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Mykines Myggenæs | |
|---|---|
 Mykines seen from Mykineshólmur | |
 Location within the Faroe Islands | |
| Coordinates:62°06′N7°36′W / 62.100°N 7.600°W /62.100; -7.600 | |
| State |  Kingdom of Denmark |
| Constituent country |  Faroe Islands |
| Area | |
• Total | 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 560 m (1,840 ft) |
| Population (08 September 2025[1]) | |
• Total | 9 |
| • Density | 0.90/km2 (2.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (EST) |
| Calling code | 298 |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Mykines |
| Designated | 31 May 2012 |
| Reference no. | 2051[2] |
Mykines (Danish:Myggenæs) is the westernmost of the 18 main islands of theFaroese Archipelago.
It lies west of 7.5 degrees W, effectively putting it in theUTC-1 region. However, Mykines usesGreenwich Mean Time like the rest of the Faroes. The only settlement on the island is also calledMykines.
On the northern side of the island is the valley of Korkadalur, where there are great columns ofbasalt, called the Stone-wood. To the west of Mykines is the 1 km long islet Mykineshólmur, with severalsea stacks clustered at its western end, where alighthouse was built in 1909. A 40m-long footbridge connects its eastern end with Mykines.
Mykines belongs to the oldest part of the Faroe Islands and was formed about 60 million years ago. The Faroese basalt is divided into three phases of eruption: the lower and oldest, the middle, and the upper and youngest; the lowest formed by the eruption of low-viscosity lava through long fissures, forming flat volcanoes. In the sound between Mykines and Mykineshólmur, Holmgjogv, one can see one of the most abundant of such flows on the Faroes, with a depth of about 50 m. The interspersed layers of softer volcanic tuff between the layers of basalt are differentially eroded, so forming, especially on the steep northern side of the islet, some of the richestbird cliffs in the world. The highest peak on the island is Knúkur at 560 metres above sea level.[3]
Mountain hares (Lepus timidus) have been introduced, and inhabit the mountain area and surrounding valleys. The Mykines house mouse (Mus musculus mykinessiensis) is endemic for Mykines, and this might suggest an early introduction, maybe as early as in the 6th century by theIrish monks, who cultivated this island. Its closest relative was the now extinctSt Kilda house mouse (Mus musculus muralis).
Large numbers ofpuffins andgannets inhabit Mykines and Mykineshólmur. On the rocks at the water's edge there are colonies ofcormorants, while the eroded tuff layers in the cliffs make perfect nesting ledges forguillemots andrazorbills. On the grassy slopes above the bird cliffs, thousands of puffins have their burrows, and theirguano fertilizes the slopes. Access to the puffin colony is subject to a fee.[4]
Mykines, including Mykineshólmur, has been identified as anImportant Bird Area byBirdLife International because of its significance as a breeding site forseabirds, especiallynorthern fulmars (50,000 pairs),Manx shearwaters (2500 pairs),European storm petrels (50,000 pairs),northern gannets (200 pairs),European shags (250 pairs),black-legged kittiwakes (23,000 Pairs),Atlantic puffins (125,000 pairs),common guillemots (9500 individuals) andblack guillemots (200 pairs).[5]
It has been suggested that the name Mykines is pre-Norse in origin, coming frommuc-innis, an Irish term forpig island. This may be a reference towhales, which are known asmuc-mhara (sea sows) in Irish.
The population of the island declined over the 20th century, with 11 permanent residents of Mykines village in 2004; the oldest inhabitant was 75 and the youngest six years old. Although there are 40 houses in the village, only six are inhabited year-round. Earlier Mykines was one of the largest villages in the Faroes, with a population of 170 people in 1940. From 1911 to 2004 Mykines was a separate community but in 2005 it merged administratively with Sørvagur kommune. Famous people from Mykines include the painterSámal Joensen-Mikines (1906-1979).
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1769 | 61 |
| 1870 | 114 |
| 1890 | 154 |
| 1925 | 179 |
| 1940 | 170 |
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2012 | 14 |
| 2018 | 10 |
Islands of theFaroe Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
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