Faroe Islands

Introduction to Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands or simply Faroes (Faroese: Føroyar, meaning "Sheep Islands", Danish: Færøerne) are a group of islands in the north Atlantic Ocean between Scotland, Norway and Iceland. They have been an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948 and have, over the years, taken control of most matters, except defence (they have no organized native military, which remains the responsibility of Denmark, except for a small Police Force and Coast Guard) and foreign affairs.

The Faroes give their name to one of the British Sea Areas. They have close traditional ties to Iceland, Shetland, the Orkney Islands, the Outer Hebrides and Greenland. The archipelago was detached from Norway in 1815. The Faroes have their own representatives in the Nordic Council.

Cultural notes about Faroe Islands

he Faroe Islands have always been isolated from the main cultural phases and movements that have swept across the rest of Europe.

The phrase "Faroe Islands" is in some sense redundant, since øerne or oyar means "islands" in Danish and Faroese respectively. The Faroes have a culture very much their own, but it holds elements in common with Norway, Iceland, and Denmark.

The Faroese language, spoken by all Faroese people, is most similar to Icelandic and Old Norse.

Traditional Faroese food is mainly based on meat and potatoes and uses few fresh vegetables. Mutton is the basis of every meal, 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. Other traditional foods are rast kjøt (semi-dried mutton) and rastan fisk, matured fish. After the bloody grindadráp, a speciality is grind og spik, whale and blubber. Fresh fish also features strongly in the local diet, as do seabirds, such as puffin, and their eggs.