Faroe Islands

The earliest settlers may have come from Ireland, Scotland and Scandanavia around 400AD. An Irish monk called Brendan in his description of a voyage in the early 6th Century in this area described islands resembling the Faroe Islands. Another monk called Dicuil visited in the 9th Century. The earliest evidence of Christianity on the islands suggests a Celtic origin. Norsemen arrived around the early 800s bringing their language, Old West Norse which gradually became the modern Faroese language.

The land of the Faroes is rugged, and these islands have a climate which is windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. 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 is heath, dominated by shrubby heathers. Although there are no trees native to the Faroe Islands, limited species were able to be successfully introduced to the region, including the Black Cottonwood.

The economy of the Faroe Islands is dominated by the sea. If you have a job (and most islanders do) then it will either have something to do with fish or boats!