|
Welcome to the Faroe Islands
Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean between Scotland and
Iceland, the 18 Faroe Islands have been an autonomous region
of the kingdom of Denmark since 1948. They govern themselves
in all areas except in defense and foreign affairs.
All but one of the 18 islands are populated, but most people
live on the two biggest islands in the heart of the island
group. Visitors to the Faroes find themselves surrounded
by beautiful scenery, which provides a spectacular backdrop
for all kinds of outdoor activities, the most popular being
hiking.
Rugged mountains with snow-capped peaks, waterfalls, green
valleys, grasslands, sea cliffs, sand dunes and fjords make
up most of the island's landscape.
In medieval times, Kirkjubour was the island's Episcopal
center. Here you can see some interesting ruins and the
stunning Magnus Cathedral, which dates back to the 13th
century.
Other outdoor activities include fishing, spearfishing and
diving. Even though it's certainly not like the Great Barrier
Reef in Australia, there are some underwater shipwrecks
waiting to be explored. Ocean inhabitants include large
pods of pilot whales, bottlenose whales, killer whales,
blue whales, dolphins and porpoises.
With one of the densest bird populations in the world, the
Faores are a bird-watcher's paradise. From puffins, gannets,
kittiwakes, razorbills, fulmars, guillemots to cormorants
and many others - you'll be busy taking plenty of pictures.
The most common land animals are cattle and sheep, of which
there are almost twice as many as people. You'll probably
run into a lot of them on your hikes. |
|
|
