Positioned in the heart of the Gulf Stream, adrift in the North Atlantic at 62° north, the Faroe Islands lie to the northwest of Scotland – about halfway between Norway and Iceland.

The remote archipelago comprises 18 rocky islands connected by a series of tunnels, bridges and ferries. When visiting the Faroe Islands, you are never more than 5km (3 miles) away from the ocean. The countryside is dominated by steep mountains and there are about 70000 sheep and some 2 million pairs of seabirds, including the largest colony of storm petrels in the world.

On the Faroes live about 5.322 people and the largest city is Tórshavn where 20.764 live. The first settlers were Irish monks who arrived in the 7th century. The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands were colonized by Denmark in 1814.

Since 1948, the Faroe Islands have been a self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has its own parliament and its own flag. It is not, however, a member of the European Union and all trade is governed by special treaties. The flag of the Faroe Islands is an offset cross, representing Christianity. It is similar in deign to other Nordic flags and is called Merkiö, which means the ‘the banner.’ Religion plays an important role in the Faroe Islands and over 80 % of the population belong to the established church, the Evangelical-Lutheran. 10 % of the population belong to the Christian Brethren.

The Faroese language is an independent language, but comes from the Old Norwegian language and is thereby related to the other Scandinavian languages.

The weather is maritime and quite changeable, from moment of sunshine to misty hill fog, to rain. The average temperature ranges from 3.5 degrees in winter to 12 degrees in the summer. In shelter areas, the temperature can be much higher, but the air is always fresh and clean no matter what the season.

The Faroe Island has a good road network with approx. 600 miles which makes it easy to get around the Island. Driving is on the right side of the road and it is required to wear a seatbelt. The speed limit is 50 km in towns and villages and 80 km on the main roads.

The Faroese government prints its own currency called the króna, although Danish coins are also used.

Facts about The Faroe Islands

  • The Faroe Islands is one of the world’s leading nations in producing sustainable electricity with over 50% of the nation’s electricity deriving from renewable energy sources. The aim is that the nation’s electricity will be sourced solely from renewable energy by 2030.
  • No point in the Faroe Island is further than 5 km (3 miles) away from the sea.
  • Many houses have grass roofs. Sheep – not mowing machines are used for mowing the grass.
  • There is a total of three traffic lights in the Faroe islands – all located in Tórshavn.
  • There are only two international fast-food outlets: Burger King and Sunset Boulevard.
  • There are approximately 110 different species of birds. Many thinks that the national bird is the puffin. It is in fact the oystercatcher.
  • The Prime Minister’s phone number is in the phone book.