Faroe Islands
The Forgotten Nordic Country
Roughly equidistant between Norway, Iceland and Scotland lie the windswept Faroe Islands (Faroese: Føroyar), an archipelago of 18 major and 12 minor islands surrounded by the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Treeless, remote and beautiful, the Faroe Islands have often been forgotten when travellers consider more famous destinations such as nearby Iceland. However the Faroe Islands possess an allure all their own, where the restless sea and jagged cliffs meet the moody sky, underlain by a warm core of Nordic hospitality. From exquisite seafood and snuggly local woollens through to breathtaking hikes among pyramidal mountain peaks, any traveller can find something to excite them on these rarely-visited islands.
The Faroe Islands are home to only 55,000 people, a third of whom live in the capital, Tórshavn, which is built around the Tinganes peninsula where the first Thing (parliament) was held over a thousand years ago. Although a tiny country, the Faroe Islands punch well above their weight internationally. The Faroe Islands are a regular participant in the Island Games, and won the competition in 2009 – football, handball and swimming are the sports of choice, although traditional sports such as rowing (kappróður) remain popular. The Faroes are also a cultural powerhouse, with a vast body of literature published in Faroese and other languages, as well as singers such as Eivør who are internationally famous.
Area of the Faroe Islands
- 1,399 km²
Population of the Faroe Islands
- 54,885
Why Travel to The Faroe Islands?
A Birder's Paradise
The many steep sea cliffs of the islands provide the ideal habitat for nesting seabirds. Puffins, gannets, fulmars and a huge variety of other birds (110 recorded species) can be found here. Occasionally, much more exotic birds can be blown to the islands such as the black browed albatross (normally found in the Southern Ocean) which nested on the island of Mykines for over thirty years. Lacking a word for albatross, the locals christened it the súlukongur – ‘gannet king’.
Nobel Pursuits
The Faroe Islands maintain the country with the most Nobel Prize winners per capita – one winner in a population of barely over 50,000 people. Islander Niels Ryberg Finsen won the Nobel Prize for Physiology in 1903 for his work on phototherapy – the first Scandinavian to do so.
The Football Islands
The Faroe Islands are undeniably football-crazy! The Faroese football team exploded onto the international stage with a 1-0 victory against Austria in 1992 and, unlike neighbouring (and equally football-loving) Greenland, are full members of FIFA and UEFA, and almost every village has a carefully tended pitch. Star goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen is the only islander to have played in the English Premier League; he most recently played for Icelandic champions FH.
Isles of Wool
Sheep are by far the most populous livestock on the islands, with around 20,000 more sheep than people. The wool and meat from these animals remains a vital part of the islands’ culture. There is no slaughterhouse on the islands, and therefore the meat is not exported, and is entirely consumed and traded locally. The harsh climate makes for very warm wool, and snuggly woollen clothing is a popular souvenir from the Islands.
In Tune with Nature
The Faroe Islands are treeless and almost entirely covered in grass, but that’s not the only thing green about the Islands. Slightly over half the islands’ energy comes from renewable sources (mostly hydroelectric with some wind power). By 2030, the Faroe Islands aim to use entirely renewable energy. The grass is still useful however, providing naturally insulating roofs for many homes – when it needs trimming, usually the local flock of sheep are enlisted!
Map of The Faroe Islands
Formed by Fire, Sea and Ice – the Geography of the Faroe Islands
Consisting of a rugged collection of 18 major islands (17 of which are inhabited), Faroese geography is challenging to say the least – sharp grassy mountains of pure basalt dominate the landscape, indented with deep fjords and narrow straits. Geologically, the Faroe Islands are very young, having formed as a large volcanic island around 60 million years ago during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean – a process which can still be observed in Iceland today. Countless layers of lava spewed onto the landscape, forming the layered lava flows which can be seen throughout the islands.
Volcanic activity ceased as plate tectonic activity pulled the islands away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and around 2.5 million years ago as Earth began to cool dramatically, the islands became covered by glaciers. As these rivers of ice expanded and receded, they carved out the current shape of the islands; the sharp pyramidal mountain peaks once protruded through the ice, and the long deep fjords once carried glaciers down to the sea.
The Forgotten Viking Nation – the History of the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands were one of the last landmasses to be discovered by humans. The fragmentary Færeyinga Saga describes the arrival of the Norse to the islands during the reign of king Harald Fairhair (around 900AD). However archeological evidence shows that sheep and barley (which could only have arrived on the islands with human assistance) were present on the islands by roughly the year 500AD, during a period when early Irish Christians (such as the legendary St Brendan) were exploring their surrounding seas – similar evidence of pre-Norse Celtic presence can also be found on Iceland. Irish monk Dicuil wrote in the 9th Century that Norwegian pirates had driven away the monks, heralding the age of the Norse on the Faroe Islands.
The Norse settlers fleeing political upheaval on the Scandinavian mainland found a rugged landscape with no wood (vital to the Norse seafaring way of life) and few other natural resources. However, their newfound political freedom led to the establishment of the Alþing (All-Council) on the Tinganes Peninsula, around which the city of Tórshavn would grow. The Faroese parliament (Løgting) remains one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. It is believed that the modern Faroese population derives from a mixture of Norse and (some unwilling) Gaelic settlers, and some words of Irish origin still survive in the Faroese language.
The Faroe Islands have been poor and isolated for much of their history, with an economy heavily reliant on fishing and sheep-rearing, subject to a Danish trade monopoly. However the Second World War brought huge change to the islands. Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, and the islands were pre-emptively invaded by British forces, who maintained a presence there throughout the war, allowing self-governance of the islands now cut off from Danish political control. After this taste of freedom, the islands gained home rule in 1948, and today constitute a country (along with Greenland and the Danish mainland) within the Kingdom of Denmark. The Faroe Islands today maintain some of the highest living standards and GDP on Earth, with an economy heavily based on fishing, shipping and tourism.
The Wildlife of The Faroe Islands
Like nearby Scotland and Iceland, the wildlife of the Faroe Islands has been dominated by human activity for more than a thousand years. Archaeological evidence suggests that sheep were brought by Celtic colonists around 1500 years ago, dramatically altering the ecology of the land. Isolated from the European mainland by vast spans of ocean, the islands have no native land mammals, only those introduced by humans. Therefore the islands’ fauna is dominated by marine species, especially the vast numbers of seabirds which nest on the cliffs, as well as migratory species which rest on the islands. The marine environment is also incredibly rich – grey seals are common on the islands, as well as a variety of cetaceans.
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The Climate of the Faroe Islands
The Faroese climate is dominated by the surrounding North Atlantic. Heavy rain and frequent storms are common features of the islands’ climate, and the powerful wind is ever-present. Even far inland, locals regularly wash salt off their windows, and the constant sea spray, grazing by sheep and brutal wind means that trees cannot grow. This oceanic climate means that still warm days are rare on the islands, but also that winters here are surprisingly mild, despite the islands’ position well beyond 60°N. Indeed the average winter temperature of 3°C (37.4°F) is the highest in the Nordic Countries.
| Tórshavn | AVERAGE HIGH | AVERAGE LOW | PRECIPITATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43.2°F (6.2°C) | 35.8°F (2.1°C) | 6.7 in (167 mm) |
| February | 42.8°F (6°C) | 34.9°F (1.6°C) | 5.2 in (131 mm) |
| March | 43.5°F (6.4°C) | 35.6°F (2°C) | 5.1 in (130 mm) |
| April | 45.7°F (7.6°C) | 37.8°F (3.2°C) | 3.8 in (95 mm) |
| May | 48.7°F (9.3°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 2.7 in (70 mm) |
| June | 52.3°F (11.3°C) | 45.1°F (7.3°C) | 2.5 in (63 mm) |
| July | 55.2°F (12.9°C) | 48.4°F (9.1°C) | 2.8 in (71 mm) |
| August | 55.9°F (13.3°C) | 48.7°F (9.3°C) | 3.7 in (93 mm) |
| September | 53.4°F (11.9°C) | 46.6°F (8.1°C) | 4.7 in (118 mm) |
| October | 49.3°F (9.6°C) | 42.3°F (5.7°C) | 5.8 in (147 mm) |
| November | 45.7°F (7.6°C) | 38.5°F (3.6°C) | 6.1 in (155 mm) |
| December | 43.7°F (6.5°C) | 36°F (2.2°C) | 6.2 in (157 mm) |
