Faroe Islands
the Kingdom of Denmark
Located half way between Scotland and Iceland in the Northeast Atlantic,
the Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 mountainous islands, with a
total land area of 1,399 square kilometres, a sea area of
274,000 square kilometres and a population of 50,000.
The
language of the Faroe Islands is Faroese. It is a Nordic language, which
derives from the language of the Norsemen, who settled in the islands
some 1200 years ago. The name Føroyar (Faroe Islands) is derived from
old Norse and means Sheep Islands, a name given by the Viking age
settlers.
The Faroe Islands are a self-governing nation under the external sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. Faroe Islands have exclusive competence to legislate and govern independently in a wide range of areas. These include for example the conservation and management of living marine resources, protection of the environment, sub-surface resources, trade, taxation, industrial relations, energy, transport, communications, social security, culture, education and research. ⛰ learn more