Faroe Islands

The islands' endonym Føroyar, as well as the English exonym Faroe Islands (alt. Faeroe or the Faroes), derive from the Old Norse Færeyjar. The second element oyar ('islands') is a holdover from Old Faroese; sound changes have rendered the word's modern form as oyggjar. Names for individual islands (such as Kalsoy and Suðuroy) also preserve the old form. The name's etymological origin has been subject to dispute. The most widely held theory, first attested in Færeyinga Saga, interprets Færeyjar as a straightforward compound of fær ('sheep') and eyjar ('islands'), meaning 'sheep islands' in reference to their abundance on the archipelago. …

Archaeological studies from 2021 found evidence of settlement on the islands before the arrival of Norse settlers, uncovering burnt grains of domesticated barley and peat ash 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 using sails until 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. Irish monk Dicuil described a group of islands north of Scotland of very similar character to the Faroe Islands in his work De mensura orbis terrae. …

The Faroe Islands are an island group consisting of 18 major islands (and a total of 779 islands, islets, and skerries) about 655 kilometres (407 mi) 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 Isles and the Outer Hebrides of the United Kingdom. Its coordinates are 62°00′N 06°47′W. Distance from the Faroe Islands to: Rona (uninhabited), United Kingdom: 260 kilometres (160 mi) Shetland (Foula), United Kingdom: 285 kilometres (177 mi) Orkney (Westray), United Kingdom: 300 kilometres (190 mi) United Kingdom (mainland): 320 kilometres (200 mi) Iceland: 450 kilometres (280 mi) Norway: 580 kilometres (360 mi) Ireland: 670 kilometres (420 mi) Denmark: 990 kilometres (620 mi) The islands cover an area of 1,399 square kilometres (540 sq. …

The culture of the Faroe Islands has its roots in Nordic culture. The Faroe Islands were long isolated from the main cultural phases and movements that swept across mainland Europe. This means that they have maintained a great part of their traditional culture. The language spoken is Faroese, which is one of three insular North Germanic languages descended from the Old Norse language spoken in Scandinavia in the Viking Age, the others being Icelandic and the extinct Norn, which is thought to have been mutually intelligible with Faroese. Until the 15th century, Faroese had a similar orthography to Icelandic and Norwegian, but after the Reformation in 1538, the ruling Norwegians outlawed its use in schools, churches, and official documents. Although a rich spoken tradition survived for 300 years, the language was not written down. …

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 2019 the unemployment reached a record low 0.9%. Nevertheless, the almost total dependence on fishing and fish farming means that the economy remains vulnerable. The largest private company of the Faroe Islands is the salmon farming company Bakkafrost, which is also the largest of the four salmon farming companies in the Faroe Islands, and third largest in the world. In 2011, 13% of the Faroe Islands' national income consists of economic aid from Denmark, corresponding to roughly 5% of GDP. …

By road, the main islands are connected by bridges and tunnels. Government-owned Strandfaraskip Landsins provides public bus and ferry service to the main towns and villages. There are no railways. By air, Scandinavian Airlines and the government-owned Atlantic Airways both have scheduled international flights to Vágar Airport, the islands' only airport. Atlantic Airways also provides helicopter service to each of the islands. All civil aviation matters are controlled by the Civil Aviation Administration Denmark. By sea, Smyril Line operates a regular international passenger, car, and freight service linking the Faroe Islands with Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, and Hirtshals, Denmark. …