Understand
The Faroese tourist season is very short. It begins in May and ends by September. Most visitors come between July and August by far. If you would like to avoid the busiest season, it is best to visit the Faroes in late May or early June, although, you shouldn’t expect high temperatures during this period. The main reasons why people tend to visit the islands are because of the nature and scenery. But the tranquillity of the islands also plays a major part. Bus rides, horse trekking, mountain hikes and boat trips are all ways to enjoy the magnificant wild green landscape. And the islands are undeniably beautiful: green, rugged and wind-swept. Because the islands are so close to the Arctic Circle, the amount of daylight varies by season. The sun sets briefly each night in June, so there are several hours of twilight, before the sun comes back up again. During the winther there are no days of complete darkness, but about five hours of daylight.
The Faroe Islands have one of the smallest independent economic entities in the world. The Faroe Island´s primary industry is the fishing industry. It accounts for over 80% of the total export value of goods, which are mainly processed fish products and fish farming. The unemployment rate in the Faroes is extremely low.
People
The Faroes were colonised by Norwegians in the 9th century - according to history the first settler was GrÃmur Kamban, a Norwegian Viking who made his home in Funningur on Eysturoy in 825. The Faroese population has largely descended from these settlers. Recent DNA analyses have revealed that Y chromosomes, tracing male descent, are 87% Scandinavian. However, the studies also show that mitochondrial DNA, tracing female descent, is 84% Scottish or Irish. This means that a vast majority of the population is of Celtic descent.
Today the population is 48.220 (1st March 2006). About 19,300 people live in the metropolitan area which comprises Tórshavn, Kirkjubøur, Velabastaður, Nólsoy, Hestur, Koltur, HoyvÃk, Argir, Kaldbak, Kaldbaksbotnur, Kollafjørður, Signabøur and Oyrareingir. About 4,700 people live in KlaksvÃk, the second largest town in the islands.
Faroese is the national language, it is rooted in Old Norse.
Politics
The viking settlers established their own parliament called "thing" around 800. Local things where established in different parts of the islands. The main thing was established on Tinganes in Tórshavn. About the turn of the millenium the Faroes came under control of the Norwegian king. In 1380 the Faroes along with Orkney, Shetland, Iceland and Greenland, came with Norway into a union with Denmark. At the end of the Napoleanic wars, by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden, but kept the Faroes and Greenland. In 1816, two years later, the Faroes were made into a Danish County. The old parliament was abolished. The Danish Governor became the highest authority in the Faroes.
In 1849 the Danish parliamentary constitution was made to apply in the Faroe Islands. In 1852...
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