Everything about Faroe Islands totally explained
The
Faroe Islands or
Faeroe Islands or simply
Faroe(s) or
Faeroes (meaning "
Sheep Islands",,
Old Norse:
Færeyjar) are a group of
islands in
Northern Europe, between the
Norwegian Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, roughly equidistant between
Iceland,
Scotland, and
Norway. They have been an
autonomous province of the [[Kingdom] of
Denmark since
1948, making it a member of the
Rigsfællesskab. The Faroese have, over the years, taken control of most matters except defence (though they've a native
coast guard),
foreign affairs and the legal system. These three areas are the responsibility of Denmark.
The Faroes have close traditional ties to
Iceland,
Shetland,
Orkney, the
Outer Hebrides and
Greenland. The
archipelago was politically detached from
Norway in
1814. The Faroes are represented in the
Nordic Council as a part of the Danish delegation.
History
The early
history of the Faroe Islands isn't well known.
Irish hermits (
monks) settled in
the sixth century, introducing
sheep and
oats and the early
Irish language to the islands.
Saint Brendan, who lived
circa 484–
578, is said to have visited the Faroe Islands on two or three occasions (
512-
530 AD), naming two of the islands
Sheep Island and
Paradise Island of Birds.
Later (~
650 AD]]) the
Vikings replaced the early
Irish and their settlers, bringing the
Old Norse language to the islands, which locally evolved into the modern
Faroese language spoken today.
The settlers are not thought to have come directly from Norway, but rather they were Norwegian settlers from Shetland and Orkney, and
Norse-Gaels from the
Irish Sea and
Western Isles of
Scotland.
According to
Færeyinga Saga, emigrants who left Norway to escape the
tyranny of
Harald I of Norway settled in the islands about the end of the
ninth century. Early in the
eleventh century,
Sigmund, whose
family had flourished in the southern islands but had been almost
exterminated by invaders from the northern islands, escaped to Norway and was sent back to take possession of the islands for
Olaf Tryggvason, king of Norway. He introduced
Christianity and, though he was subsequently murdered, Norwegian
supremacy was upheld. Norwegian control of the islands continued until
1380, when Norway entered the
Kalmar Union with Denmark, which gradually evolved into Danish control of the islands. The reformation reached the Faroes in 1538. When the union between Denmark and Norway was dissolved as a result of the
Treaty of Kiel in 1814, Denmark retained possession of the Faroe Islands.
The
trade monopoly in the Faroe Islands was abolished in
1856 and the country has since then developed towards a modern
fishing nation with its own
fleet. The national awakening since
1888 was first based on a struggle for the
Faroese language, and thus more
culturally oriented, but after
1906 was more and more
politically oriented with the foundation of the
political parties of the Faroe Islands.
On
April 12,
1940, the Faroes were
occupied by
British troops. The move followed the
invasion of Denmark by
Nazi Germany and had the objective of strengthening British control of the North Atlantic (see
Second Battle of the Atlantic). In
1942-
43 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 a
home-rule regime was implemented granting a high degree of local autonomy. The Faroes declined to join Denmark in entering the European Community (now
European Union) in
1973. 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 government.
Politics
The government of the Faroes holds the
executive power in local government affairs. The head of the government is called the
Løgmaður or
prime minister in English. Any other member of the cabinet is called a
landsstýrismaður.
Today,
elections are held in the
municipalities, on a national level for the
Løgting, and inside the Kingdom of Denmark for the
Folketing. For the Løgting elections there are seven electoral
districts, each one comprising a
sýsla, while Streymoy is divided into a northern and southern part (
Tórshavn region).
The Faroes and Denmark
The
Treaty of Kiel in 1814 terminated the
Danish-Norwegian union. Norway came under the rule of the
King of Sweden, but the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and
Greenland remained as possessions of Denmark. Subsequently, the Løgting was abolished
1816, and the Faroe Islands were to be governed as a regular
Danish amt, with the
Amtmand as its head of government. In
1851 the Løgting was resurrected, but served mainly as an advisory power until 1948.
At the end of the Second World War a portion of the population favoured independence from Denmark, and on
September 14 1946 a public election was held on the question of
secession. It isn't considered a
referendum, as the parliament wasn't bound to follow the decision of the vote. This was the first time that the Faroese people were asked if they favoured independence or if they wanted to continue as a part of the Danish kingdom. The outcome of the vote produced a small
majority in favour of secession, but the coalition in parliament couldn't reach a resolution on how this election should be interpreted and implemented, and because of these irresolvable differences the
coalition fell apart. A parliamentary election was held just a few months later, in which the political parties that favoured staying in the Danish kingdom increased their share of the vote and formed a coalition. Based on this increased share of the votes, they chose to reject secession. Instead, a
compromise was made and the
Folketing passed a home-rule law, which came into effect in 1948. The Faroe Islands' status as a Danish amt was brought to an end with the home-rule law; the Faroe Islands were given a high degree of self-governance, supported by a substantial annual
subsidy from Denmark.
The islanders are about evenly split between those favouring independence and those who prefer to continue as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Within both camps there is, however, a wide range of opinions. Of those who favour independence, some are in favour of an immediate
unilateral declaration. Others see it as something to be attained gradually and with the full consent of the Danish government and the
Danish nation. In the unionist camp there are also many who foresee and welcome a gradual increase in autonomy even as strong ties to Denmark are maintained.
The Faroes and the European Union
As explicitly asserted by both
Rome treaties, the Faroe Islands are not part of the
European Union. Moreover, a
protocol to the treaty of accession of Denmark to the European Communities stipulates that Danish nationals residing in the Faroe Islands are not to be considered as Danish nationals within the meaning of the treaties. Hence, Danish people living in the Faroes are not
citizens of the European Union (other EU nationals living there remain EU citizens). The Faroes are not covered by the
Schengen free movement agreement, but there are no border checks when travelling between the Faroes and any Schengen country since the Faroes are part of the
Nordic Passport Union since 1966 and since 2001 there are no border checks between the Nordic and the rest of the
Schengen area as part of the
Schengen agreement.
Regions and municipalities
municipalities (
kommunur) within which 120 or so
cities and villages lie.
Traditionally, there are also the
six sýslur ("regions";
Norðoyar,
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
ting (assembly), the so-called
várting ("spring
ting").
Geography
The Faroe Islands are an island group consisting of eighteen islands off the coast of Northern
Europe, between the
Norwegian Sea and the north
Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Iceland and Norway; the closest neighbours being the
Northern and
Western Isles of
Scotland.
Its coordinates are .
Its area is 1,399 square kilometres (540
sq. mi), and has no major lakes or rivers. There are 1,117 kilometres (694
mi) of coastline, and no land boundaries with any other country. The only island that's uninhabited is
Lítla Dímun.
The islands are rugged and rocky with some low peaks; the coasts are mostly bordered by cliffs. The highest point is
Slættaratindur, 882 metres (2,894
ft) above sea level. There are areas below sea level.
The Faroe Islands are dominated by
tholeiitic basalt lava which was part of the great
Thulean Plateau during the
Paleogene period.
Distances to nearest countries and islands
Economy
After the severe economic troubles of the early 1990s, brought on by a drop in the vital
fish catch and poor management of the economy, the Faroe Islands have come back in the last few years, with unemployment down to 5% in mid-1998. In 2006 unemployment declined to 3%, one of the lowest rates in Europe. Nevertheless, the almost total dependence on fishing means that the economy remains extremely 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.
Since 2000, new
information technology and business projects have been fostered in the Faroe Islands to attract new investment. The introduction of
Burger King in
Tórshavn was widely publicized and a sign of the globalization of
Faroese culture. It isn't yet known whether these projects will succeed in broadening the islands' economic base. While having one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, this shouldn't necessarily be taken as a sign of a recovering economy, as many young students move to Denmark and other countries once they're finished with high school. This leaves a largely middle-aged and elderly population that may lack the skills and knowledge to fill newly developed positions on the Faroes.
Transportation
Vágar Airport has scheduled service to destinations from
Vágar Island. The largest Faroese
airline is
Atlantic Airways.
Due to the rocky terrain and relatively small size of the Faroe Islands, its transportation system wasn't as extensive as other places of the world. This situation has changed, and today the
infrastructure has been developed extensively. Some 80% of the population in the islands is connected by
under-ocean tunnels,
bridges, and
causeways which bind the three largest islands and three other large islands to the northeast together, while the other two large islands to the south of the main area are connected to the main area with new fast
ferries. There are good
roads that lead to every village in the islands, except for seven of the smaller islands with only one village each.
Demographics
The vast majority of the population are
ethnic Faroese, of
Norse and
Celtic descent.
Recent DNA analyses have revealed that Y chromosomes, tracing male descent, are 87%
Scandinavian.
The studies show that
mitochondrial DNA, tracing female descent, is 84%
Scottish /
Irish.
Of the approximately 48,000 inhabitants of the Faroe Islands (16,921 private households (2004)), 98% are realm citizens, meaning Faroese,
Danish, or
Greenlandic. By birthplace one can derive the following origins of the inhabitants: born on the Faroes 91.7%, in
Denmark 5.8%, and in
Greenland 0.3%. The largest group of foreigners is
Icelanders comprising 0.4% of the population, followed by
Norwegians and
Polish, each comprising 0.2%. Altogether, on the Faroe Islands there are people from 77 different nationalities.
Faroese is spoken in the entire country as a first language. It isn't possible to say exactly how many people worldwide speak the Faroese language. This is for two reasons: Firstly, many ethnic Faroese live in Denmark and few who are born there return to the Faroes with their parents or as adults. Secondly, there are some established Danish families on the Faroes who speak Danish at home.
The Faroese language is one of the smallest of the
Germanic languages. Faroese grammar is most similar to
Icelandic and
Old Norse. In contrast, spoken Faroese differs much from Icelandic and is closer to
Norwegian dialects from the west coast of
Norway. In the twentieth century, Faroese became the official language and since the Faroes are a part of the Danish realm
Danish is taught in schools as a compulsory second language.
Faroese language policy provides for the active creation of new terms in Faroese suitable for modern life.
Population Trends (1327-2004)
If the first inhabitants of the Faroe Islands were Irish monks, then they must have lived as a very small group of settlers. Later, when the Vikings colonised the Islands, there was a considerable increase in the population. However, it never exceeded 5,000 until the
eighteenth century. Around 1349, about half of the islands' people died of the plague.
Only with the rise of the deep sea fishery (and thus independence from difficult agriculture) and with general progress in the health service was rapid population growth possible in the Faroes. Beginning in the eighteenth century, the population increased tenfold in 200 years.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the Faroe Islands entered a deep economic crisis with heavy, noticeable emigration; however, this trend reversed in subsequent years to a net immigration.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1327 | ca. 4,000
|
| 1350 | ca. 2,000
|
| 1769 | 4,773
|
| 1801 | 5,255
|
| 1834 | 6,928
|
| 1840 | 7,314
|
| 1845 | 7,782
|
| 1850 | 8,137
|
| 1855 | 8,651
|
| 1880 | 11,220
|
| 1900 | 15,230
|
| 1911 | ca. 18,800
|
| 1925 | 22,835
|
| 1950 | 31,781
|
|
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1970 | ca. 38,000
|
| 1975 | 40,441
|
| 1985 | 45,749
|
| 1989 | 47,787
|
| 1995 | 43,358
|
| 1996 | 43,784
|
| 1997 | 44,262
|
| 1998 | 44,817
|
| 1999 | 45,409
|
| 2000 | 46,196
|
| 2001 | 46,996
|
| 2002 | 47,704
|
| 2003 | 48,214
|
| 2004 | 48,353
|
|
Urbanization and regionalization
The Faroese population is spread across most of the country; it wasn't until recent decades that significant
urbanization occurred. Industrialisation has been remarkably decentralised, and the country has therefore maintained quite a viable rural culture. Nevertheless, villages with poor harbour facilities have been the losers in the development from agriculture to fishing, and in the most peripheral agricultural areas, also known as the
the outer islands, there are scarcely any young people left. In recent decades, the village-based social structure has nevertheless been placed under pressure; instead there has been a rise in interconnected "centres" that are better able to provide goods and services than the badly connected periphery. This means that shops and services are now relocating en masse from the villages into the centres, and in turn this also means that slowly but steadily the Faroese population concentrates in and around the centres.
In the 1990s the old national policy of developing the villages (Bygdamenning) was abandoned, and instead the government started a process of regional development (Økismenning). The term "region" referred to the large islands of the Faroes. Nevertheless the government wasn't able to press through the structural reform of merging the small rural municipalities in order to create sustainable, decentralized entities that could drive forward the regional development. As the regional development has been difficult on the administrative level, the government has instead made heavy investments in infrastructure, interconnecting the regions.
Altogether it becomes less meaningful to perceive the Faroes as a society based on various islands and regions. The huge investments in roads, bridges and sub-sea tunnels (see also
Transportation in the Faroe Islands) have tied together the islands, creating a coherent economic and cultural sphere that covers almost 90% of the entire population. From this perspective it's reasonable to perceive the Faroes as a dispersed city or even to refer to it as the
Faroese Network City.
Religion
According to
Færeyinga Saga,
Sigmundur Brestisson brought
Christianity to the islands in 999. However,
archaeology from a site in
Leirvík suggests that
Celtic Christianity may have arrived 150 years earlier, or more. The Faroe Islands' church
Reformation was completed on
1 January 1540. According to official statistics from 2002, 84.1% of the Faroese population are members of the state church, the
Faroese People's Church (Fólkakirkjan), a form of
Lutheranism. Faroese members of the clergy who have had historical importance include
V. U. Hammershaimb (1819-1909),
Frederik Petersen (1853-1917) and, perhaps most significantly,
Jákup Dahl (1878-1944), who had a great influence in making sure that the
Faroese language was spoken in the church instead of
Danish.
In the late 1820s, the Christian Evangelical religious movement, the
Plymouth Brethren, was established in
England. In 1865, a member of this movement,
William Gibson Sloan, travelled to the Faroes from
Shetland. At the turn of the
nineteenth century, the Faroese Plymouth Brethren numbered thirty. Today, approximately 10% of the Faroese population are members of the Open Brethren community (
Brøðrasamkoman). About 5% belong to other Christian churches, such as the
Adventists, who operate a private school in Tórshavn.
Jehovah's Witnesses also number four congregations (approximately 80 to 100 members). The
Roman Catholic congregation comprises approximately 170 members. The municipality of
Tórshavn operates their old
Franciscan school. There are also around fifteen
Bahá'ís who meet at four different places. Unlike
Iceland, there's no organized
Ásatrú community, but there's a fair share of pagan lore such as ballads with pagan content, and to this day it isn't officially accepted to perform Faroese ballads in consecrated buildings.
The best known church buildings in the Faroe Islands include St. Olafs Church and the Magnus Cathedral in
Kirkjubøur; the Vesturkirkjan and the Maria Church, both of which are situated in Tórshavn; the church of
Fámjin; the octagonal church in
Haldarsvík; Christianskirkjan in
Klaksvík and also the two pictured here.
In 1948, Victor Danielsen (Plymouth Brethren) completed the first
Bible translation. It was translated into Faroese from different modern languages. Jacob Dahl and Kristian Osvald Viderø (Fólkakirkjan) completed the second translation in 1961. The latter was translated from the original languages into Faroese.
Culture
Ólavsøka
The national holiday
Ólavsøka, is on the
29 July, commemorating the death of
Saint Olaf. The celebrations are held in Tórshavn. They commence on the evening of the 28th, and carry on until the
31 July.
The official part of the celebration starts on the 29th, with the opening of the
Faroese Parliament, a custom which dates back some 900 years. This begins with a service held in
Tórshavn Cathedral, all members of parliament as well as civil and church officials walk to the cathedral in a procession. All of the parish ministers take turns giving the sermon. After the service, the procession returns to the parliament for the opening ceremony.
Other celebrations are marked by different kind of sports competitions, the rowing competition (in Tórshavn harbour) being the most popular, art exhibitions, pop concerts, and the famous
Faroese dance. The celebrations have many facets, and only a few are mentioned here.
Another way many people mark the occasion is to wear the national Faroese dress.
The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands
The
Nordic House in the Faroe Islands (in
Faroese Norðurlandahúsið) is the most important cultural institution in the Faroes. Its aim is to support and promote
Nordic and Faroese culture, locally and in the Nordic region.
Erlendur Patursson (1913-1986), Faroese member of the
Nordic Council, brought forward the idea of a Nordic cultural house in the Faroe Islands. A Nordic competition for architects was held in 1977, in which 158 architects participated. Winners were Ola Steen from
Norway and Kolbrún Ragnarsdóttir from
Iceland. By staying true to
folklore, the architects built the Nordic House to resemble an enchanting hill of
elves. The house opened in
Tórshavn in 1983. The Nordic House is a cultural organization under the
Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic House is run by a steering committee of eight, of which three are Faroese and five from the other Nordic countries. There is also a local advisory body of fifteen members, representing Faroese cultural organizations. The House is managed by a director appointed by the steering committee for a four-year term.
Music
The Faroe Islands have a very active music scene. The islands have their own symphony orchestra, the classical ensemble
Aldubáran and many different choirs; the most well-known being
Havnarkórið. The most well-known Faroese composers are
Sunleif Rasmussen and the Dane
Kristian Blak.
The first Faroese opera ever was by Sunleif Rasmussen. It is entitled
Í Óðamansgarði (
The Madman´s Garden
), and it opened on the
October 12,
2006, at the Nordic House. The opera is based on a short story by the writer
William Heinesen.
Young Faroese musicians who have gained much popularity recently are
Eivør (Eivør Pálsdóttir), Lena (Lena Andersen),
Teitur (Teitur Lassen),
Høgni Reistrup,
Høgni Lisberg and
Brandur Enni.
Well-known bands include
Týr,
Gestir,
Boys In A Band,
200 and the former band
Clickhaze.
The festival for contemporary and classical music,
Summartónar, is held each summer. Large open-air music festivals for popular music with both local and international musicians participating are
G! Festival in
Gøta in July and
Summarfestivalurin in
Klaksvík in August.
Traditional food
Traditional Faroese food is mainly based on meat and
potatoes and uses few fresh vegetables.
Mutton is the basis of many meals, and one of the most popular treats is
skerpikjøt, well aged, wind-dried mutton which is quite chewy. The drying shed, known as a
hjallur, is a standard feature in many Faroese homes, particularly in the small towns and villages. Other traditional foods are
ræst kjøt (semi-dried mutton) and
ræstur fiskur, matured fish. Another Faroese specialty is
Grind og spik,
pilot whale meat and
blubber. (A parallel meat/fat dish made with
offal is
garnatálg). Well into the last century meat and blubber from the pilot whale meant food for a long time. Fresh fish also features strongly in the traditional local diet, as do
seabirds, such as
Faroese puffins, and their eggs.
Public holidays
» :
See also: Public holidays in Denmark
» New Year's Day,
1 January
Maundy Thursday » Good Friday
Easter Sunday » Easter Monday
Flag day,
25 April » General Prayer Day (
Store Bededag), 4th Friday after Easter
Ascension Day » Whit Sunday,
4 June
Whit Monday,
5 June » Constitution Day,
5 June (½ day holiday)
St.Olav’s Eve,
28 July (½ day holiday)
» St.Olav’s Day,
29 July (National holiday)
Christmas Eve,
24 December » Christmas Day,
25 December
Boxing Day,
26 December » New Year’s Eve,
31 December (½ day holiday)
Climate
The climate is technically defined as Maritime Subarctic according to the (
Köppen climate classification:Cfc). The overall character of the islands' climate is determined by the strong cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean, which here produces the
North Atlantic Drift. This, together with the remoteness of any sources of warm airflows ensures that winters are mild (mean temperature 3.0 to 4.0°C) while summers are cool (mean temperature 9.5 to 10.5°C).
The islands are windy, cloudy and cool throughout the year with over 260 rainy days in the year. The islands lie in the path of depressions moving north eastwards and this means that strong winds and heavy rain are possible at all times of the year. Sunny days are rare and overcast days are common.
Flora
grasses,
moss and
lichen. Most of the lowland area is
grassland and some is heath, dominated by shrubby
heathers, mainly
Calluna vulgaris.
The Faroese nature is characterised by the lack of trees, and resembles that of
Connemara and
Dingle in
Ireland and the
Scottish islands.
A few small plantations consisting of plants collected from similar climates like
Tierra del Fuego in
South America and
Alaska thrive on the islands.
Fauna
Birds
The bird fauna of the Faroe Islands is dominated by
sea-birds and birds attracted to open land like
heather, probably due to the lack of woodland and other suitable habitats. Many species have developed special Faroese sub-species:
Eider,
Starling,
Wren,
Guillemot, and
Black Guillemot.
Mammals
Only a few species of wild land mammals are found in the Faroe Islands today, all introduced by man.
Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) are very common around the Faroese shores.
Several species of
cetacean live in the waters around the Faroe Islands. Best known are the
Short-finned Pilot Whales (
Globicephala melaena), but the more exotic
Killer whales (
Orcinus orca) sometimes visit the Faroese
fjords.
Natural history and biology
A collection of Faroese marine
algae resulting from a survey sponsored by
NATO, the
British Museum (Natural History) and the Carlsberg Foundation, is preserved in the
Ulster Museum (catalogue numbers: F3195—F3307). It is one of ten
exsiccatae sets.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Faroe Islands'.
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