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The Faroe Islands or simply Faroes (Faroese: Føroyar, meaning "Sheep Islands", Danish: Færøerne) are a group of islands in Northern Europe, between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway. 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 a small organized native military in Mjørkadalur), which is the responsibility of Denmark, and a small Police Force and Coast Guard) and foreign affairs. The Faroes have close traditional ties to Iceland, Shetland, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides and Greenland. The archipelago was detached from Norway in 1814. The Faroes are represented in the Nordic Council as a part of the Danish Delegation.
History The early history of the Faroe Islands is not very clear. According to Færeyinga Saga emigrants who left Norway to escape the tyranny of Harald I of Norway settled in the islands about the beginning of the 9th century. There is also evidence that Irish monks settled the islands, introducing sheep in the process. Early in the 11th century Sigmund, whose family had flourished in the southern islands but had been almost exterminated by invaders from the northern islands, escaped to Norway and was sent back to take possession of the islands for Olaf Tryggvason, king of Norway. He introduced Christianity and, though he was subsequently murdered, Norwegian supremacy was upheld. Norwegian control of the islands continued until 1380, when Norway entered into a union with Denmark, which gradually evolved into Danish control of the island. The reformation reached the Faroes in 1538. When the union between Denmark and Norway was dissolved as a result of the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, Denmark retained possession of the Faroe Islands. The monopoly trade over the Faroe Islands was abolished in 1856. Since then, the country developed towards a modern fishery nation with its own fleet. The national awakening since 1888 was first based on a struggle for the Faroese language, and thus more culturally oriented, but after 1906 was more and more politically oriented after the foundation of the political parties of the Faroe Islands. On April 12, 1940, the Faroes were invaded and occupied by British troops. The move followed the invasion of Denmark by Nazi Germany and had the objective of strengthening British control of the North Atlantic (see Second Battle of the Atlantic). In 1942–43 the British Royal Engineers built the only airport in the Faroes, the Vágar Airport. Control of the islands reverted to Denmark following the war, but in 1948 a home rule regime was implemented granting a high degree of local autonomy. The Faroes declined to join Denmark in entering the European Community (now European Union) in 1973. The islands experienced considerable economic difficulties following the collapse of the fishing industry in the early 1990s, but have since made efforts to diversify the economy. Support for independence has grown and is the objective of the government. Politics
The Faroes and Denmark The Treaty of Kiel in 1814 terminated the Danish-Norwegian union. Norway came under the rule of the King of Sweden, but the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland remained as possessions of Denmark. In continuation of this the Løgting was abolished (1816), and the Faroe Islands were to be governed as a regular Danish amt, with the Amtmand as its head of government. In 1851 the Løgting was resurrected, but served mainly as an advisory power until 1948. At the end of the Second World War a portion of the population favoured independence from Denmark, and on September 14 1946 a public election was held on the question of secession. It is not considered a referendum, as the parliament was not bound to follow the decision of the vote. This was the first time that the Faroese people were asked if they favoured independence or if they wanted to continue as a part of the Danish Kingdom. The outcome of the vote produced a small majority in favour of secession, but the coalition in parliament could not reach a resolution on how this election should be interpreted and implemented, and because of these irresolvable differences the coalition fell apart. A parliament election was held just a few months later, in which the political parties who favored staying in the Danish Kingdom went up in votes and formed a coalition. Based on their growth in votes they chose not to pass the secession. Instead a compromise was made and the Folketing passed a home-rule law which came into effect in 1948. The Faroe Islands' status as a Danish amt was brought to an end with the home-rule law; the Faroe Islands were given a high degree of self-governance, supported by a substantial annual subsidy from Denmark. The islanders are about evenly split between those favouring independence and those who prefer to continue as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Within both camps there is, however, a wide range of opinions. Of those who favour independence some are in favour of an immediate unilateral declaration. Others see it as something to be attained gradually and in full consent with the Danish government and the Danish nation. In the unionist camp there are also many who foresee and welcome a gradual increase in autonomy even as strong ties to Denmark are maintained. The Faroes and the EU The Faroe Islands are not part of the EU, as explicitly asserted by both Rome treaties. Moreover, a protocol to the treaty of accession of Denmark to the European Communities stipulates that Danish nationals residing in the Faroe Islands are not to be considered as Danish nationals within the meaning of the treaties. Hence, Danish people living in the Faroes are not citizens of the European Union (however, other EU nationals living there remain EU citizens). The Faroes are not covered by the Schengen free movement agreement but there are no border checks when travelling between the Faroes and any Schengen country. Geography
Natural history and biology A collection of the marine algae from the Faroes resulting from a survey sponsored by NATO, the British Museum (Natural History) and Carlsberg Foundation is preserved in the Ulster Museum catalogue numbers: F3195 - F3307. It is one of 10 exsiccatae sets. Economy After the severe economic troubles of the early 1990s, brought on by a drop in the vital fish catch and poor management of the economy, the Faroe Islands have come back in the last few years, with unemployment down to 5% in mid-1998. In 2006 unemployment declined to 3%, one of the lowest rates in Europe. Nevertheless, the almost total dependence on fishing means the economy remains extremely vulnerable. The Faroese hope to broaden their economical base by building new fish-processing plants. Petroleum found close to the Faroese area gives hope for deposits in the immediate area, which may lay the basis to sustained economic prosperity. Since 2000, new information technology and business projects have been fostered in the Faroe Islands to attract new investment. The result from these projects is not yet known but is hoped to bring a better market economy to the Faroe Islands. The Faroes have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, but this is not necessarily a sign of a recovering economy, as many young students move to Denmark and other countries once they are finished with high school. This leaves a largely middle-aged and elderly population that may lack the skills and knowledge to take IT positions on the Faroes. Transportation Vágar Airport has scheduled service to destinations from Vágoy Island. The largest Faroese airline is Atlantic Airways; there is also the new rival FaroeJet. Due to the rocky terrain and relatively small size of the Faroe Islands, its transportation system was not as extensive as other places of the world. This situation has changed, and today the infrastructure has been developed extensively. Some 80% of the population in the islands is connected by under-ocean tunnels, bridges and embankments which binds the 3 largest islands and 3 comparatively large islands to the northeast together, while the other two large islands to the south of the main area are connected to the main area with brand new modern, fast ferries. There are good roads that lead to every village in the islands except 7 of the smaller islands with only one village each. Demographics The vast majority of the population are ethnic Faroese, of Norse and Celtic descent. Of the approximately 48,000 inhabitants of the Faroe Islands (16,921 private households (2004)) 98% are realm citizens, meaning Faroese, Danes or Eskimos. By birthplace one can derive the following origins of the inhabitants: Borne on the Faroes 91, 7%, in Denmark 5, 8% and in Greenland 0.3%. The largest group of foreigners are Icelanders counting 0.4% of the population, followed by Norwegians and the Polish which each count 0.2%. Altogether there live on the Faroe Islands people from 77 different nations, counting 15 Germans (2003). Faroese is spoken in the entire country. It is not possible to say exactly how many people speak the Faroese language. This is because of two reasons: Firstly, many ethnic Faroese live in Denmark and few who are born there return to the Faroes with their parents or as adults. Secondly, there are some established Danish families on the Faroes who speak Danish at home. The Faroese language is the smallest of the Germanic languages. In the 20th Century Faroese became the host language; Danish only has the character of a traffic language. Also, the Faroese language policy provides for an active creation of new terms in faroese suitible for modern life. Population trends If the first inhabitants of the Faroe Islands were Irish monks, then they have lived as a very small group of settlers. Later, when the Vikings colonised the Islands, there was a considerable increase in the population. The population, however, never exceeded 5000 until the 18th Century. Around 1349 about half of the population died of the plague. Only with the rise of the deep sea fishery (and thus independence from the difficult agriculture) and with general progress in the health service, a rapid population growth could take place in the Faroes; starting in the 18th Century the population increased tenfold in 200 years. At the beginning of the 1990´s the Faroe Islands entered a heavy economic crisis with heavy noticeable emigration, which however turned around in the subsequent years to a net migration Urbanization The Faroese population is spread across most of the country; and it was not until recent decades that there has been a significant urbanization. Industrialization has been remarkably decentralized and the country has therefore maintained quite a viable rural culture. Nevertheless, those villages with bad harbour facilities have been the losers of the development from agriculture to fisheries, and in the most peripheral agricultural areas there are scarcely any young people left. Such areas are e.g. Fugloy, Svínoy, Mykines, Skúvoy and Dímun, which have extremely bad connections to the rest of the country, and can often not be reached every day due to bad weather. In the past decades, the village-based social structure has nevertheless been placed under pressure, and instead there has been a rise in "centres" that are able to provide goods that are in demand in the periphery. This has meant that shops and services are now heavily being relocated from the villages and into the centres. Religion
Culture Technically, the phrase "Faroe Islands" is a pleonasm, since the suffixes øerne and oyar mean "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 Faroese people, is most similar to Icelandic and Old Norse. Ólavsøka The national holiday, Ólavsøka, is on the 29th July, commemorating the death of Saint Olaf. Festivities commence on the evening of the 28th. On the 29th, the Faroese Parliament meets for a service in Tórshavn Cathedral prior to a special Parliamentary session. Celebrations are marked by rowing competitions (notably in Tórshavn harbour), art exhibitions and the famous Faroese dance. The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands (in Faroese Norðurlandahúsið) is the most important cultural institution in the Faroes. Its aim is to support and promote Nordic and Faroese culture, locally and in the Nordic region. Erlendur Patursson (1913-1986), Faroese member of the Nordic Council, brought forward the idea of a Nordic cultural house in the Faroe Islands. A Nordic competition for architects was held in 1977, where 158 architects participated. Winners were Ola Steen from Norway and Kolbrún Ragnarsdóttir from Iceland. By staying true to folklore the architects built the Nordic House to resemble an enchanting hill of elves. The building is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Scandinavia. The house opened in Tórshavn in 1983. The Nordic House is organized as a cultural organization under the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic House is run by a steering committee of 8, of which 3 are Faroese and 5 from the outside Nordic countries. There is also a local advisory body of 15 members, representing Faroese cultural organizations. The House is managed by a director appointed by the steering committee for a four-year term. Traditional food Traditional Faroese food is mainly based on meat and potatoes and uses few fresh vegetables. Mutton is the basis of many meals, 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. Particularly in the small towns and villages. Other traditional foods are ræst kjøt (semi-dried mutton) and ræstur fiskur, matured fish. Another Faroese specialty is grind og spik, pilot whale meat and blubber. Well into the last century meat and blubber from the pilot whale meant food for a long time. Fresh fish also features strongly in the traditional local diet, as do seabirds, such as puffins, and their eggs. The Faroe Islands in popular culture Miscellaneous topics See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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