Farøe Islands

(Local Name: Færøerne / Føroyar) Autonomous Island Group

Total area: 1,400sq.km/540sq.mi

Population: 48,000

Situation

The Farøe Island (Danish "Færøerne", Farøese "Forøyar"), meaning "Sheep Islands", is a group of 18 islands and several skerries which together form an autonomous part of Greater Denmark. They lie some 600km/373mi west of the Norwegian coast, in latitude 62° north.

The islands can be reached by air all the year round from Copenhagen, the airport being on the island of Vågar. In the summer months (June to August) there are ferries from Esbjerg and other Danish ports to TÓrshavn on the island of Streymoy. Topography and climate

The islands, of volcanic origin, are of basalt with a thin layer of tufa. They have steep rocky coasts and fjords which bite deep inland. The landscape consists chiefly of meadows, fen and heathland. Trees and bushes are found in only a few places. The animal life of the islands consists of birds (including puffins), fish, seals and whales. Many of the birds live on the rocky coasts.

As the islands lie within the sphere of the Gulf Stream precipitation is considerable; rain falls on 280 days a year and the annual rainfall totals 1,200-1,700mm/47-66in. The oceanic climate means that summers are cool (11°C/52°F) and winters relatively mild (3°C/47°F). The influence of the Gulf Stream ensures that the sea temperature in summer and winter varies little and the sea remains free of ice.

History

The Faroes were settled from the 7th C. by Irish monks but were conquered around 800 by Norwegian Vikings and from 1035 onwards they belonged to Norway. In 1380 both Norway and the Faroes came into the possession of Denmark. After the break-up of the union between Norway and Denmark in 1814 the Faroes remained Danish.

During the Second World War British troops occupied the islands. In 1848 they acquired autonomous status with internal self-government under the Danish Crown; the Danish parliament is responsible only for their interests in the fields of foreign policy and defense. They do not belong to the EU.

The Farøes have their own coat-of-arms - a ram argent on a blue ground - and, since March 23, 1948, their own flag.

The legislative body of the country is the parliament (Logting), consisting of 32 elected representatives; parliamentary elections are held every four years. Executive power is in the hands of the government (Landsstyret), the members of which are appointed by the Logting. The Faroes send two members to the Danish parliament.

Population and economy

The language of the Farøes is one of the Germanic family of languages. Like Icelandic, to which it is closely related, it was originally derived from the old Nordic tongue, to be succeeded by a number of dialects. Modern Faroese spelling rules were laid down by V. U. Hammershaimb in 1846, and this has brought in its wake a unique and original form of Faroese literature. Danish is a compulsory second language in the schools.

Sheep-rearing has long been important on the islands, which are indeed named after the sheep. Today the principal source of income for the inhabitants is fishing. Some of the people work in shipyards and spinning-mills. Pullovers in beautiful colors and designs are popular souvenirs with tourists.