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Wikipedia portal for content related to the Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands Portal TheFaroe Islands (/ˈfɛəroʊ/FAIR-oh), also known as theFaroes, are anarchipelago in the NorthAtlantic Ocean and arigsdel ('autonomous territory') of theKingdom of Denmark. Located betweenIceland,Norway, and theHebrides andShetland isles ofScotland, the islands have a population of 54,870 as of November 2025[update] and a land area of 1,393 km2 (538 sq mi). The official language isFaroese, which is partially mutually intelligible withIcelandic. The terrain is rugged, dominated byfjords and cliffs with sparse vegetation and few trees. As a result of their proximity to theArctic Circle, the islands experience perpetualcivil twilight during summer nights and very short winter days; nevertheless, they experience asubpolar oceanic climate and mild temperatures year-round due to theGulf Stream. The capital,Tórshavn, receives the fewest recorded hours of sunshine of any city in the world at only 840 per year. Færeyinga saga and the writings ofDicuil place initial Norse settlement in the early 9th century, withGrímur Kamban recorded as the first permanent settler. As with the subsequentsettlement of Iceland, the islands were mainly settled byNorwegians andNorse-Gaels who also broughtthralls (i.e. slaves orserfs) ofGaelic origin. However, a 2024 study found that Viking colonizers of the Faroe Islands and nearby Iceland had different origins. Initially governed as an independent commonwealth under theLøgting, the islands came under Norwegian rule in the early 11th century after the introduction of Christianity bySigmundur Brestisson. The Faroe Islands followed Norway's integration into theKalmar Union in 1397 and came underde facto Danish rule following that union's dissolution in 1523. Following the introduction ofLutheranism in 1538, the Faroese language was banned in public institutions and disappeared from writing for more than three centuries. The islands were formally ceded to Denmark in 1814 by theTreaty of Kiel along withGreenland and Iceland, and theLøgting was subsequently replaced by a Danish judiciary. Following the re-establishment of theLøgting and an officialFaroese orthography, theFaroese language conflict saw Danish being gradually displaced by Faroese as the language of the church, public education, and law in the first half of the 20th century. The islands were occupied bythe British during the Second World War, who refrained from governing Faroese internal affairs: inspired by this period of relative self-government and thedeclaration of Iceland as a republic in 1944, the islands held areferendum in 1946 that resulted in a narrow majority for independence. The results were annulled byKing Christian X, and subsequent negotiations led to the Faroe Islands being granted home rule in 1948. While remaining part of theKingdom of Denmark to this day, the Faroe Islands have extensive autonomy and control most areas apart frommilitary defence,policing,justice andcurrency, with partial control overforeign affairs. Because the Faroe Islands are not part of the samecustoms area as Denmark, they have an independenttrade policy and can establish their own trade agreements with other states. The islands have an extensive bilateral free trade agreement with Iceland, known as theHoyvík Agreement. In certain sports, the Faroe Islands field their own national teams. In theNordic Council andCouncil of Europe, they are represented as part of the Danish delegation. The islands' fishing industry accounts for around 90% of their exports, with tourism becoming increasingly prominent since the 2010s. They did not become a part of theEuropean Economic Community (EEC) in 1973, instead keepingautonomy over their own fishing waters; as a result, the Faroe Islands are not a part of theEuropean Union (EU) today. TheLøgting, albeit suspended between 1816 and 1852, claims to be one of the oldest continuously running parliaments in the world. (Full article...) Selected article -show anotherThe levels ofeducation in the Faroe Islands areprimary,secondary andhigher education. Most institutions are funded by the state; there are few private schools in the country. Education is compulsory for 9 years between the ages of 7 and 16. In the twelfth century education in the Faroe Islands was provided by theCatholic Church. TheChurch of Denmark took over education after theProtestant Reformation. Modern educational institutions started operating in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and developed throughout the twentieth century. The status of theFaroese language in education was a significant issue for decades, until it was accepted as a language of instruction in 1938. Initially education was administered and regulated by Denmark. In 1979 responsibilities on educational issues started transferring to the Faroese authorities, a procedure which was completed in 2002. (Full article...) Selected picture -show anotherThings you can do
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