Faroe Islands

"The Faroe Islands are one of the last places in Europe where everyday life brings what people elsewhere look for: closeness, nature and peace.

The geographical location and size of myr islands have contributed to the preservation of our own culture and language. Today we consider our modest size a benefit inasmuch as we have a choice how close we want to be to the outside world and vice versa.

The Faroe Islands have no ambition to become a goal of masstourism. But more and more foreigners would like to visit our islands, and the we the Faroese want them to feel welcome. We have therefore started to expand tourist facilities, a task which is being coordinated by the Faroese Government tourist board. Hotel and youth hostel capacity is being enlarged, package tours arranged, excursigns organised and tourist brochures prepared. The possibilities of travelling to the Faroes by boat or plane are now better than ever, including the possibility of combining a stay in the Faroe Islands with a visit to Norway, Scotland or Iceland.

Man is a minority here.

Besides 43,000 people, there are 3.5 million birds that call the Faroes their home. The bird cliffs have permanent inhabitants and returing visitors, and in summer, the spartan homes on the cliff ledges are overcrowded. They don´t need to catch the chairman´s eye to be allowed to speak, and there is a lot of chattering about the catch out there in the great depths. These are birds which spend most of their lives at sea. Several of the species come ashore only during breeding time and leave the bird cliffs as soon as the brood is fledged.

80,000 sheep graze on the Faroese mountainsides. 

Free-range animals in the true sense of the word. In places difficult to access they are only in touch with humans twice in their lifetime: when they are let loose as lambs and when they are herded together as fully grown animals.

In a few places where sheep are let loose in bird cliffs or on isolated rock formations in the sea, each individual sheep is sold by auction after being gathered. 

Sometimes the gathering itself borders recklessness as just one misstep may be fatal. Nevertheless, traditions are upheld, and the mutton of a "mountain sheep" has a special flavour.
 

An old Faroese saying has it that you may use the sheep as your barometer. They come down from the mountainsides to the seaside when cooler weather is in the offing, and they return to the mountains when the weatherman is promising more pleasant weather.

Fish - for better or worse

We live in the midst of a vast ocean, reputedly amongst the purest of the world, and enormous schools of fish pass through these waters in their search for food. These resources form the basis of our existence - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The experience gained by the Faroese over generations has resulted in exceptional seamanship. A striking example is the Faroese rowing boat. The shape of the boat and its features have remained virtually unchanged for thousands years. And fisheries of course constitute a considerable part or the Faroese national economy. We are a nation of fishermen - a modern nation of sea harvesters.

In the summer the many rivulets and brooks are seething with life. Salmon and trout fly scurry off as soon as you arrive at the brink. But if you are cautious you may put your hand into the cold and clear water and gently search through the hiding-places along the sloping brink. Waiting anxiously, you feel a sudden tickling in the palm of your hand. A river trout suddenly flicks its tail and sometimes it is hard to tell who got scared the most.

Being out there is a fulfilling experience. The tranquility, the fresh air and the ever-changing light purifies the soul and fills it with new and pure energy."

 

Faroe Island Data

Area: 1.396 km² (545.3 sq. miles)
Population: Approx. 45.000 (01.01.1999)
Capital: Tórshavn, approx. 15.000
Since 1948 the Faroe Islands have had home rule within the Danish Kingdom and their own flag since 1940. The Faroese language is Nordic; similar to Icelandic.
Size: 113 km (71 miles) from north to south. 75 km (47 miles) from west to east.
Total Coastline: Approx. 1,100 km (687 miles) You will never be further than 5 km from the sea.
Average Height above Sea-level: 300 m.
Mount Slættaratindur: 882 m.

Pictures