Faroe Islands

The islands' endonym Føroyar, as well as the English exonym Faroe Islands (alt. Faeroe or the Faroes), derive from the Old Norse Færeyjar. The second element oyar ('islands') is a holdover from Old Faroese; sound changes have rendered the word's modern form as oyggjar. Names for individual islands (such as Kalsoy and Suðuroy) also preserve the old form.

The name's etymological origin has been subject to dispute. The most widely held theory, first attested in Færeyinga Saga, interprets Færeyjar as a straightforward compound of fær ('sheep') and eyjar ('islands'), meaning 'sheep islands' in reference to their abundance on the archipelago. Clergymen Peder Clausson and Lucas Debes began casting doubt on this theory in the 16th and 17th centuries, arguing that the West Norse-speaking settlers, whose word for sheep was sauðr instead of the East Norse fær, could not have coined it from this exact origin. Debes surmised that it could have derived from fjær ('far'), while Hammershaimb leaned towards fara ('to go', 'to travel').

Others have theorised an Old Irish origin: relating it to the etymologies of neighbouring Orkney and Shetland, Scottish writers James Currie and William J. Watson suggested the words feur ('pasture', 'eaten-up outfield') and fearann ('land', 'territory') as possible derivations, arguing that the original Celtic attestations of the islands made this more likely. Archaeologist Anton Wilhelm Brøgger concurred, elaborating on Watson's theory by positing that the Norse, having first learned of the islands from Scottish and Irish accounts as a fearann, could have coined Færeyjar as a homophonic translation.

Archaeological studies from 2021 found evidence of settlement on the islands before the arrival of Norse settlers, uncovering burnt grains of domesticated barley and peat ash deposited in two phases: the first dated between the mid-fourth and mid-sixth centuries, and another between the late-sixth and late-eighth centuries. Researchers have also found sheep DNA in lake-bed sediments dating to the year 500. Barley and sheep had to have been brought to the islands by humans; as Scandinavians did not begin using sails until about 750, it is unlikely they could have reached the Faroes before then, leading to the study concluding that the settlers were more likely to originate from Scotland or Ireland.

Irish monk Dicuil described a group of islands north of Scotland of very similar character to the Faroe Islands in his work De mensura orbis terrae. In this text, Dicuil describes a group of small islands separated by narrow stretches of water that was always deserted since the beginning of time and previously populated by "hermits from our land of Ireland/Scotland" for almost a hundred years before being displaced by the arrival of Norse pirates. There are many other islands in the ocean to the north of Britain which can be reached from the northern islands of Britain in a direct voyage of two days and nights with sails filled with a continuously favourable wind. A devout priest told me that in two summer days and the intervening night he sailed in a two-benched boat and entered one of them.

There is another set of small islands, nearly all separated by narrow stretches of water; in these for nearly a hundred years hermits sailing from our country, Ireland, have lived. But just as they were always deserted from the beginning of the world, so now because of the Northman pirates they are emptied of anchorites, and filled with countless sheep and very many diverse kinds of sea-birds. I have never found these islands mentioned in the authorities.It has been argued that these were likely the eremitic Papar that had similarly resided in parts of Iceland and Scotland in the same period, with these Papar also being the ones to bring sheep to the islands. A voyage tale, recorded in the ninth-century, concerning Irish saint Brendan, who proceeded Dicuil by 3 centuries, details him visiting an unnamed northern group of islands; this has also been argued to be referring to the Faroe Islands, though not nearly as conclusively. Some toponyms around the islands refer to the Papar and the Irish, such as Paparøkur near Vestmanna and Papurshílsur near Saksun. Vestmanna is itself short for Vestmannahøvn ('harbour of the Westmen'). Tombstones in a churchyard on Skúvoy display a possible Gaelic origin or influence.

Old Norse-speaking settlers arrived in the early 9th century, and their Old West Norse dialect would later evolve into the modern Faroese language. A number of the settlers were Norse–Gaels who did not come directly from Scandinavia, but rather from Norse communities that spanned the Irish Sea, Northern Isles, and Outer Hebrides of Scotland, including the Shetland and Orkney islands; these settlers also brought thralls of Gaelic origin with them, and this admixture is reflected today in the Faroese genetic makeup and many loanwords from Old Irish. According to Færeyinga saga, many of the Norwegian settlers in particular were spurred by their disapproval of the monarchy of Harald Fairhair, whose rule was also seen as an inciting factor for the Settlement of Iceland.

The founding date of the Løgting is not historically documented. However, the saga implies that it was a well-established institution by the middle of the 10th century, when a legal dispute between chieftains Havgrímur and Einar Suðuroyingur, resulting in the exile of Eldjárn Kambhøttur, is recounted in detail.

Christianity was introduced to the islands in the late 10th and early 11th centuries by chieftain Sigmundur Brestisson. Baptised as an adult by then-King of Norway Olaf Tryggvason, his mission to introduce Christianity was part of a greater plan to seize the islands on behalf of the Norwegian crown. While Christianity arrived at the same time as in Iceland, the process was met with much more conflict and violence, and was defined particularly by Sigmundur's conflict with rival chieftain Tróndur í Gøtu, the latter of whom was converted under threat of decapitation. Although their conflict resulted in Sigmundur's murder, the Islands fell firmly under Norwegian rule following Tróndur's death in 1035.

In 1380, the Faroe Islands entered a union with Denmark through the unification of Denmark and Norway, marking the beginning of a prolonged period under Danish influence. This transition led to significant changes, including the introduction of Lutheranism in 1538, which had profound effects on the islands' religious practices and cultural identity.

The Faroe Islands were subjected to repeated slave raids by the Barbary corsairs between the 16th and 18th centuries. The most famous slave raid on the Faroe Islands was the slave raid of Suðuroy in the summer of 1629.

The 17th century brought economic challenges as Denmark imposed a trade monopoly, restricting the Faroese economy and limiting their commercial interactions with other nations. This monopoly was eventually lifted in 1856, allowing the islands to develop a modern fishing industry and revitalise their economy.

The 19th century was a pivotal era for Faroese cultural and political revival. Lutheran minister Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb introduced an official orthography for the Faroese language in 1846, reaffirming its cultural significance after centuries of suppression. This linguistic renaissance fuelled the growth of a national movement, leading to the reinstatement of the Løgting in 1852 as an advisory body.

The early 20th century saw the emergence of political parties advocating for greater autonomy. The Union Party favoured maintaining ties with Denmark, while the Self-Government Party pushed for full independence.

In the first year of the Second World War, on 12 April 1940, British troops occupied the Faroe Islands in Operation Valentine. Nazi Germany had invaded Denmark and commenced the invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940 under Operation Weserübung. In 1942–1943, the British Royal Engineers, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Law, built the first and only airport in the Faroe Islands, Vágar Airport. The British refrained from governing Faroese internal affairs, and the islands became effectively self-governing during the war. After the war ended and the British army left, this period and Iceland's declaration as a republic in 1944 served as a precedent and a model in the mind of many Faroe Islanders.

Independence debates culminated in a 1946 referendum where a slim majority voted for independence; however, the Danish government annulled the results, and the islands remained under Danish sovereignty.

The Løgting held an independence referendum on 14 September 1946, resulting in a very narrow majority for independence; 50.73% voted in favour and 49.27% against; the margin was only 161 votes. The Løgting subsequently declared independence on 18 September 1946; this declaration was annulled by Denmark on 20 September, arguing that the number of invalid votes (481) being greater than the narrow margin in favour made the result invalid. As a result, King Christian X of Denmark ordered that the Faroese Løgting be dissolved on 24 September, with new elections held that November. The Faroese parliamentary election of 1946 resulted in a majority for parties opposed to independence: following protracted negotiations, Denmark granted home rule to the Faroe Islands on 30 March 1948. This agreement granted the islands a high degree of autonomy, and Faroese finally became the official language in all public spheres.

In 1973, the Faroe Islands declined to join Denmark in entering the European Economic Community (EEC); as a result, the islands are not part of the European Union (EU) today (although, as Danish citizens, Faroe Islanders are still considered EU citizens). Following the collapse of the fishing industry in the early 1990s, the Faroes experienced considerable economic difficulties.

Today, the Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, proud of their cultural heritage, fishing industry, and political autonomy.

The Faroe Islands are an island group consisting of 18 major islands (and a total of 779 islands, islets, and skerries) about 655 kilometres (407 mi) off the coast of Northern Europe, between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Iceland and Norway, the closest neighbours being the Northern Isles and the Outer Hebrides of the United Kingdom. Its coordinates are 62°00′N 06°47′W.

Distance from the Faroe Islands to:

Rona (uninhabited), United Kingdom: 260 kilometres (160 mi)

Shetland (Foula), United Kingdom: 285 kilometres (177 mi)

Orkney (Westray), United Kingdom: 300 kilometres (190 mi)

United Kingdom (mainland): 320 kilometres (200 mi)

Iceland: 450 kilometres (280 mi)

Norway: 580 kilometres (360 mi)

Ireland: 670 kilometres (420 mi)

Denmark: 990 kilometres (620 mi)

The islands cover an area of 1,399 square kilometres (540 sq. mi) and have small lakes and rivers, but no major ones. There are 1,117 kilometres (694 mi) of coastline. The only significant uninhabited island is Lítla Dímun.

The islands are rugged and rocky with some low peaks; the coasts are mostly cliffs. The highest point is Slættaratindur in northern Eysturoy, 882 metres (2,894 ft) above sea level.

The Faroe Islands are made up of an approximately six-kilometres-thick succession of mostly basaltic lava that was part of the great North Atlantic Igneous Province during the Paleogene period. The lavas erupted during the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean, which began about 60 million years ago, and what is today the Faroe Islands was then attached to Greenland. The lavas are underlain by circa 30 km of unidentified ancient continental crust.

The climate is classed as subpolar oceanic climate according to the Köppen climate classification: Cfc, with areas having a tundra climate, especially in the mountains, although some coastal or low-lying areas may have very mild-winter versions of a tundra climate. The overall character of the climate of the islands is influenced by the strong warming influence of the Atlantic Ocean, which produces the North Atlantic Current. This, together with the remoteness of any source of landmass-induced warm or cold airflows, ensures that winters are mild (mean temperature 3.0 to 4.0 °C or 37 to 39 °F) while summers are cool (mean temperature 9.5 to 11.2 °C or 49 to 52 °F).

The islands are windy, cloudy, and cool throughout the year, with an average of 210 rainy or snowy days per year. The islands lie in the path of depressions moving northeast, making strong winds and heavy rain possible at all times of the year. Sunny days are rare, and overcast days are common. Hurricane Faith struck the Faroe Islands on 5 September 1966 with sustained winds over 100 mph (160 km/h), and only then did the storm cease to be a tropical system.

The climate varies greatly over small distances due to the altitude, ocean currents, topography, and winds. Precipitation varies considerably throughout the archipelago. In some highland areas, snow cover may last for months, with snowfalls possible for the greater part of the year (on the highest peaks, summer snowfall is by no means rare), while in some sheltered coastal locations, several years pass without any snowfall whatsoever. Tórshavn receives frosts more often than other areas just a short distance to the south. Snow is also seen at a much higher frequency than on outlying islands nearby. The area receives on average 49 frosts a year.

The collection of meteorological data on the Faroe Islands began in 1867. Winter recording began in 1891, and the warmest winter occurred in 2016–17 with an average temperature of 6.1 °C (43 °F).

The Faroes belong to the Faroe Islands boreal grasslands ecoregion. The natural vegetation of the Faroe Islands is dominated by arctic-alpine plants, wildflowers, grasses, moss, and lichen. Most of the lowland area is grassland, and some are heath, dominated by shrubby heathers, mainly Calluna vulgaris. Among the herbaceous flora that occurs in the Faroe Islands is the cosmopolitan marsh thistle, Cirsium palustre.

Although it is often asserted that the islands are naturally treeless, several tree species, among them shrubby willows (salix), junipers (Juniperus), and stunted birches, colonised the island after the Ice Age but disappeared later – apparently as a result of grazing impacts, possibly aggravated by a shift to relatively wetter cooler climatic conditions about the same time. A limited number of species have been successfully introduced to the region, in particular, trees from the Magellanic subpolar forests region of Chile. Conditions in the Magellanic subpolar forests are similar to those in the Faroe Islands, with cold summers and near-continuous subpolar winds. The following species from Tierra del Fuego, Drimys winteri, Nothofagus antarctica, Nothofagus pumilio, and Nothofagus betuloides, have been successfully introduced to the Faroe Islands. A non-Chilean species that has been introduced is the black cottonwood, also known as the California poplar (Populus trichocarpa).

The bird fauna of the Faroe Islands is dominated by seabirds and birds attracted to open land such as heather, probably because of the lack of woodland and other suitable habitats. Many species have developed special Faroese sub-species such as the common eider, common starling, Eurasian wren, and black guillemot. The pied raven, a colour morph of the North Atlantic subspecies of the common raven, was endemic to the Faroe Islands, but now has become extinct; the ordinary, all-black morph remains fairly widespread in the archipelago.

Only a few species of wild land mammals are found in the Faroe Islands today, all introduced by humans. Three species are thriving on the islands today: mountain hare (Lepus timidus), brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), and the house mouse (Mus musculus). Recent DNA studies have reveal three independent introductions of the brown rat to the Faroe Islands

The domestic animals of the Faroe Islands are a result of 1,200 years of isolated breeding. As a result, many of the islands' domestic animals are found nowhere else in the world. Faroese domestic breeds include Faroe pony, Faroe cow, Faroe sheep, Faroese goose, and Faroese duck. The Faroe sheep is depicted on the coat of arms; there once was a variety of feral sheep, which survived on Lítla Dímun until the mid-nineteenth century.

Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are common around the shorelines, away from human habitations. Several species of cetacea live in the waters around the Faroe Islands. Best known are the long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melaena), which still are hunted by the islanders under longstanding local tradition (see Whaling, below). Orcas (Orcinus orca) are regular visitors around the islands.

The islands were formed during a period of high volcanic activity in the Early Paleogene, around 50–60 million years ago. The islands are built up in layers of different lava flows (basalt) alternating with thin layers of volcanic ash (tuff). The soft ash and the hard basalt thus lie layer upon layer in narrow and thick strips. The soft tuff or ash zones erode relatively quickly, and the hard lump of basalt above the eroded tuff falls away, forming the first terrace.

Volcanic activity has varied over millions of years, with periods of quiescence and various periods of quiet eruptive fissures and explosive volcanism. In a few places, mainly on Suðuroy, thin layers of coal are present, which are the remains of swamp forests from the time between volcanic eruptions. The plateau has, therefore, been divided into different basalt series according to the course of volcanism and the age sequence of the layers.

There are major differences in the shapes of the islands' terraces. The lowest and oldest series are thick lava deposits that can be seen on the southern part of Suðuroy, Mykines, Tindhólmur, and the western side of Vágar. The basalts of the lower basalt series are often pillared, which is shown by elongated, angular, and regular pillars in the mountainside. Very regular vertical columns are found on northern Mykines, where they can be up to 30 metres (100 ft) high.

The middle basalt series consists of thin lava flows with a highly porous interlayer. This series has very little resistance to crumbling and weathering. As these erosion processes are more severe at higher altitudes than lower down, the lowlands are filled with weathering material from the heights, often resulting in a characteristic curved landscape shape. This can be seen in Vágar, the northernmost part of Streymoy, and the northwestern part of Eysturoy.

Glacial activity has reduced plateau surfaces, especially on the northern islands, where the surfaces have been reduced to a series of narrower or wider zig-zag rows along the length of the islands: especially on the islands of Kunoy, Kalsoy, and Borðoy, where an eastward and a westward ice mass have eroded the intervening mountain range into a narrow ridge.

The Faroe Islands have a predominantly mountainous terrain, with elevations rising steeply from the coastline on most islands. The landscape features a series of basaltic plateaus intersected by valleys and fjords, resulting in numerous summits across the archipelago. The highest elevations are located on the larger northern islands, particularly Eysturoy, Viðoy and Kunoy.

The five highest mountain peaks in the Faroe Islands are:

Slættaratindur (Eysturoy) – 880 m

Gráfelli (Eysturoy) – 856 m

Villingadalsfjall (Viðoy) – 841 m

Kúvingafjall (Kunoy) – 830 m

Teigafjall (Kunoy) – 825 m

See more at Wikipedia page: List of mountains of the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are a self-governing country under the external sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Faroese government holds executive power in local government affairs. The head of the government is called the Løgmaður ("Chief Justice") and serves as Prime Minister and head of the Faroese Government. Any other member of the cabinet is called a Minister of the Faroese Government (landsstýrismaður/ráðharri if male, landsstýriskvinna/ráðfrú if female). The Faroese parliament – the Løgting ("Law Thing") – dates back to the early days of settlement and claims to be one of the longest functioning parliaments in the world, alongside the Icelandic Althing and the Manx Tynwald. The parliament currently has 33 members.

Elections are held at municipal and national levels, additionally electing two members (North Atlantic mandates) to the Folketing. Until 2007, there were seven electoral districts, which were abolished on 25 October of that year in favour of a single nationwide district.

Administratively, the islands are divided into 29 municipalities (kommunur) within which there are 120 or so settlements.

There are also the six traditional sýslur: Norðoyar, Eysturoy, Streymoy, Vágar, Sandoy, and Suðuroy. While no longer of any legal significance, the term is still commonly used to indicate a geographical region. In earlier times, each sýsla had its own assembly, the so-called várting ("spring assembly").

The Faroe Islands have been under Norwegian-Danish control since 1388. The 1814 Treaty of Kiel terminated the Danish–Norwegian union, and Norway came under the rule of the King of Sweden, while the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland remained Danish possessions. From ancient times the Faroe Islands had a parliament (Løgting), which was abolished in 1816, and the Faroe Islands were to be governed as an ordinary Danish amt (county), with the Amtmand as its head of government. In 1851, the Løgting was reinstated, but, until 1948, it served mainly as an advisory body.

The islands are home to an independence movement that has seen an increase in popular support within recent decades. At the end of World War II, some of the population favoured independence from Denmark, and on 14 September 1946, an independence referendum was held on the question of secession. It was a consultative referendum, the parliament not being bound to follow the people's vote. This was the first time that the Faroese people had been asked whether they favoured independence or wanted to continue within the Danish kingdom.

The result of the vote was only a slight majority in favour of secession. The Speaker of the Løgting, together with the majority, initiated the process of becoming an independent state. The minority of the Løgting left in protest, regarding these actions as illegal. One parliament member, Jákup í Jákupsstovu, was shunned by his own party, the Social Democratic Party, for having joined the majority of the Løgting.

The Speaker of the Løgting declared the Faroe Islands independent on 18 September 1946.

On 25 September 1946, a Danish prefect announced to the Løgting that the king, rejecting the majority vote, had dissolved the parliament and ordered new elections.

A parliamentary election was held a few months later, in which the political parties that favoured remaining in the Danish kingdom increased their share of the vote and formed a coalition. Based on this, they chose to reject secession. Instead, a compromise was reached, and the Folketing passed a home-rule law that went into effect in 1948. The Faroe Islands' status as a Danish amt was thereby brought to an end; the Faroe Islands were given a high degree of self-governance, supported by a financial subsidy from Denmark to recompense expenses the islands have on Danish services.

In protest against the new Home Rule Act, Republic (Tjóðveldi) was founded.

As of 2021, the islanders were evenly split between those favouring independence and those who preferred to continue as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Within both camps, there is a wide range of opinions. Of those who favour independence, some are in favour of an immediate unilateral declaration of independence. Others see independence as something to be attained gradually and with the full consent of the Danish government and the Danish nation. In the unionist camp, many foresee and welcome a gradual increase in autonomy even while strong ties with Denmark are maintained.

Two attempts have been made to draft a separate Faroese constitution. The first time was in 2011, when the then prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen denounced it as incompatible with Denmark's constitution, stating that if the Faroe Islands wished to continue with the move, they must declare independence. A second attempt was made in 2015, facing similar criticisms before eventually being withdrawn without a vote.

As explicitly asserted by both treaties of the European Union, the Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union. The Faroes are not grouped with the EU when it comes to international trade; for instance, when the EU and Russia imposed reciprocal trade sanctions on each other over the war in Donbas in 2014, the Faroes began exporting significant amounts of fresh salmon to Russia. 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 considered Danish nationals within the meaning of the treaties. Hence, Danish people living in the Faroes are not citizens of the European Union (though other EU nationals living there remain EU citizens). The Faroes are not covered by the Schengen Agreement, but there are no border checks when travelling between the Faroes and any Schengen country (the Faroes have been part of the Nordic Passport Union since 1966, and since 2001 there have been no permanent border checks between the Nordic countries and the rest of the Schengen Area as part of the Schengen agreement).

The Faroe Islands are not fully independent, but they do have political relations directly with other countries through an agreement with Denmark. The Faroe Islands is a member of some international organisations as though they were an independent country. The Faroes have associate membership in the Nordic Council but have expressed wishes for full membership.

The Faroe Islands are a member of several international sports federations like UEFA, FIFA in football and FINA in swimming and EHF in handball and have their own national teams. They also have their own telephone country code, +298, Internet country code top-level domain, .fo, banking code FO, and postal code system.

The Faroe Islands make their own agreements with other countries regarding trade and commerce. When the European Union imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation in 2014, the Faroe Islands were not a part of the embargo because they are not a part of EU, and the islands had just themselves experienced a year of embargo from the EU including Denmark against the islands; the Faroese prime minister Kaj Leo Johannesen went to Moscow to negotiate the trade between Russia and the Faroe Islands. The Faroese minister of fisheries negotiates with the EU and other countries regarding the rights to fish.

In mid-2005, representatives of the Faroe Islands raised the possibility of their territory joining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). According to Article 56 of the EFTA Convention, only states may become members of the EFTA. The Faroes are an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and not a sovereign state in their own right. Consequently, they considered the possibility that the "Kingdom of Denmark in respect of the Faroes" could join the EFTA, though the Danish Government has stated that this mechanism would not allow the Faroes to become a separate member of the EEA because Denmark was already a party to the EEA Agreement. The Government of Denmark officially supports new membership of the EFTA with effect for the Faroe Islands.

Defence is the responsibility of the Danish government. The 1st Squadron of the Royal Danish Navy is primarily focused on national operations in and around the Faroe Islands and Greenland. As of 2023, the 1st Squadron comprises

four Thetis-class patrol vessels;

three Knud Rasmussen-class patrol vessels; and

the royal yacht HDMY Dannebrog (having a secondary surveillance and sea-rescue role)

After 2025, the Thetis-class vessels are to be replaced by the planned MPV80-class ships. The new vessels will incorporate a modular concept enabling packages of different systems (for minehunting or minelaying, for example) to be fitted to individual ships as may be required.

In 2022, the Danish and Faroe Islands governments signed an agreement to establish an air surveillance radar system on the islands. The radar will monitor airspace between Iceland, Norway, and Britain with a reported range of 300–400 kilometres (190–250 mi).

In addition to naval units, the Royal Danish Air Force can provide C-130J and Challenger 604 aircraft from Squadron 721 for search and rescue as well as surveillance missions.

The vast majority of the population are ethnic Faroese, of Norse and Celtic descent. Recent DNA analyses have revealed that Y chromosomes, tracing male descent, are 87% Scandinavian,

while mitochondrial DNA, tracing female descent, is 84% Celtic.

There is a gender deficit of about 2,000 women owing to migration. As a result, some Faroese men have married women from the Philippines and Thailand, whom they met through such channels as online dating websites, and arranged for them to emigrate to the islands. This group of approximately three hundred women makes up the largest ethnic minority in the Faroes.

The total fertility rate of the Faroe Islands is one of the highest in Europe. The 2015 fertility rate was 2.409 children born per woman.

The 2011 census shows that of the 48,346 inhabitants of the Faroe Islands (17,441 private households in 2011), 43,135 were born in the Faroe Islands, 3,597 were born elsewhere in the Kingdom of Denmark (Denmark proper or Greenland), and 1,614 were born outside the Kingdom of Denmark. People were also asked about their nationality, including Faroese. Children under 15 were not asked about their nationality. 97% said that they were ethnic Faroese, which means that many of those who were born in either Denmark or Greenland consider themselves ethnic Faroese. The other 3% of those older than 15 said they were not Faroese: 515 were Danish, 433 were from other European countries, 147 came from Asia, 65 from Africa, 55 from the Americas, 23 from Russia.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the Faroe Islands entered a deep economic crisis leading to heavy emigration; however, this trend reversed in subsequent years to a net immigration. This has been in the form of a population replacement as young Faroese women leave and are replaced with Asian/Pacific brides. In 2011, there were 2,155 more men than women between the age of 0 to 59 in the Faroe Islands.