Faroe Islands Information

INTRODUCTION

•  Full name: Faroe Islands

•  Capital City: Torshavn

•  Language: Faroese (official), Germanic language from Old Norse and is in sync with Icelandic, Norwegian dialects, Danish and Swedish.

•  Currency: Danish Krone - Dkr

•  Religion: Evangelical-Lutheran

•  National Anthem: Tú alfagra land mítt (My land, oh most beauteous)

•  Newspaper: Sosialurin, Dimmalætting

•  Places to Visit: Saksun, Tórshavn, Føroya Fornminissavn, Kirkjubøur, Vestmanna Bird Cliffs.

• Transport: Atlantic Airways take off from Aberdeen to Faroes, or opt for flight from Copenhagen to Vágar. Avail ferries from Norway, Iceland and Denmark.

Take an ensnaring boat ride along the seabird colony or let your imagination drive wild with the soaring heights of huge cliff range that surround the land of Faroe Islands. One can choose to t rek along the lichen-spread rocks, or walk along the belt of cropped pastureland that surely would catch your glance as you wish to travel here.

LOCATION OF FAROE ISLANDS

The Faroe Islands that derive from the Danish word Sheep Islands, is a collective group of islands placed within the region of Northern Europe. The Faroe Islands is lying in the midst of Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, which is about a few miles away from the route of Iceland to Norway. The place has developed a conventional bonding with countries like Iceland, Shetland, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides and Greenland.

PHYSICAL MAP OF FAROE ISLANDS

There are about 18 islands that constitute the Faroe Islands, along the shorelines of Northern Europe. The sole uninhabited land within this island is the area of Lítla Dímun. The regions are mainly jagged and rock strewn which boasts of having the highest cliff peaks nearly about 882 metres. This cliff is popularly known as Slættaratindur, lying just above the sea level. The coastline in this region stretches to about 1100 km and is just about 5 km away leaving behind the main ocean.

The Faroe Islands is constituted with volcanic basalt base layer where:

•  The eastern shores slopes down within the sea.

•  The western coasts soar high with rising cliffs.

The islands are organized into 34 municipalities, which consists of 120 cities and villages. There are also the 6 sýslur that are commonly known as districts which has its own geographical importance. The names are Norðoyar, Eysturoy, Streymoy, Vágar, Sandoy and Suðuroy.

CLIMATE OF FAROE ISLANDS

The region of Faroe Islands is affected with violent storm conditions from the North Atlantic, which is lying in the midst of Scotland and Iceland. The warm ocean current of the Gulf Stream manipulates the weather with mild temperature. The winter season is slightly on the warmer side as experienced in Denmark, which is quite chilly and frigid. The island witnesses a cloudy, wet, and windy season round the year as the island is covered within the Atlantic depression. The cold is generally chiller in Faroe Islands with long winters whereas the summer is breezy and shady with fewer sunrays. The place experiences about four hours of sunshine especially during the months of summer. With a maritime kind of climatic condition, the place frequently switches from radiant sunbeams to foggy misty weather accompanied with slight showers.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF FAROE ISLANDS

Mosses and bog vegetation thrives along the Faroe Islands along with vast expanses of hardy trees and woods that spread along the region as affected by the westerly winds. The avifauna is found here in abundance especially the species of seafowl, which is popularly known as puffins and eider ducks.

Summer usually witnesses huge congregation of different species of birds nestled within the northern and western coastal regions of the island. There are nearly 300 species of birds where about 40 falling within the category of breeding birds while the rest 40 being the rarest known species found here. Watch out gannet nesting along the Mykines and Mykinesholm area or view storm petrels flocking along the region of Nolsoy. It is during the end of May or till the July end, the guillemot is among the breeding species that settles down in the cliff regions of Faroe Islands. Kittiwake seeks its habitat along the craggy and rocky areas within these tall cliffs.

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