Faroe Islands

TheFaroeorFaeroe Islands(/ˈfɛəroʊ/FAIR-oh), or simply theFaroes(Faroese:Føroyar,pronounced[ˈfœɹjaɹ];Danish:Færøerne[ˈfeɐ̯ˌøˀɐnə]), are anarchipelagoin the NorthAtlantic Oceanand an autonomous territory of theKingdom of Denmark. The official language of the country isFaroese, which is closely related to and partially mutually intelligible withIcelandic.
Located at a similar distance fromIceland,Norway, and theUnited Kingdom, the islands have a total area of about 1,400 square kilometres (540 sq mi) with a population of 54,676 as of August 2023.The terrain is rugged, and thesubpolar oceanic climate (Cfc)is windy, wet, cloudy and cool. Despite the northerly climate, the temperatures are moderated by theGulf Streamand average above freezing throughout the year, hovering around 12 °C (54 °F) in summer and 5 °C (41 °F) in winter.As a result of its northerly latitude and proximity to theArctic Circle, the islands experience perpetualcivil twilightduring summer nights and very short winter days. The capital and largest city,Tórshavn, receives the fewest recorded hours of sunshine of any city in the world at only 840 per year.
While archaeological evidence places the first known habitation as early as the 4th century,Færeyinga Sagaand the writings ofDicuilplace initial Norse settlement in the early 9th century.As with the subsequentSettlement of Iceland, the islands were mainly settled byNorwegiansandNorse-Gaels, who additionally broughtthralls(i.e. slaves orserfs) ofGaelicorigin. Following the introduction of Christianity bySigmundur Brestisson, the islands came under Norwegian rule in the early 11th century. The Faroe Islands followed Norway's integration into theKalmar Unionin 1397 and came underde factoDanish rule following that union's dissolution in 1523. Following the introduction ofLutheranismin 1538, Faroese was banned in churches, schools, and state institutions, and disappeared from writing for more than three centuries. The islands were formally ceded to Denmark in 1814 by theTreaty of Kielalong withGreenlandandIceland, and theLøgtingwas subsequently replaced by a Danish judiciary.
Following the re-establishment of the Løgting and an officialFaroese orthography, theFaroese language conflictsaw Danish being gradually displaced by Faroese as the language of the church, public education and law in the first half of the 20th century. The islands were occupied bythe British during the Second World War, who refrained from governing Faroese internal affairs: inspired by this period of relative self-government and thedeclaration of Iceland as a republic in 1944, the islands held areferendum in 1946that resulted in a narrow majority for independence. The results were annulled byChristian X, and subsequent negotiations led to the Faroe Islands being granted home rule in 1948.
While remaining part of the Kingdom of Denmark to this day, the Faroe Islands have extensive autonomy and control most areas apart frommilitary defence,policing,justiceandcurrency, with partial control over itsforeign affairs.Because the Faroe Islands are not part of the samecustoms areaas Denmark, they have an independenttrade policyand can establish their own trade agreements with other states. The islands have an extensive bilateral free trade agreement with Iceland, known as theHoyvík Agreement. In theNordic Council, they are represented as part of the Danish delegation. In certain sports, the Faroe Islands field their own national teams. They did not become a part of theEuropean Economic Communityin 1973, instead keepingautonomyover their own fishing waters; as a result, the Faroe Islands are not a part of theEuropean Uniontoday. The Løgting, albeit suspended between 1816 and 1852, holds a claim as one of the oldest continuously running parliaments in the world.
The islands' endonymFøroyar, as well as its English nameFaroe Islands(alt.Faeroeorthe Faroes), derive from theOld NorseFæreyjar.The second elementoyar('islands') is a holdover fromOld Faroese; sound changes have rendered the word's modern form asoyggjar. Names for individual islands (such asKalsoyandSuðuroy) also preserve the old form.
The name's ultimate etymological origin has been subject to dispute. The most widely-held theory, first attested inFæreyinga Saga, interprets it as a straightforward compound offær('sheep') andeyjar('islands'), meaning "sheep islands", about their abundance on the archipelago. ClergymenPeder ClaussonandLucas Debesbegan casting doubt on this theory in the 16th and 17th centuries, arguing that the West Norse-speaking settlers, whose word for sheep wassauðrinstead of the East Norsefær, could not have coined it from this exact origin. Debes surmised that it could have derived fromfjær('far'), whileHammershaimbleaned towardsfara('to go, to travel').
Others have theorised anOld Irishorigin: relating it to the etymologies of neighbouringOrkneyandShetland, Scottish writers James Currie andWilliam J. Watsonsuggested the wordsfeur('pasture, eaten-up outfield') andfearann('land, territory') as possible derivations, arguing that the original Celtic attestations of the islands made this more likely.ArchaeologistAnton Wilhelm Brøggerconcurred, elaborating on Watson's theory by positing that the Norse, having first learned of the islands from Scottish and Irish accounts as afearann, could have coinedFæreyjaras aphono-semantic match.
Archaeological studies from 2021 found evidence of settlement on the islands before the arrival of Norse settlers, uncovering burnt grains of domesticatedbarleyandpeatash deposited in two phases: the first dated between the mid-fourth and mid-sixth centuries, and another between the late-sixth and late-eighth centuries.Researchers have also found sheep DNA in lake-bed sediments dating to the year 500. Barley and sheep had to have been brought to the islands by humans; as Scandinavians did not begin usingsailsuntil about 750, it is unlikely they could have reached the Faroes before then, leading to the study concluding that the settlers were more likely to originate from Scotland or Ireland.
These findings concur with historical accounts from the same period: archaeologist Mike Church noted that Irish monkDicuildescribed a group of islands north of Scotland of very similar character to the Faroe Islands in his workDe mensura orbis terrae("Of the measure of the worlds of the earth"). In this text, Dicuil describes "a group of small islands (...) Nearly all of them (...) separated by narrow stretches of water" that was "always deserted since the beginning of time"and previously populated byheremitae ex nostra Scotia("hermitsfrom our land of Ireland/Scotland") for almost a hundred years before being displaced by the arrival of Norse "pirates". Church argued that these were likely the eremiticPaparthat had similarly resided in parts of Iceland and Scotland in the same period.Writers like Brøgger andPeter Andreas Munchhad drawn the same connections from Dicuil's writings, with the latter arguing that these Papar were also the ones to bring sheep to the islands.A ninth-centuryvoyage taleconcerning Irish saintBrendan, one of Dicuil's contemporaries, details him visiting an unnamed northern group of islands; this has also been argued to be referring to the Faroe Islands, though not nearly as conclusively.Some toponyms around the islands refer to the Papar and the Irish, such as Paparøkur nearVestmannaand Papurshílsur nearSaksun. Vestmanna is itself short forVestmannahøvn("harbour of theWestmen"). Tombstones in a churchyard onSkúvoydisplay a possible Gaelic origin or influence.
Old Norse-speaking settlers arrived in the early 9th century, and their Old West Norse dialect would later evolve into the modernFaroese language. A number of the settlers wereNorse–Gaelswho did not come directly from Scandinavia, but rather from Norse communities that spanned theIrish Sea,Northern Isles, andOuter HebridesofScotland, including theShetlandandOrkneyislands; these settlers also brought thralls ofGaelicorigin with them, and this admixture is reflected today in the Faroese genetic makeup and many loanwords from Old Irish. A traditional name for the islands inIrish,Na Scigirí, possibly derives fromEyja-Skeggjar, ("Island-Beards"), a nickname given to island dwellers.According toFæreyinga saga, many of the Norwegian settlers in particular were spurred by their disapproval of the monarchy ofHarald Fairhair, whose rule was also seen as an inciting factor for theSettlement of Iceland.
The founding date of theLøgtingis not historically documented. However, the saga implies that it was a well-established institution by the middle of the 10th century, when a legal dispute between chieftains Havgrímur and Einar Suðuroyingur, resulting in theexileof Eldjárn Kambhøttur, is recounted in detail.
Christianity was introduced to the islands in the late 10th and early 11th centuries by chieftainSigmundur Brestisson.Baptised as an adult by then-King of NorwayOlaf Tryggvason, his mission to introduce Christianity was part of a greater plan to seize the islands on behalf of the Norwegian crown.While Christianity arrived at the same time as inIceland, the process was met with much more conflict and violence, and was defined particularly by Sigmundur's conflict with rival chieftainTróndur í Gøtu, the latter of whom was converted under threat of decapitation. Although their conflict resulted in Sigmundur's murder, the Islands fell firmly under Norwegian rule following Tróndur's death in 1035.
While the Faroe Islands formally remained a Norwegian possession until 1814,Norway's merger into theKalmar Unionin 1397 gradually resulted in the islands coming underde factoDanish control. When theProtestant Reformationreached the Faroe Islands in 1538, the Faroese language was also outlawed in schools, churches, and official documentation; thus Faroese remained exclusively a spoken language until the 19th century. Following theNapoleonic Wars, the union between Denmark and Norway was dissolved by theTreaty of Kielin 1814; while Norway was transferred to the Swedish Crown, Denmark retained possession of Norway's North Atlantic territories, which included the Faroe Islands along with Greenland and Iceland. Shortly afterward, Denmark asserted control and began to restrict the islands' autonomy. In 1816, the Faroe Islands was reconstituted as a county (amt) within theDanish Kingdom: theLøgting, having operated continuously for almost a millennium, was dissolved and replaced by a Danish judiciary, and the post ofløgmaður(lawspeaker) was likewise replaced by a Danish-appointedamtmand(equivalent to a governor-general).
As part of itsmercantilisteconomic policy, Denmark maintained amonopoly over tradewith the Faroe Islands and forbade the Faroese from trading with other countries. The trade monopoly in the Faroe Islands was eventually abolished in 1856, after which the area developed into a modern fishing-based economy with its ownfishing fleet. In 1846, the Faroe Islands finally regained formal political representation when they were allocated two seats in the DanishRigsdag; the Løgting itself was reinstated as an advisory body to theamtmandin 1852.
An official Faroese orthography was first introduced in 1846 by Lutheran ministerVenceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb, returning the language to print after 300 years of only existing in oral form. With the return of written Faroese to the public sphere after more than 300 years, nationalism gained a foothold in Faroese society: the modern Faroese national movement is commonly agreed to have begun with theChristmas Meeting of 1888, held to "discuss how to defend theFaroese languageand Faroese traditions". This meeting led to the rise of two of the movement's most prominent early figures:Jóannes PaturssonandRasmus Effersøe.
It was initially exclusively concerned with the status of theFaroese language, but it soon gained a political dimension with the advent of theFaroese language conflictin the early 20th century. Both sides of the conflict were represented by the country's first-ever political parties: theUnion Party(Sambandsflokkurin), founded in 1906, which supported Faroese literature but opposed its usage in education; and theSelf-Government party(Sjálvstýrisflokkurin), which sought to introduce Faroese as the official language in all public spheres and additionally demanded increased political autonomy for the islands. The Faroese language gradually won out; laws and protocols of the Løgting were written in Faroese from 1927 onwards, schools switched to Faroese as the language of instruction in 1938, and Faroese was fully authorised as the language of the Church the following year. Finally in 1944, Faroese gained equal status with Danish in legal proceedings.
In the first year of theSecond World War, on 12 April 1940,British troops occupied the Faroe Islands in Operation Valentine.Nazi Germanyhad invaded Denmark and commenced the invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940 underOperation Weserübung. In 1942–1943, the BritishRoyal Engineers, under the command ofLieutenant ColonelWilliam Law, built the first and only airport in the Faroe Islands,Vágar Airport. The British refrained from governing Faroese internal affairs, and the islands became effectively self-governing during the war. After the war ended and the British army left, this period andIceland's declaration as a republic in 1944 served as a precedent and a model in the mind of many Faroe Islanders.
The Løgting held an independence referendum on14 September 1946, resulting in a very narrow majority for independence; 50.73% voted in favour and 49.27% against; the margin was only 161 votes.The Løgting subsequently declared independence on 18 September 1946; this declaration was annulled byDenmarkon 20 September, arguing that the number of invalid votes (481) being greater than the narrow margin in favour made the result invalid. As a result,King Christian X of Denmarkordered that the Faroese Løgting be dissolved on 24 September, with new elections held that November.TheFaroese parliamentary election of 1946resulted in a majority for parties opposed to independence:following protracted negotiations, Denmark grantedhome ruleto the Faroe Islands on 30 March 1948. This agreement granted the islands a high degree of autonomy, and Faroese finally became the official language in all public spheres.
In 1973 the Faroe Islands declined to join Denmark in entering theEuropean Economic Community(EEC); as a result, the islands are not part of the European Union (EU) today (although as Danish citizens, Faroe Islanders are still considered EU citizens). Following the collapse of the fishing industry in the early 1990s, the Faroes experienced considerable economic difficulties.
The Faroe Islands are an island group consisting of18 major islands(and a total of 779 islands,islets, andskerries) about 655 kilometres (407 mi) off the coast of Northern Europe, between theNorwegian Seaand theNorth Atlantic Ocean, about halfway betweenIcelandandNorway, the closest neighbours being theNorthern Islesand theOuter HebridesofScotland. Its coordinates are62°00′N06°47′W﻿ / ﻿62.000°N 6.783°W﻿ /62.000; -6.783.
Distance from the Faroe Islands to:
The islands cover an area of 1,399 square kilometres (540 sq. mi) and havesmall lakesand rivers, but no major ones. There are 1,117 kilometres (694 mi) of coastline.The only significant uninhabited island isLítla Dímun.
The islands are rugged and rocky with some low peaks; the coasts are mostly cliffs. The highest point isSlættaratindurin northernEysturoy, 882 metres (2,894 ft)above sea level.
The Faroe Islands are made up of an approximately six-kilometres-thick succession of mostlybasalticlavathat was part of the greatNorth Atlantic Igneous Provinceduring thePaleogeneperiod.The lavas erupted during the opening of theNorth Atlantic Ocean, which began about 60 million years ago, and what is today the Faroe Islands was then attached to Greenland.The lavas are underlain by circa 30 km of unidentified ancient continental crust.
The climate is classed assubpolar oceanic climateaccording to theKöppen climate classification:Cfc, with areas having atundraclimate, especially in the mountains, although some coastal or low-lying areas may have very mild-winter versions of a tundra climate. The overall character of the climate of the islands is influenced by the strong warming influence of the Atlantic Ocean, which produces theNorth Atlantic Current. This, together with the remoteness of any source of landmass-induced warm or cold airflows, ensures that winters are mild (mean temperature 3.0 to 4.0 °C or 37 to 39 °F) while summers are cool (mean temperature 9.5 to 11.2 °C or 49 to 52 °F).
The islands are windy, cloudy, and cool throughout the year with an average of 210 rainy or snowy days per year. The islands lie in the path of depressions moving northeast, making strong winds and heavy rain possible at all times of the year. Sunny days are rare and overcast days are common.Hurricane Faithstruck the Faroe Islands on 5 September 1966 with sustained winds over 100 mph (160 km/h) and only then did the storm cease to be a tropical system.
The climate varies greatly over small distances, due to the altitude, ocean currents, topography, and winds. Precipitation varies considerably throughout the archipelago. In some highland areas, snow cover may last for months with snowfalls possible for the greater part of the year (on the highest peaks, summer snowfall is by no means rare), while in some sheltered coastal locations, several years pass without any snowfall whatsoever. Tórshavn receives frosts more often than other areas just a short distance to the south. Snow also is seen at a much higher frequency than on outlying islands nearby. The area receives on average 49 frosts a year.
The collection of meteorological data on the Faroe Islands began in 1867.Winter recording began in 1891, and the warmest winter occurred in 2016–17 with an average temperature of 6.1 °C (43 °F).
The Faroes belong to theFaroe Islands boreal grasslandsecoregion.The natural vegetation of the Faroe Islands is dominated by arctic-alpine plants, wildflowers, grasses, moss, and lichen. Most of the lowland area is grassland and some are heath, dominated by shrubby heathers, mainlyCalluna vulgaris. Among the herbaceous flora that occurs in the Faroe Islands is the cosmopolitan marsh thistle,Cirsium palustre.
Although it is often asserted that the islands are naturally treeless, several tree species, among them shrubby willows (salix), junipers (Juniperus), and stunted birches, colonized the island after the Ice Age but disappeared later - apparently as a result of grazing impacts, possibly aggravated by a shift to relatively wetter cooler climatic conditions about the same time.A limited number of species have been successfully introduced to the region, in particular trees from theMagellanic subpolar forestsregion of Chile. Conditions in the Magellanic subpolar forests are similar to those in the Faroe Islands, with cold summers and near-continuous subpolar winds. The following species fromTierra del Fuego,Drimys winteri,Nothofagus antarctica,Nothofagus pumilio, andNothofagus betuloides, have been successfully introduced to the Faroe Islands. A non-Chilean species that has been introduced is theblack cottonwood, also known as the California poplar (Populus trichocarpa).
A collection of Faroese marinealgaeresulting from a survey sponsored byNATO,theBritish Museum(Natural History) and the Carlsberg Foundation, is preserved in theUlster Museum(catalogue numbers: F3195–F3307). It is one of tenexsiccataesets. A few small plantations consisting of plants collected from similar climates such asTierra del Fuegoin South America andAlaskathrive on the islands.
Thebird fauna of the Faroe Islandsis dominated byseabirdsand birds attracted to open land such asheather, probably because of the lack of woodland and other suitable habitats. Many species have developed special Faroese sub-species such as thecommon eider,common starling,Eurasian wren,andblack guillemot.Thepied raven, a colour morph of the North Atlantic subspecies of thecommon raven, wasendemicto the Faroe Islands, but now has become extinct; the ordinary, all-black morph remains fairly widespread in the archipelago.
Only a few species of wild land mammals are found in the Faroe Islands today, all introduced by humans. Three species are thriving on the islands today:mountain hare(Lepus timidus),brown rat(Rattus norvegicus), and thehouse mouse(Mus musculus). Apart from these, there is a local domestic sheep breed, theFaroe sheep(depicted on thecoat of arms), and there once was a variety offeral sheep, which survived onLítla Dímununtil the mid-nineteenth century.
Grey seals(Halichoerus grypus) are common around the shorelines away from human habitations.Several species ofcetacealive in the waters around the Faroe Islands. Best known are thelong-finned pilot whales(Globicephala melaena), which still are hunted by the islanders under longstanding local tradition.Orcas(Orcinus orca) are regular visitors around the islands.
Thedomestic animals of the Faroe Islandsare a result of 1,200 years of isolated breeding. As a result, many of the islands' domestic animals are found nowhere else in the world. Faroese domestic breeds includeFaroe pony,Faroe cow, Faroe sheep,Faroese goose, andFaroese duck.
The islands were built during a period of high volcanic activity in the EarlyPaleogenearound 50–60 million years ago. The islands are built up in layers of different lava flows (basalt) alternating with thin layers of volcanic ash (tuff). The soft ash and the hard basalt thus lie layer upon layer in narrow and thick strips. The soft tuff or ash zones erode relatively quickly, and the hard lump of basalt above the eroded tuff falls away, forming the first terrace.
Volcanic activity has varied over millions of years, with periods of quiescence and various periods of quiet eruptive fissures and explosive volcanism. In a few places, mainly on Suðuroy, thin layers of coal are present, which are the remains of swamp forests from the time between volcanic eruptions. The plateau has therefore been divided into different basalt series according to the course of volcanism and the age sequence of the layers.
There are major differences in the shapes of the islands' terraces. The lowest and oldest series are thick lava deposits that can be seen on the southern part of Suðuroy, Mykines, Tindhólmur, and the western side of Vágar. The basalts of the lower basalt series are often pillared, which is shown by elongated, angular, and regular pillars in the mountainside. Very regular vertical columns are found on northern Mykines, where they can be up to 30 metres (100 ft) high.
The middle basalt series consists of thin lava flows with a highly porous interlayer. This series has very little resistance to crumbling and weathering. As these erosion processes are more severe at higher altitudes than lower down, the lowlands are filled with weathering material from the heights, often resulting in a characteristic curved landscape shape. This can be seen in Vágar, the northernmost part of Streymoy, and the north-western part of Eysturoy.
Glacial activity has reduced plateau surfaces, especially on the northern islands, where the surfaces have been reduced to a series of narrower or wider zig-zag rows along the length of the islands: especially on the islands of Kunoy, Kalsoy, and Borðoy, where an eastward and a westward ice mass have eroded the intervening mountain range into a narrow ridge.
The Faroe Islands are a self-governing country under the external sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark.The Faroese government holdsexecutive powerin local government affairs. The head of the government is called theLøgmaður("Chief Justice") and serves as Prime Minister and head of the Faroese Government. Any other member of the cabinet is called a Minister of the Faroese Government (landsstýrismaður/ráðharriif male,landsstýriskvinna/ráðfrúif female). The Faroese parliament – theLøgting("LawThing") – dates back to the early days of settlement and claims to be one of the longest functioning parliaments in the world, alongside the IcelandicAlthingand theManxTynwald. The parliament currently has 33 members.
Elections are held at municipal and national levels, additionally electing two members to theFolketing. Until 2007, there were seven electoral districts, which were abolished on 25 October of that year in favour of a single nationwide district.
Administratively, the islands are divided into 29municipalities(kommunur) within which there are 120 or sosettlements.
There are also the six traditionalsýslur:Norðoyar,Eysturoy,Streymoy,Vágar,Sandoy, andSuðuroy. While no longer of any legal significance, the term is still commonly used to indicate a geographical region. In earlier times, eachsýslahad its ownassembly, the so-calledvárting("spring assembly").
The Faroe Islands have been under Norwegian-Danish control since 1388. The 1814Treaty of Kielterminated theDanish–Norwegianunion, and Norway came under the rule of theKing of Sweden, while the Faroe Islands, Iceland, andGreenlandremained Danish possessions. From ancient times the Faroe Islands had a parliament (Løgting), which was abolished in 1816, and the Faroe Islands were to be governed as an ordinaryDanish amt(county), with theAmtmandas its head of government. In 1851, theLøgtingwas reinstated, but, until 1948, served mainly as an advisory body.
The islands are home to a notableindependence movementthat has seen an increase in popular support within recent decades. At the end ofWorld War II, some of the population favoured independence from Denmark, and on 14 September 1946,an independence referendumwas held on the question ofsecession. It was a consultative referendum, the parliament not being bound to follow the people's vote. This was the first time that the Faroese people had been asked whether they favoured independence or wanted to continue within theDanish kingdom.
The result of the vote was only a slight majority in favour of secession. The Speaker of the Løgting, together with the majority, initiated the process of becoming an independent state. The minority of the Løgting left in protest, regarding these actions as illegal. One parliament member, Jákup í Jákupsstovu, was shunned by his own party, the Social Democratic Party, for having joined the majority of the Løgting.
The Speaker of the Løgting declared the Faroe Islands independent on 18 September 1946.
On 25 September 1946, a Danish prefect announced to the Løgting that the king, rejecting the majority vote, had dissolved the parliament and ordered new elections.
A parliamentary election was held a few months later, in which the political parties that favoured remaining in the Danish kingdom increased their share of the vote and formed a coalition. Based on this, they chose to reject secession. Instead, a compromise was reached and theFolketingpassed a home-rule law that went into effect in 1948. The Faroe Islands' status as a Danishamtwas thereby brought to an end; the Faroe Islands were given a high degree of self-governance, supported by a financialsubsidyfrom Denmark to recompense expenses the islands have on Danish services.
In protest against the new Home Rule Act,Republic (Tjóðveldi)was founded.
As of 2021, the islanders were evenly split between those favouring independence and those who preferred to continue as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.Within both camps there is a wide range of opinions. Of those who favour independence, some are in favour of an immediateunilateral declaration of independence. Others see independence as something to be attained gradually and with the full consent of the Danish government and theDanish nation. In the unionist camp, many foresee and welcome a gradual increase in autonomy even while strong ties with Denmark are maintained.
Two attempts have been made to draft a separate Faroese constitution. The first time was in 2011, when the then prime ministerLars Løkke Rasmussendenounced it as incompatible with Denmark's constitution, stating that if the Faroe Islands wished to continue with the move, they must declare independence.A second attempt was made in 2015, facing similar criticismsbefore eventually being withdrawn without a vote.
As explicitly asserted by bothtreaties of the European Union, the Faroe Islands are not part of theEuropean Union. The Faroes are not grouped with the EU when it comes to international trade; for instance, when the EU and Russia imposed reciprocal trade sanctions on each other over thewar in Donbasin 2014, the Faroes began exporting significant amounts of freshsalmonto Russia.Moreover, aprotocolto the treaty of accession of Denmark to the European Communities stipulates that Danish nationals residing in the Faroe Islands are not considered Danish nationals within the meaning of the treaties. Hence, Danish people living in the Faroes are notcitizens of the European Union(though other EU nationals living there remain EU citizens). The Faroes are not covered by theSchengen Agreement, but there are no border checks when travelling between the Faroes and any Schengen country (the Faroes have been part of theNordic Passport Unionsince 1966, and since 2001 there have been no permanent border checks between the Nordic countries and the rest of theSchengen Areaas part of the Schengen agreement).
The Faroe Islands are not fully independent, but they do have political relations directly with other countries through an agreement with Denmark. The Faroe Islands is a member of some international organisations as though they were an independent country. The Faroes have associate membership in theNordic Councilbut have expressed wishes for full membership.
The Faroe Islands are a member of several international sports federations likeUEFA,FIFAinfootballandFINAin swimmingandEHFinhandballand have their own national teams. They also have their own telephone country code,+298, Internet country code top-level domain,.fo, banking code FO andpostal code system.
The Faroe Islands make their own agreements with other countries regarding trade and commerce. When theEuropean Unionimposed sanctions against theRussian Federationin 2014, the Faroe Islands were not a part of the embargo because they are not a part of EU, and the islands had just themselves experienced a year ofembargo from the EUincluding Denmark against the islands; the Faroese prime ministerKaj Leo Johannesenwent toMoscowto negotiate the trade between Russia and the Faroe Islands.TheFaroese minister of fisheriesnegotiates with the EU and other countries regarding the rights to fish.
In mid-2005, representatives of the Faroe Islands raised the possibility of their territory joining theEuropean Free Trade Association(EFTA).According to Article 56 of the EFTA Convention, only states may become members of the EFTA.The Faroes are anautonomous territoryof theKingdom of Denmark, and not asovereign statein their own right.Consequently, they considered the possibility that the "Kingdom of Denmark in respect of the Faroes" could join the EFTA, though the Danish Government has stated that this mechanism would not allow the Faroes to become a separate member of the EEA because Denmark was already a party to the EEA Agreement.TheGovernment of Denmarkofficially supports new membership of the EFTA with effect for the Faroe Islands.
Defence is the responsibility of the Danish government. The 1st Squadron of theRoyal Danish Navyis primarily focused on national operations in and around the Faroe Islands and Greenland. As of 2023, the 1st Squadron is composed of:
After 2025 theThetis-class vessels are to be replaced by the planned MPV80-class ships. The new vessels will incorporate a modular concept enabling packages of different systems (forminehuntingorminelayingfor example) to be fitted to individual ships as may be required.
In 2022, the Danish and Faroe Islands governments signed an agreement to establish an air surveillance radar system on the islands. The radar will monitor airspace between Iceland, Norway, and Britain with a reported range of 300–400 kilometres (190–250 mi).
In addition to naval units, theRoyal Danish Air Forcecan provideC-130JandChallenger 604 aircraftfromSquadron 721for search and rescue as well as surveillance missions.
The vast majority of the population areethnic Faroese, ofNorseandCelticdescent.Recent DNA analyses have revealed that Y chromosomes, tracing male descent, are 87%Scandinavian,whilemitochondrial DNA, tracing female descent, is 84%Celtic.
There is a gender deficit of about 2,000 women owing to migration.As a result, some Faroese men have married women from thePhilippinesandThailand, whom they met through such channels as online dating websites, and arranged for them to emigrate to the islands. This group of approximately three hundred women makes up the largest ethnic minority in the Faroes.
Thetotal fertility rateof the Faroe Islands isone of the highestin Europe.The 2015 fertility rate was 2.409 children born per woman.
The 2011 census shows that of the 48,346 inhabitants of the Faroe Islands (17,441 private households in 2011), 43,135 were born in the Faroe Islands, 3,597 were born elsewhere in the Kingdom of Denmark (Denmark proper or Greenland), and 1,614 were born outside the Kingdom of Denmark. People were also asked about their nationality, including Faroese. Children under 15 were not asked about their nationality. 97% said that they were ethnic Faroese, which means that many of those who were born in either Denmark or Greenland consider themselves ethnic Faroese. The other 3% of those older than 15 said they were not Faroese: 515 were Danish, 433 were from other European countries, 147 came from Asia, 65 from Africa, 55 from the Americas, 23 from Russia.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the Faroe Islands entered a deep economic crisis leading to heavy emigration; however, this trend reversed in subsequent years to a net immigration. This has been in the form of a population replacement as young Faroese women leave and are replaced with Asian/Pacific brides.In 2011, there were 2,155 more men than women between the age of 0 to 59 in the Faroe Islands.
As stipulated in section 11 (§ 11) in the 1948 Home Rule Act,Faroese is the primary and official language of the country, although Danish is taught in schools and can be used by the Faroese government in public relations, with public services providing Danish translations of documents on request.Faroese belongs to theNorth Germaniclanguage branch and is descended fromOld Norse, being most closely related toIcelandic. Due to its geographic isolation, it has preserved more conservative grammatical features that have been lost in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. It is the only language alongside Icelandic andElfdalianto preserve the letterÐ, though unlike the others, it is not pronounced.
Faroese sign language was officially adopted as a national language in 2017.
According to theFæreyinga saga,Sigmundur Brestissonbrought Christianity to the islands in 999. However, archaeology at a site in Toftanes,Leirvík, namedBønhústoftin(English: "the prayer-house ruin") and over a dozen slabs from Ólansgarður in the small island ofSkúvoywhich in the main display encircled linear and outline crosses, suggest thatCeltic Christianitymay have arrived at least 150 years earlier.The Faroe Islands' ChurchReformationwas completed on 1 January 1540. According to official statistics from 2019, 79.7% of the Faroese population are members of the state church, theChurch of the Faroe Islands(Fólkakirkjan), following a form ofLutheranism.The Fólkakirkjan became an independent church in 2007; previously it had been a diocese within theChurch of Denmark. Faroese members of the clergy who have had historical importance includeVenceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb(1819–1909),Fríðrikur Petersen(1853–1917) and, perhaps most significantly,Jákup Dahl(1878–1944), who had a great influence in ensuring that theFaroese languagewas spoken in the church instead ofDanish. Participation in churches is more prevalent among the Faroese population than among most other Scandinavians.
In the late 1820s, the ChristianEvangelicalreligious movement, thePlymouth Brethren, was established in England. In 1865, a member of this movement,William Gibson Sloan, travelled to the Faroes fromShetland. At the turn of the 20th century, the Faroese Plymouth Brethren numbered thirty. Today, around 10% of the Faroese population are members of the Open Brethren community (Brøðrasamkoman). About 3% belong to theCharismatic Movement. There are several charismatic churches around the islands, the largest of which, called Keldan (The Spring), has about 200 to 300 members. About 2% belong to other Christian groups. TheAdventistsoperate a private school in Tórshavn.Jehovah's Witnessesalso have four congregations with a total of 121 members. The Roman Catholic congregation has about 270 members and falls under the jurisdiction of Denmark'sRoman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen. The municipality ofTórshavnhas an oldFranciscanschool.
UnlikeDenmark,SwedenandIceland, the Faroes have no organisedHeathencommunity.
The best-known church buildings in the Faroe Islands includeTórshavn Cathedral,Olaf II of Norway's Church and theMagnus CathedralinKirkjubøur; the Vesturkirkjan and theSt. Mary's Church, both of which are situated in Tórshavn; the church ofFámjin; the octagonal church inHaldórsvík; Christianskirkjan inKlaksvík; and also the two pictured here.
In 1948, Victor Danielsen completed the first Bible translation 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 Biblical languages (HebrewandGreek) into Faroese.
According to the 2011 Census, there were 33,018 Christians (95.44%), 23Muslims(0.07%), 7Hindus(0.02%), 66Buddhists(0.19%), 12Jews(0.03%), 13 Baháʼís (0.04%), 3Sikhs(0.01%), 149 others (0.43%), 85 with more than one belief (0.25%), and 1,397 with no religion (4.04%).
The levels of education in the Faroe Islands areprimary,secondaryandhigher education. Most institutions are funded by the state; there are few private schools in the Faroe Islands. Education is compulsory for 9 years between the ages of 7 and 16.
Compulsory education consists of seven years of primary education and two years of lower secondary education; it is public, free of charge, provided by the respective municipalities, and is called theFólkaskúliin Faroese. TheFólkaskúlialso provides optional preschool education as well as the tenth year of education that is a prerequisite to being admitted to upper secondary education. Students who complete compulsory education are allowed to continue education in avocational school, where they can have job-specific training and education. Since the fishing industry is an important part ofFaroe Islands' economy, maritime schools are an important part of Faroese education. Upon completion of the tenth year ofFólkaskúli, students can continue to upper secondary education which consists of several different types of schools. Higher education is offered at theUniversity of the Faroe Islands; a part of Faroese youth moves abroad to pursue higher education, mainly inDenmark. Other forms of education compriseadult educationand music schools. The structure of the Faroese educational system bears resemblances with its Danish counterpart.
In the 12th century, education was provided by theCatholic Church in the Faroe Islands.TheChurch of Denmarktook over education after theProtestant Reformation.Modern educational institutions started operating in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and developed throughout the twentieth century. The status of the Faroese language in education was a significant issue for decades until it was accepted as a language of instruction in 1938.Initially education was administered and regulated by Denmark.In 1979 responsibilities on educational issues started transferring to the Faroese authorities, a procedure which was completed in 2002.
TheMinistry of Education, Research and Culturehas the jurisdiction of educational responsibility in the Faroe Islands.Since the Faroe Islands is a part of theDanish Realm, education in the Faroe Islands is influenced and has similarities with theDanish educational system; there is an agreement on educational cooperation between the Faroe Islands and Denmark.In 2012 the public spending on education was 8.1% ofGDP.The municipalities are responsible for the school buildings for children's education inFólkaskúlinfrom age 1st grade to 9th or 10th grade (age 7 to 16).In November 2013 1,615 people, or 6.8% of the total number of employees, were employed in the education sector.Of the 31,270 people aged 25 and above 1,717 (5.5%) have gained at least amaster's degreesor aPh.D., 8,428 (27%) have gained aB.Sc.or adiploma, 11,706 (37.4%) have finished upper secondary education while 9,419 (30.1%) has only finished primary school and have no other education.There is no data on literacy in the Faroe Islands, but the CIA Factbook states that it is probably as high as inDenmarkproper, i.e. 99%.
The majority of students in upper secondary schools are women, although men represent the majority in higher education institutions. In addition, most young Faroese people who relocate to other countries to study are women.Out of 8,535 holders ofbachelor degrees, 4,796 (56.2%) have had their education in the Faroe Islands, 2,724 (31.9%) in Denmark, 543 in both the Faroe Islands and Denmark, 94 (1.1%) in Norway, 80 in the United Kingdom and the rest in other countries.Out of 1,719 holders of master's degrees or PhDs, 1,249 (72.7%) have had their education in Denmark, 87 (5.1%) in the United Kingdom, 86 (5%) in both the Faroe Islands and Denmark, 64 (3.7%) in the Faroe Islands, 60 (3.5%) in Norway and the rest in other countries (mostly EU and Nordic).Since there is no medical school in the Faroe Islands, all medical students have to study abroad; as of 2013, out of a total of 96 medical students, 76 studied in Denmark, 19 inPoland, and 1 inHungary.
Economic troubles caused by the collapse of the Faroese fishing industry in the early 1990s brought high unemployment rates of 10 to 15% by the mid-1990s.Unemployment decreased in the later 1990s, down to about 6% at the end of 1998.By June 2008 unemployment had declined to 1.1%, before rising to 3.4% in early 2009.In December 2019the unemployment reached a record low 0.9%. Nevertheless, the almost total dependence on fishing andfish farmingmeans that the economy remains vulnerable. The biggest private company of the Faroe Islands is the salmon farming companyBakkafrost, which is the largest of the four salmon farming companies in the Faroe Islandsand the third biggest in the world.
In 2011, 13% of the Faroe Islands' national income consists of economic aid fromDenmark,corresponding to roughly 5% of GDP.
Since 2000, the government has fostered new information technology and business projects to attract new investment. The introduction ofBurger KinginTórshavnwas widely publicized as a sign of the globalization ofFaroese culture. It remains to be seen whether these projects will succeed in broadening the islands' economic base. The islands have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, but this should not necessarily be taken as a sign of a recovering economy, as many young students move to Denmark and other countries after leaving 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. Nonetheless, in 2008 the Faroes were able to make a $52 million loan toIcelandin the wake of the2008 financial crisis.
On 5 August 2009, two opposition parties introduced a bill in theLøgtingto adopt the euro as the national currency, pending a referendum.The euro was not adopted.
By road, the main islands are connected by bridges and tunnels. Government-ownedStrandfaraskip Landsinsprovides public bus and ferry service to the main towns and villages. There are no railways.
By air,Scandinavian Airlinesand the government-ownedAtlantic Airwaysboth have scheduled international flights toVágar Airport, the islands' only airport. Atlantic Airways also provides helicopter service to each of the islands. All civil aviation matters are controlled by theCivil Aviation Administration Denmark.
By sea,Smyril Lineoperates a regular international passenger, car, and freight service linking the Faroe Islands withSeyðisfjörður, Iceland andHirtshals, Denmark.
The Faroes have a highly developed road network connecting almost all settlements bytunnels through the mountains and between the islands, bridges andcausewaysthat link together the four largest islands and three islands to the northeast.Suðuroyis the only major island not connected by a fixed link.
KolturandStóra Dímunhave no ferry connection, only a helicopter service. Other small islands—Mykinesto the west,Kalsoy,SvínoyandFugloyto the north,Hesturwest of Streymoy, andNólsoyeast of Tórshavn—have smaller ferries and some of these islands also have helicopter service.
Since 2014, the Faroese government has emphasized expanding fixed road connections between islands. In 2020 theEysturoyartunnilinopened, greatly reducing travel time betweenEysturoyandTórshavn.In 2023, the Faroes' longest single-length tunnel opened,Sandoyartunnilin, linkingSandoyto the greater Faroese road network onStreymoy.
The culture of the Faroe Islands has its roots in theNordicculture. The Faroe Islands were long isolated from the main cultural phases and movements that swept across parts of Europe. This means that they have maintained a great part of their traditional culture. The language spoken isFaroese, which is one of three insularNorth Germanic languagesdescended from theOld Norselanguage spoken in Scandinavia in theViking Age, the others beingIcelandicand the extinctNorn, which is thought to have been mutually intelligible with Faroese. Until the 15th century, the Faroese had a similar orthography to Icelandic andNorwegian, but after the Reformation in 1538, the rulingNorwegiansoutlawed its use in schools, churches, and official documents. Although a rich spoken tradition survived, for 300 years the language was not written down. This means that all poems and stories were handed down orally. These works were split into the following divisions:sagnir(historical),ævintýr(stories) andkvæði(ballads), often set to music and themedievalchain dance. These were eventually written down in the 19th century.
Faroese written literature has developed only in the past 100–200 years. This is mainly because of the islands' isolation, and also because theFaroese languagedid not have a standardised writing system. The Danish language was also encouraged at the expense of Faroese. Nevertheless, the Faroes have produced several authors and poets. A rich centuries-old oral tradition of folk tales and Faroese folk songs accompanied theFaroese chain dance. The people learned these songs and stories by heart, and told or sang them to each other, teaching the younger generations too. This kind of literature was gathered in the 19th century and early 20th century. The Faroese folk songs, in Faroese, calledkvæði, are still in use although not so large-scale as earlier.
The firstFaroese novel,BábelstorniðbyRegin í Líð, was published in 1909; the second novel was published 18 years later. In the period 1930 to 1940 a writer from the village Skálavík on Sandoy island,Heðin Brú, published three novels:Lognbrá(1930),Fastatøkur(1935) andFeðgar á ferð(English title:The old man and his sons) (1940).Feðgar á ferðhas been translated into several other languages. Martin Joensen fromSandvíkwrote about life on Faroese fishing vessels; he published the novelsFiskimenn(1946)andTað lýsir á landi(1952).
Well-known poets from the early 20th century are among others the two brothers from Tórshavn:Hans Andrias Djurhuus(1883–1951)andJanus Djurhuus(1881–1948);other well known poets from this period and the mid 20th century arePoul F. Joensen(1898–1970),Regin Dahl(1918–2007),and Tummas Napoleon Djurhuus (1928–71).Their poems are popular even today and can be found in Faroese song books and school books.Jens Pauli Heinesen(1932–2011), a school teacher fromSandavágur, was the most productive Faroese novelist; he published 17 novels.Steinbjørn B. Jacobsen(1937–2012), a schoolteacher fromSandvík, wrote short stories, plays, children's books, and even novels. Most Faroese writers write in Faroese; two exceptions areWilliam Heinesen(1900–91) andJørgen-Frantz Jacobsen(1900–38).
Women were not so visible in the early Faroese literature except forHelena Patursson(1864–1916), but in the last decades of the 20th century and in the beginning of the 21st-century female writers likeEbba Hentze(born 1933) wrote children's books, short stories, etc.Guðrið Helmsdalpublished the first modernistic collection of poems,Lýtt lot, in 1963, which at the same time was the first collection of Faroese poems written by a woman.Her daughter,Rakel Helmsdal(born 1966), is also a writer, best known for her children's books, for which she has won several prizes and nominations. Other female writers are the novelistsOddvør Johansen(born 1941),Bergtóra Hanusardóttir(born 1946) and novelist/children's books writersMarianna Debes Dahl(born 1947), andSólrun Michelsen(born 1948). Other modern Faroese writers include Gunnar Hoydal (born 1941),Hanus Kamban(born 1942),Jógvan Isaksen(born 1950),Jóanes Nielsen(born 1953), Tóroddur Poulsen andCarl Jóhan Jensen(born 1957). Some of these writers have been nominated for theNordic Council's Literature Prizetwo to six times, but have never won it. The only Faroese writer who writes in Faroese who has won the prize is the poetRói Patursson(born 1947), who won the prize in 1986 forLíkasum.In 2007 the first everFaroese/German anthology "FromJanus DjurhuustoTóroddur Poulsen– Faroese Poetry during 100 Years", edited byPaul Alfred Kleinert, including a short history of Faroese literature was published in Leipzig.
In the 21st century, some new writers had success in the Faroe Islands and abroad.Bárður Oskarsson(born 1972) is a children's book writer and illustrator; his books won prizes in the Faroes, Germany, and theWest Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize(2006). Though not born in the Faroe Islands, Matthew Landrum, an American poet and editor forStructomagazine, has written a collection of poems about the Islands.Sissal Kampmann(born 1974) won the Danish literary prizeKlaus Rifbjerg's Debutant Prize(2012), and Rakel Helmsdal has won Faroese and Icelandic awards; she has been nominated for theWest Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prizeand the Children and Youth Literature Prize of the Nordic Council (representing Iceland, wrote the book together with and Icelandic and a Swedish writer/illustrator).Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs(born 1974) had success with her first novelSkriva í sandinfor teenagers; the book was awarded and nominated both in the Faroes and in other countries. She won theNordic Children's Book Prize(2011) for this book,White Raven Deutsche Jugendbibliothek(2011) and nominated theWest Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prizeand the Children and Youth Literature Prize of the Nordic Council (2013).
The Faroe Islands have an active music scene, with live music being a regular part of the Islands' life and many Faroese being proficient at several instruments. Multiple Danish Music Award winnerTeitur Lassencalls the Faroes home and is arguably the islands' most internationally well-known musical export.
The Islands have their ownorchestra(the classical ensemble Aldubáran) and many different choirs; the best-known of these is Havnarkórið. The best-known local Faroese composers areSunleif RasmussenandKristian Blak, who is also head of the record companyTutl. The first Faroese opera was by Sunleif Rasmussen. It is entitledÍ Óðamansgarði(The Madman's Garden) and was premiered on 12 October 2006 at the Nordic House. The opera is based on a short story by the writerWilliam Heinesen.
Young Faroese musicians who have gained much popularity recently areEivør Pálsdóttir,Høgni Reistrup,Høgni Lisberg, HEIÐRIK (Heiðrik á Heygum),Guðrið HansdóttirandBrandur Enni.  In 2023,Reileybecame the first Faroese person to represent Denmark at theEurovision Song Contest.
Well-known bands includeTýr,Hamferð,The Ghost,Boys in a Band,200, andSIC.
A festival of contemporary and classical music,Summartónar, is held each summer. TheG! FestivalinNorðragøtain July andSummarfestivalurininKlaksvíkin August are both large, open-air music festivals for popular music with both local and international musicians participating. Havnar Jazzfelag was established on 21 November 1975 and is still active. Currently, Havnar Jazzfelag is arranging VetrarJazz amongst other jazz festivals in The Faroe Islands.
TheNordic House in the Faroe Islands(Faroese:Norðurlandahúsið) is the most important cultural institution in the Faroes. It aims to support and promoteScandinavianand Faroese culture, locally and in the Nordic region.Erlendur Patursson(1913–86), a Faroese member of theNordic Council, raised 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 fromNorwayand Kolbrún Ragnarsdóttir fromIceland. By staying true tofolklore, the architects built the Nordic House to resemble an enchanted hill ofelves. The house opened inTórshavnin 1983. The Nordic House is a cultural organization under the Nordic Council. The Nordic House is run by a steering committee of eight, of whom three are Faroese and five from 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.
Traditional Faroese food is mainly based on meat, seafood, and potatoes and uses a few fresh vegetables. Mutton of theFaroe sheepis the basis of many meals, and one of the most popular treats isskerpikjøt, a well-aged, wind-dried, quite chewy mutton. The drying shed, known as ahjallur, is a standard feature in many Faroese homes, particularly in small towns and villages. Other traditional foods areræst kjøt(semi-dried mutton) andræstur fiskur(matured fish). Another Faroese specialty istvøst og spik, made frompilot whalemeat andblubber. (A parallel meat/fat dish made withoffalisgarnatálg.) The tradition of consuming meat and blubber from pilot whales arises from the fact that a single kill can provide many meals. Fresh fish also feature strongly in the traditional local diet, as doseabirds, such asFaroese puffins, and their eggs. Dried fish is also commonly eaten.
There are two breweries in the Faroe Islands.Föroya Bjórhas produced beer since 1888 with exports mainly to Iceland and Denmark. Okkara Bryggjarí was founded in 2010. A local specialty isfredrikk, a special brew made inNólsoy.
Since the friendly British occupation, the Faroese have been fond of British food, in particular British-style chocolate such asCadbury Dairy Milk, which is found in many of the island's shops.
There are records of drive hunts in the Faroe Islands dating from 1584.Whaling in the Faroe Islandsis regulated by Faroese authorities but not by theInternational Whaling Commissionas there are disagreements about the commission's legal authority to regulatecetaceanhunts. Hundreds oflong-finned pilot whales(Globicephala melaena) could be killed in a year, mainly during the summer. The hunts, calledgrindadrápin Faroese, are non-commercial and are organized on a community level; anyone can participate. When a whale pod by chance is spotted near land the participating hunters first surround the pilot whales with a wide semicircle of boats and then slowly and quietly begin to drive the whales towards the chosen authorised bay.When a pod of whales has been stranded the killing is begun.
Faroese animal welfare legislation, which also applies to whaling, requires that animals are killed as quickly and with as little suffering as possible. A regulation spinal lance is used to sever thespinal cord, which also severs the major blood supply to the brain, ensuring both loss of consciousness and death within seconds. The spinal lance has been introduced as the preferred standard equipment for killing pilot whales and has been shown to reduce killing time to 1–2 seconds.
This "grindadráp" is legal and provides food for many people in the Faroe Islands.However, a study has found whale meat and blubber to currently be contaminated withmercuryand not recommended for human consumption, as too much may cause such adverse health effects as birth defects of the nervous system, high blood pressure, damaged immune system, increased risk for developingParkinson's disease,hypertension,arteriosclerosis, andDiabetes mellitus type 2:
Animal rights groups such as theSea Shepherd Conservation Societycriticize it as being cruel and unnecessary since it is no longer necessary as a food source for the Faroese people.
The sustainability of the Faroese pilot whale hunt has been discussed, but with a long-term average catch of around 800 pilot whales on the Faroe Islands a year the hunt is not considered to have a significant impact on the pilot whale population. There are an estimated 128,000 pilot whales in the Northeast Atlantic, and Faroese whaling is therefore considered a sustainable catch by the Faroese government.Annual records of whale drives and strandings of pilot whales and other small cetaceans provide over 400 years of documentation, including statistics, and represents one of the most comprehensive historical records of wildlife utilization anywhere in the world.
On 12 September 2021, asuper-podof over 1,420white-sided dolphinswere killed,which caused significant controversy in the Faroe Islands and abroad, leading to the government imposing quotas on the amount of white-sided dolphins allowed to be hunted each year.The UK Government declined to suspend its free-trade agreement with the Faroese, having been called upon by conservationists to do so.
The Faroe Islands have competed in every biennialIsland Gamessince they were established in 1985. The games were hosted by the islands in 1989 and Faroes won theIsland Games in 2009.
Footballis by far the biggest sports activity on the islands, with 7,000 registered players out of the whole population of 52,000. Ten football teams contest theFaroe Islands Premier League, currently ranked 39th byUEFA's League coefficient. The Faroe Islands are a full member ofUEFAand theFaroe Islands national football teamcompetes in theUEFA European Football Championshipqualifiers. The Faroe Islands is also a full member ofFIFAand therefore the Faroe Islands football team also competes in theFIFA World Cupqualifiers. The Faroe Islands won itsfirst ever competitive matchwhen the team defeatedAustria1–0 in a UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying.
The nation's biggest success in football came in 2014 after defeating Greece 1–0, a result that was considered "the biggest shock of all time" in footballthanks to a 169-place distance between the teams in theFIFA World Rankingswhen the match was played. The team climbed 82 places to 105 on the FIFA ranking after the 1–0 win against Greece.The team went on to defeat Greece again on 13 June 2015 by a score of 2–1. On 9 July 2015, the national football team of the Faroes climbed another 28 places on the FIFA ranking.Recently, Faroe Islands achieved another famous victory by beatingTurkey2–1 in the2022–23 UEFA Nations League C, although this shock win did not 
prevent Turkey from achieving promotion toLeague B.
TheFaroe Islands men's national handball teamwon the first two editions of theIHF Emerging Nations Championship, in 2015 and 2017. The team qualified for the2024 European Men's Handball Championshipin Germany where they ranked 20th out of 24 teams after the draw withNorwayand tight games withSloveniaandPoland.
The Faroe Islands are a full member ofFINAand compete under their own flag at World Championships, European Championships, and World Cup events. The Faroese swimmerPál Joensen(born 1990) won a bronze medal at the2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)and four silver medals at the European Championships (2010,2013and2014),all medals won in the men's longest and second longest distance, the 1500- and 800-metre freestyle, short and long course. The Faroe Islands also compete in theParalympicsand have won 1 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze medals since the1984 Summer Paralympics.
Two Faroese athletes have competed at the Olympics, but under theDanish flag, since the Olympic Committee does not allow the Faroe Islands to compete under its own flag. The two Faroese who have competed are the swimmerPál Joensenin 2012 and the rowerKatrin Olsen. Olsen competed at the2008 Summer Olympicsin double sculler lightweight together withJuliane Rasmussen. Another Faroese rower, who is a member of the Danish National rowing team, isSverri Sandberg Nielsen, who currently competes in a single sculler, heavyweight; he has also competed in double sculler. He is the current Danish record holder in the men's indoor rowing, heavyweight; he broke a nine-year-old record in January 2015and improved it in January 2016.He has also competed at the2015 World Rowing Championshipsmaking it to the semifinal; he competed at the 2015 World Rowing Championship under-23 and made it to the final where he placed fourth.
The Faroe Islands applied to the IOC for full membership in 1984, but as of 2017the Faroe Islands are still not members of the IOC. At the2015 European Gamesin Baku, Azerbaijan, the Faroe Islands were not allowed to compete under the Faroese flag; they were, however, allowed to compete under theLigue Européenne de Natationflag. Before this, the Faroese prime ministerKaj Leo Holm Johannesenhad a meeting with the IOC presidentThomas Bachin Lausanne on 21 May 2015 to discuss Faroese membership in the IOC.
Faroese people are very active in sports; they have domestic competitions in football, handball, volleyball, badminton, swimming, outdoor rowing (Faroese kappróður) and indoor rowing in rowing machines, horse riding, shooting, table tennis, judo, golf, tennis, archery, gymnastics,cycling, triathlon, running, and other competitions in athletics.
During 2014, the Faroe Islands were allowed to compete in the Electronic Sports European Championship (ESEC) inesports.Five players, all of the Faroese nationality, facedSloveniain the first round, eventually being knocked out with a 0–2 score.
At the 2016 BakuChess Olympiad, the Faroe Islands got their first chess grandmaster.Helgi Ziskawon his third GM norm, and thus won the title of chess grandmaster.
Faroese handicrafts are mainly based on materials available to local villages—mainly wool. Garments include sweaters, scarves, and gloves. Faroese jumpers have distinct Nordic patterns; each village has some regional variations handed down from mother to daughter. There has recently been a strong revival of interest in Faroese knitting, with young people knitting and wearing updated versions of old patterns emphasized by strong colours and bold patterns. This appears to be a reaction to the loss of traditional lifestyles, and as a way to maintain and assert cultural tradition in a rapidly changing society. Many young people study and move abroad, and this helps them maintain cultural links with their specific Faroese heritage.
There has also been a great interest in Faroesesweatersfrom the TV seriesThe Killing, where the main actress (Detective Inspector Sarah Lund, played bySofie Gråbøl) wears Faroese sweaters.
Lace knittingis a traditional handicraft. The most distinctive trait ofFaroese lace shawlsis the centre-backgussetshaping. Each shawl consists of two triangular side panels, a trapezoid-shaped back gusset, an edge treatment, and usually shoulder shaping. These are worn by all generations of women, particularly as part of the traditional Faroese costume as an overgarment.
The traditional Faroese national dress is also a local handicraft in which people invest much time, money, and effort to assemble. It is worn at weddings and traditional dancing events, and on feast days. The cultural significance of the garment should not be underestimated, both as an expression of local and national identity and a passing on and reinforcing of traditional skills that bind local communities together.
A young Faroese person is normally handed down a set of children's Faroese clothes that have passed from generation to generation. Children areconfirmedat age 14, and normally start to collect the pieces to make an adult outfit, which is considered as a rite of passage. Traditionally the aim would have been to complete the outfit by the time a young person was ready to marry and wear the clothes at the ceremony – though it is mainly only men who do this now.
Each piece is intricately hand-knitted, dyed, woven, or embroidered to the specifications of the wearer. For example, the man's waistcoat is put together by hand in bright blue, red, or black wool. The front is then intricately embroidered with colourful silk threads, often by a female relative. The motifs are often local Faroese flowers or herbs. After this, a row of Faroese-made solid silver buttons are sewn on the outfit.
Women wear embroidered silk, cotton, or wool shawls and pinafores that can take months to weave or embroider with local flora and fauna. They are also adorned with a handwoven black and red ankle-length skirt, knitted black and red jumper, a velvet belt, and black 18th-century style shoes with silver buckles. The outfit is held together by a row of solid silver buttons, silver chains, and locally-made silver brooches and belt buckles, often fashioned with Viking-style motifs.
Both men's and women's national dress are extremely costly and can take many years to assemble. Women in the family often work together to assemble the outfits, including knitting the close-fitting jumpers, weaving and embroidering, sewing, and assembling the national dress.
This tradition binds together families, passes on traditional crafts, and reinforces the Faroese culture of traditional village life in the context of modern society.
The National Archives of the Faroe Islands (Faroese:Tjóðskjalasavnið) is located in Tórshavn. Their main task is to collect, organize, record, and preserve the archival records (documents) of the authorities, to make them available to the public in the future. In this context, the National Archives supervises the register (diary) and archives of the public authorities. Currently, there are no other permanent archives in the Faroe Islands, but since the end of 2017, the national government has provided financial support for a three-year pilot project under the name "Tvøroyrar Skjalasavn", which aims to collect private archives from the area.
The National Library of the Faroe Islands (Faroese:Føroya Landsbókasavn) is based in Tórshavn and its main task is to collect, record, preserve, and disseminate knowledge of literature related to the Faroe Islands. TheNational Libraryalso functions as a research library and public library. In addition to the National Library, there are 15 municipal libraries and 11 school libraries in the Faroe Islands.
The Faroe Islands have numerous museums and galleries.
Føroya Fornminnissavn, Historical Museum; Listasavn Førøya, Faroese Museum of Art; Náttúrugripasavnið, Faroese Museum of Natural History; Norðurlandahúsið, House of the North; Heima á Garði, Hoyvík, Open Air Museum in Hoyvík; Føroya Sjósavn, Faroese Aquarium in Argir; Galerie Focus, Glarsmiðjan; Listagluggin, Art Gallery.
Faroese visual art is of great importance for the memory of Faroesenational identity, as well as for the dissemination of the Faroese visual universe.
The different periods and expressions of the visual arts meet and complement each other, but can also create a tension between the past and the present form of expression.
Faroese stamps designed by Faroese artists are currently on offer.
The first Faroese art exhibition was held inTórshavnin 1927.
Faroese filmmakers have made several short films in particular in recent decades, and Katrin Ottarsdóttir, among others, has directed three feature films, several shorts, and documentaries since her debut in 1989 with Rhapsody of the Atlantic. In 2012, the Faroese Geytin Film Award was established. These are two film awards that are presented once a year at a film festival at the Nordic House in Tórshavn in December. Filmmakers enter their films and a committee selects up to 10 films, which are screened at the event at the Nordic House. The main prize, worth DKK 25,000 and a statuette, is called Geytin and is awarded by the Nordic House, while the second prize, theAudience Award(Áskoðaravirðislønin), is worth DKK 15,000 and is awarded by the Thorshavn City Council. Sakaris Stórá won the first Geytin in December 2012 with the film Summarnátt (Summer Night).
In February 2014, his film Vetrarmorgun (Winter Morning) won three awards at theBerlinale. In 2012, Annika á Lofti won the Audience Award. In 2013, Olaf Johannessen won a Robert for Best Supporting Actor in the TV series Forbrydelsen III. In 2013 Dávur Djurhuus Geytin won for the short film Terminal, while Jónfinn Stenberg won the Audience Award for the short film Munch. In 2014, the same person won both film awards, as Heiðrikur á Heygum won both the Geytin and the Audience Award for the 30-minute horror film Skuld (Guilt) Andrias Høgenni won both awards at the Geytin in 2016 for the short film A Crack.
In 2019, he won the top prize at Geytin for theshort filmIkki illa meint. The same film, which was his graduation film in Super 16, was awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, Semaine de la Critique, and also won Danish film awards such as the Robert for Best Short Film and the Fiction award at the Ekko Shortlist Awards.
In 2014, the FaroeseMinistry of Culturereceived a grant in the Finance Act to provide financial support for Faroese films. In 2017, Filmshúsið was established. Filmshúsið is located in Sjóvinnuhúsið in Tórshavn. They will guide and assist the Faroese film community market Faroese films abroad and assist film productions. The Klippfisk film workshop is also located in Sjóvinnuhúsið. Klippfisk is supported by the municipality of Tórshavn and works with young film talent, including organizing the annual Nóllywood film school for teenagers. Nóllywood is held on the island of Nólsoy, usually during the summer vacations.
Ólavsøkais on 29 July; it commemorates the death ofSaint Olaf. The celebrations are held in Tórshavn, starting on the evening of the 28th and continuing until the 31st. 28 July is a half working day for the members of some of the labour unions, while Ólavsøkudagur (St Olaf's Day) on 29 July is a full holiday for most but not all union members.
The official celebration starts on the 29th, with the opening of theFaroese Parliament, a custom that dates back 900 years.This begins with a service held inTórshavn 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 kinds of sports competitions, the rowing competition (in Tórshavn Harbour) being the most popular, art exhibitions, pop concerts, and the famousFaroese dancein Sjónleikarhúsið and on Vaglið outdoor singing on 29 July (continuing after midnight on 30 July). The celebrations have many facets, and only a few are mentioned here.
Many people also mark the occasion by wearing the national Faroese dress.
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