ABOUT THE FAROE ISLANDS
Location and size
The Faroe Islands are located in the North Atlantic Ocean at 62º latitude North and 7º longitude West, approximately 430 kilometres south-east of Iceland, 600 kilometres west of Norway and 300 kilometres north-west from Scotland. The distance from Copenhagen to the Faroe Islands is approximately 1,300 kilometres. The Faroe Islands comprise 18 islands, separated by narrow sounds or fjords. The total area is 1,399 sq.km. The largest island is Streymoy (375.5 sq.km) with the capital, Tórshavn. The overall length of the archipelago north-south is 113 kilometres, and 75 kilometres east-west. The islands’ highest point "Slættaratindur" is 882 metres. On average the land is over 300 metres above sea level. The total coast line is 1,289 kilometres and at no time are you more than 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the ocean.
Population
The population of the Faroe Islands as per December 2009 was 48,660. With a population density of 34,5 per square kilometre, the Faroe Islands have the second highest population density of the Nordic countries after Denmark. The Faroese are of Scandinavian origin, desendants of Vikings who came from Norway. The Faroese settlement pattern is characterised by a large number of densely populated villages of varying size. There are in all about 100 towns and villages the largest town is the capital, Tórshavn, with 19,874 inhabitants. The second largest is Klaksvík with 4,845 inhabitants.
Language
In the twentieth century Faroese became the official language in the Faroe Islands, and is used in all matters - also within business, administration, political and cultural life. Danish is the second language and practically everyone can speak and write Danish. Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish are understood and spoken in many places, and most people are capable of communicating in English too. Faroese derives from Old Norse and is closely related to Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish. Speakers of the above Nordic languages will notice many familiar words and grammatical structures in Faroese. The closest language to Faroese is Icelandic and when Faroese and Icelanders speak to each other in their native tongues there is a good degree of mutual comprehension.
Climate
Although the Faroe Islands are located at 62 degrees N the climate in the Faroe Islands is surprisingly mild due to the Gulf Stream. The average temperature in the warmest months is 13°C resulting is mild summer days and during the winther the average temperature is 3°C. Visitors during the summer are taken aback by the characteristic long days and the light nights. In the middle of the summer the sun hardly sets and the longest day is 19½ hours long. This gives the visitors ample opportunities to enjoy the long and light evenings adding a special feel to the visit to the Faroe Islands. Another characteristic with the Faroese climate and which really facinates foreigners is the constantly changing wheather. One of the most comon feedbacks from tourists is the uniqueness of experiencing all four seasons within the same day.
Geology, fauna and flora
One of the first things that foreigners notice when they arrive in the Faroe Islands is the incredibly fresh air. The next thing that strikes our visitors is the blindingly green grass that covers the islands all the way up to the highest mountains giving the characteristic feeling of a country clad in green. The Faroe Islands are of volcanic origin. They are part of the North Atlantic basalt area, stretching from Ireland to Greenland. The mountains are formed in a layering process, from the grey-black basalt formed by lava from the Tertiery period''s volcanoes, interspersed by the softer red-brown tuff, which originates from the rain of ash preceding volcanic eruptions. Later the glaciers of the ice period restructured the original plateau, to an archipelago with high mountains, deep valleys and narrow fjords. The basalt covers older geological deposits, where the presence of hydro carbons is very likely. Animal life is characterised by the ever present sheep that outnumbers the population by a factor two and the rich and varied bird life expecially seabirds that attracts bird enthusiasts and ornithologist from all around the world. Further information on birds and bird watching can be seen under migrant birds.