  53. ^ Nordlysid.fo
  56. ^ "Fiskimenn". Snar.fo. Retrieved 2014-03-14. 
  62. ^ "Guðrið Helmsdal". Ms.fo. Retrieved 2014-03-14. 
  64. ^ "Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs" (in Danish). Norden.org. Retrieved 2014-03-14. 
  66. ^ Whaling.fo
  67. ^ Whaling.fo
  72. ^ "Dietary recommendations regarding pilot whale meat and blubber in the Faroe Islands". 
  73. ^ Whaling.fo
  74. ^ Whaling.fo
  75. ^ John Ashdown (2014-11-19). "Is the Faroe Islands’ win over Greece the biggest shock of all time?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-12-10. 
  76. ^ scotsman.com - Faroe Islands jump 82 places in new FIFA rankings
  77. ^ in.fo - Føroyar framman fyri Finnland
  79. ^ politiken.dk
  80. ^ in.fo - Løgmaður á fund um olympiskan limaskap
  81. ^ arcticjournal.com - The Prime Minister to meet with the International Olympic Committee

Further reading

  • Irvine, David Edward Guthrie (1982). "Seaweed of the Faroes 1: The flora". Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. 10 (3): 109–131. 
  • Tittley, I.; Farnham, W.F.; Gray, P.W.G. (1982). "Seaweeds of the Faroes 2: Sheltered fjords and sounds". Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. 10: 133–151. 

External links
