Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 islands in the North Atlantic. They are approximately equal distances from Iceland to the west, Denmark and Norway to the east and Scotland to the south. Although the Islands are Danish territory, they have a fairly high degree of independence in domestic matters and are administered by a local parliament.

The islands themselves are spectacular, rocky outcrops surrounded by ocean. First settled by Irish monks in the 6th century AD, the Faroes were later colonised by farmers from Norway. The islands came under Danish control in the 1300s, when Norway became part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Unsurprisingly, fishing has long been the economic mainstay of the Faroe Islands and this continues today. The Faroes are also one of the few countries still to practice whaling - the annual pilot whale season provides important reserves of food for the long, dark winter.

Visitors to the islands arrive either by sea - several ferry routes include a stop at the Island's capital, Torshavn - or by air, at Vagar Airport. In either case, once on the islands, visitors will never be more than 3 miles from the sea and can travel by boat (often with vehicles) between the 18 islands. The islands themselves collectively have more than 687 miles of coastline and occupy 545 square miles, with the archipelago stretching 70 miles from north to south and 40 miles across, at the widest point.

With a population of around 50,000 people, the Faroe Islands are quite sparsely populated outside the major towns. The islands collectively only have around 500km of paved roads - but winter weather means that vehicles' reliability and durability are thoroughly put to the test - a good reason to hire a car when visiting. There are two main languages - Faroese and Danish - and the islands' currency is the Danish Krone.