The highest point is 882 m. The Islands are of volcanic origin and part of the North Atlantic basalt region stretching from Ireland to Greenland. The Ice Age glaciers formed an archipelago of mountains, deep valleys and narrow fiords and straits. The basalt covers older geological strata which may contain oil and gas. There are no woods, but plenty of grass.
Birds are plentiful, especially sea-birds, but other animal life is sparse.
The sea around the Faroe Islands is influenced by the meeting of the warm Gulf Stream and cold northern currents rich in nutritional matter. This guarantees rather stable ocean temperatures, between 5 and 10 C, favouring fish and animal life.