8 ms·

Tales from the far-flung Faroes

217 points by sjcsjc 8y ago

Animats 8y ago
Oh, a small island, not Rockall.
- isostatic 8y ago
  You can survive on Rockall, you can't live there.
- fiftyacorn 8y ago
  Rockall isnt an island - it was reclassified as an islet. I imagine to stop any interlopers assigning 200km fishing or drilling rights
  - maxerickson 8y ago
    Are there dictionary definitions of "islet" that don't amount to "small island"? I get that you are talking about a legal distinction, but no reason to expect such specific usage in casual conversation.
    - sandworm101 8y ago
      If at the highest tides waves crash over, it isnt an island. If the saltwater spay is so much that no plantlife grows, it is only a rock.
Svip 8y ago
Despite the Faroese people's issue with Denmark, it cannot be denied that the Faroese Islands (and Greenland for that matter) are heavy reliant on Denmark. As the article mentions, most of the islands' infrastructure comes courtesy of Denmark. While calls for independence are far louder on Greenland than on the Faroese Islands, there is nonetheless a sense dislike for Denmark both places. Although, it seems the Faroese politicians recognises that independence would not be a good move for them. And before people say, hey, it worked out for Iceland pretty well; Iceland has several advantages to it that made that possible: Far easier geography than the Faroese Islands or Greenland. Far more people (300,000 vs 50,000 today). And during the Second World War, when it happened, the US was also helping Iceland with the money to maintain some livelihood. I doubt the US will help Greenland or the Faroese Islands in that endeavour today. The US already got Thule Airbase.
- sakarisson 8y ago
  Can you point out to me where in the article it states that most of the infrastructure comes from Denmark? All I found was an example of a boat that had been built in Denmark and bought from Spain. The huge subsidy you're talking about accounts for about 3% of the annual Faroese GDP. It's gone down from 11.2% since 2000. From my perspective, it seems like most Danish people have a very uneducated perspective of the Faroese dependence.
  - barry-cotter 8y ago
    The Faroe Islands have to be dependent on someone because they’re certainly not capable of defending themselves. That someone could be the EU if it had a credible collective military deterrent but it doesn’t and it’s not acquiring one any time soon. Unless war never returns to Europe in which case I worry needlessly.
    - lomnakkus 8y ago
      That's funny. I seem to recall from history classes that it was the British that came to the Faroe Island's defense on a previous historic occasion. (For obvious strategic reasons to do with the geographic location in the North Atlantic.) What did the Danish do on that occasion, I wonder? That's right, they surrendered to the Germans. (Understandably, I might add.) Look, the Faroe Islands do get a lot out of being so intimately tied to to Denmark, but let's not oversell it, OK?
      - rando444 8y ago
        The British weren't defending the Faroes, they were defending themselves. It's just a question of "someone's going to take it, so we should take it first".. similar to the british and subsequent american occupation of Iceland.
        lomnakkus 8y ago
        Well, duh. Point remains that Denmark was completely incapable of defending the Faroes and thus a "union" with Denmark is completely absurd if you're going to argue it from a defense perspective (as the OP did).
keyle 8y ago
Wow. What a life. Makes you wonder, are they more/less happy than us in our technology/busting cities lifestyles? Pretty sure you'll find a lot of people lonelier via social medias than these people on remote places.
- Arnt 8y ago
  I've lived on a remote island and now live in a big city surrounded by more cities. Your question doesn't make sense to me. It's like asking which group of people have better health, people whose first names are longer than their last names or the other way around.
  - barry-cotter 8y ago
    I’d be very surprised if per capita suicide rates aren’t lower on Faroe than in Denmark. Community reduces loneliness, industrial society leads to anomie and isolation. Isolation and anomie make suicide more likely.
    - dijit 8y ago
      You assert that because one key aspect of human need is improved that others arent harmed in equal measure at the same time. Who knows which is a larger factor in suicide. Social Pressure from being bullied by your only community is probably a stronger force than loneliness.
- grumdan 8y ago
  On the other hand, life might be harder for people who don't fit in well and then don't have anywhere else to socialize; the lack of privacy and constant gossiping probably doesn't help either. I grew up in a 1000-people village (not on an island though) and experienced this to some extent, but would imagine this to be much worse in such tiny communities.
salimmadjd 8y ago
I was lucky enough to visit the Faroe Islands two years ago. The islands are just out of this world beautiful. The photos on this article does not do justice. I have yet to upload many of my images, but some of my photos are here, [1,2,3,4]. The cliffs on Faroe are massive (it much older island formation than the Iceland). For example that light house on picture 1, is that white dot you see on the drone shot on photo 3. Because helicopter is really needed, it's treated like public transportation. So it's almost like the cost of Uber ride on Bay Area. I think we paid like $20 or so for a 15-20 min flight. However, to reduce tourist abuse, you can only take the helicopter one-way. But when we visited, it was very low season and helicopter was pretty much empty and they allowed us to take a roundtrip flight which was quite amazing. That being said, on our last full day we took a boat ride. Where the pilot showed us some of uninhabited islands. Like you read this in this article. He would point to a hut on a small abandon island and he would say: no one has lived here since 1998 (or something like that). On that same boat ride we hit some rainy weather, and part of the highlight of the trip is the boat going through this giant rock formation by the cliffs. It was almost like being inside the movie King Kong. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. One more interesting experience was arriving there. Firstly the airport is on this strange and scary location. Secondly, on arrival (because of high tariff rates) you see people buying cases of Coca Cola, etc at duty-free shop before officially entering into the country. I highly recommend visiting there. [1] https://www.eyeem.com/p/121810400 https://www.eyeem.com/p/121810400 [2] https://www.eyeem.com/p/121804039 https://www.eyeem.com/p/121804039 [3] https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320647 https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320647 [4] https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320500 https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320500
- cryptozeus 8y ago
  What site is this ? Does not open properly on mobile. Photo cuts of due to add for app on header.
  - freshyill 8y ago
    There’s an iOS app called Unobstruct that provides an extension that will removed position: fixed elements. It helped here.
algesten 8y ago
My mom took me and my sister hiking on Faroe islands in the 80s. Boat from Bergen, Norway. We went to Mykines and I remember a village full of dogs roaming around free. This was heaven for my animal obsessed 12 year old self. And some hanging rope bridge high over the sea between to islands. Mum tied herself, my sister and I together with a rope. Not sure that would have worked...
- Sammi 8y ago
  I think the bridge has be replaced since the eighties, but here's what it looks like now: https://www.google.com/search?q=mykines+bridge&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXrPTL57XbAhVRKFAKHXPSDKoQ_AUICigB&biw=1600&bih=898&dpr=1.2 https://www.google.com/search?q=mykines+bridge&hl=en&source=...
hestefisk 8y ago
Funny enough it doesn’t mention their brutal treatment of whales.
- ionwake 8y ago
  Thanks for the comment I had a good read. My opinion is that if whaling is a tradition held over 500 years, the least they could do is atleast use the same wooden boats and tools from the era, and mantain the tradition as it was, instead of amping it up with modern technologies and motor boats. I can understand the history of cultures is important, but they should atleast stick to the way it was, especially if it will reduce the number of whale deaths and help if anything improve the accuracy of the tradition.
  - sakarisson 8y ago
    Faroese guy here. Feel free to ask me any questions if there is something in this comment that I don't address. As you might imagine, Faroese people have a tendency to get quite defensive when this subject comes up. In my opinion, this mostly comes from the fact that most of the critique is based on misinformation. First of all, I should point out that the whale slaughter is not purely a tradition. It's not like fox hunting or bullfighting, which is are mainly done for entertainment and other non-essential reasons. The whale hunt accounts for a significant portion of the meat consumed in the country. The only other locally sourced meat is sheep and fish. Everything else needs to be imported. The whale hunt is not for fun or for entertainment. It is for food. Is it possible to survive without it? Sure, but then those missing calories will need to be imported, causing damage to the environment and also acting as drain on the already vulnerable economy. The Faroes are largely supported by fishing, and most families own a modern boat. If we for some reason had to do the whaling with traditional wooden boats, then we'd all need to own two boats. Not only that, but the hunt would become much more dangerous and risky for no practical reason. That said, the boats are probably not used for hunting like you imagine it. They are used to herd the whales onto the beach where they are killed using pretty traditional means. This part of the hunt has also diverged from the old days though, and I would definitely say for the better. Originally, the whales were killed by slicing their throats, letting them bleed out. These days doing it like that is illegal. We have developed a new spear-like tool, which makes it easy to sever the spinal cord in a single blow, instantly killing the whales. This eliminates the most painful part for the animal. The whale drives are a communal effort to provide food for the entire community, not a "manhood tradition", as often depicted in the media. I can tell you one thing for certain - if people stopped caring about eating whales, the tradition would also stop.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
walrus01 8y ago
This is also the place where their tourism promotion agency did "Google sheep view" https://www.google.com/search?num=100&ei=plISW_-wDYjV8AOv552wCg&q=google+sheep+view+faroe&oq=google+sheep+view+faroe&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.3..0j0i22i30l2.14182.17300..17683...4....118.988.6j4......0....1.........33i160j0i13j0i13i30j0i8i13i30j33i22i29i30j0i22i10i30j33i21.WOvuYYo67Ec%3D https://www.google.com/search?num=100&ei=plISW_-wDYjV8AOv552... https://youtu.be/6KubWaYvRGE https://youtu.be/6KubWaYvRGE
ianai 8y ago
What does this country produce? The article gave me the impression that all the work is logistics.
- sakarisson 8y ago
  As you might be able to imagine, mainly fish.
- lb1lf 8y ago
  Also, as I’ve met lots of Faroese sailors while working in the offshore industry, I’d imagine those not carrying the mail or working the fisheries are crewing vessels.
- Sammi 8y ago
  "The vast majority of Faroese exports, almost 95%, consists of fishery products" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Faroe_Islands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Faroe_Islands
skookumchuck 8y ago
It'd be nice if the author dialed back the oh-so-clever display of the photos. What's wrong with just putting in the photos like on a magazine page? Geez. I want to look at the pictures, not irritating overlays and weird scrolling. I suppose it's the modern version of blinky text.
- afterburner 8y ago
  I've hated this style of scroll-but-not-scroll technique ever since first seeing it on some NYT article a few years ago. It's never grown on me; it feels unnatural and annoying.
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    I've given up on some recent moderately interesting nyt articles because the scroll direction kept changing. It was just too exhausting.
- dvh 8y ago
  So that's why my 512mb phone keeps crashing on OOM
chriselles 8y ago
Beautifully desolate photos.
Odenwaelder 8y ago
How do they maintain genetic diversity on such small islands?
- rando444 8y ago
  Many locals move away, and many Danes move there later in life.
  - kwhitefoot 8y ago
    Danes moving there in later life aren't likely to add much to the gene pool, at least not the women.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
marban 8y ago
Random trivia if you're into soccer and/or underdog stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnbZHNS4O1k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnbZHNS4O1k
- smcl 8y ago
  I’m a a Scot, The Faroes also pushed us close a couple of times. Some countries dread drawing France, Italy or Germany in their group for the World Cup or European Championshp, I dread the Faroe Islands lest we have another fucking away game in Toftir...
growlist 8y ago
Another article about the Faroe Islands - this one about women from abroad moving to marry Faroese men. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39703486 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39703486
dpatrick86 8y ago
Wow. The island with just two families that you have to get to by helicopter is hard to wrap my head around! It seems like using a helicopter to go anywhere would be expensive... and yet, they must use it for all kinds of things. If I hadn't read it and seen pictures, I would think the impracticalities of this situation would make it fundamentally impossible to do long-term. Yet, people are doing it. They have a clearly very nice homestead and a way of life that is working for them.
- ridewinter 8y ago
  In Switzerland they use helicopters for everything, even for normal building construction instead of a crane. Very wealthy countries can get away with it..in which the Faroes are as a part of Denmark.
Sami_Lehtinen 8y ago
Don't forget checking out Svalbard [1], it's much larger, way northern and a lot less people. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard
teddyh 8y ago
Apparently, the Faroe Islands are a lot more religious than is the norm among other nordic countries: https://satwcomic.com/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-like https://satwcomic.com/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-like https://satwcomic.com/ungodly-surprise https://satwcomic.com/ungodly-surprise

217 points by sjcsjc 8y ago

Animats 8y ago

Oh, a small island, not Rockall.

isostatic 8y ago
You can survive on Rockall, you can't live there.
fiftyacorn 8y ago
Rockall isnt an island - it was reclassified as an islet. I imagine to stop any interlopers assigning 200km fishing or drilling rights
- maxerickson 8y ago
  Are there dictionary definitions of "islet" that don't amount to "small island"? I get that you are talking about a legal distinction, but no reason to expect such specific usage in casual conversation.
  - sandworm101 8y ago
    If at the highest tides waves crash over, it isnt an island. If the saltwater spay is so much that no plantlife grows, it is only a rock.

Svip 8y ago

Despite the Faroese people's issue with Denmark, it cannot be denied that the Faroese Islands (and Greenland for that matter) are heavy reliant on Denmark. As the article mentions, most of the islands' infrastructure comes courtesy of Denmark. While calls for independence are far louder on Greenland than on the Faroese Islands, there is nonetheless a sense dislike for Denmark both places. Although, it seems the Faroese politicians recognises that independence would not be a good move for them. And before people say, hey, it worked out for Iceland pretty well; Iceland has several advantages to it that made that possible: Far easier geography than the Faroese Islands or Greenland. Far more people (300,000 vs 50,000 today). And during the Second World War, when it happened, the US was also helping Iceland with the money to maintain some livelihood. I doubt the US will help Greenland or the Faroese Islands in that endeavour today. The US already got Thule Airbase.

sakarisson 8y ago
Can you point out to me where in the article it states that most of the infrastructure comes from Denmark? All I found was an example of a boat that had been built in Denmark and bought from Spain. The huge subsidy you're talking about accounts for about 3% of the annual Faroese GDP. It's gone down from 11.2% since 2000. From my perspective, it seems like most Danish people have a very uneducated perspective of the Faroese dependence.
- barry-cotter 8y ago
  The Faroe Islands have to be dependent on someone because they’re certainly not capable of defending themselves. That someone could be the EU if it had a credible collective military deterrent but it doesn’t and it’s not acquiring one any time soon. Unless war never returns to Europe in which case I worry needlessly.
  - lomnakkus 8y ago
    That's funny. I seem to recall from history classes that it was the British that came to the Faroe Island's defense on a previous historic occasion. (For obvious strategic reasons to do with the geographic location in the North Atlantic.) What did the Danish do on that occasion, I wonder? That's right, they surrendered to the Germans. (Understandably, I might add.) Look, the Faroe Islands do get a lot out of being so intimately tied to to Denmark, but let's not oversell it, OK?
    - rando444 8y ago
      The British weren't defending the Faroes, they were defending themselves. It's just a question of "someone's going to take it, so we should take it first".. similar to the british and subsequent american occupation of Iceland.
      - lomnakkus 8y ago
        Well, duh. Point remains that Denmark was completely incapable of defending the Faroes and thus a "union" with Denmark is completely absurd if you're going to argue it from a defense perspective (as the OP did).

keyle 8y ago

Wow. What a life. Makes you wonder, are they more/less happy than us in our technology/busting cities lifestyles? Pretty sure you'll find a lot of people lonelier via social medias than these people on remote places.

Arnt 8y ago
I've lived on a remote island and now live in a big city surrounded by more cities. Your question doesn't make sense to me. It's like asking which group of people have better health, people whose first names are longer than their last names or the other way around.
- barry-cotter 8y ago
  I’d be very surprised if per capita suicide rates aren’t lower on Faroe than in Denmark. Community reduces loneliness, industrial society leads to anomie and isolation. Isolation and anomie make suicide more likely.
  - dijit 8y ago
    You assert that because one key aspect of human need is improved that others arent harmed in equal measure at the same time. Who knows which is a larger factor in suicide. Social Pressure from being bullied by your only community is probably a stronger force than loneliness.
grumdan 8y ago
On the other hand, life might be harder for people who don't fit in well and then don't have anywhere else to socialize; the lack of privacy and constant gossiping probably doesn't help either. I grew up in a 1000-people village (not on an island though) and experienced this to some extent, but would imagine this to be much worse in such tiny communities.

salimmadjd 8y ago

I was lucky enough to visit the Faroe Islands two years ago. The islands are just out of this world beautiful. The photos on this article does not do justice. I have yet to upload many of my images, but some of my photos are here, [1,2,3,4]. The cliffs on Faroe are massive (it much older island formation than the Iceland). For example that light house on picture 1, is that white dot you see on the drone shot on photo 3. Because helicopter is really needed, it's treated like public transportation. So it's almost like the cost of Uber ride on Bay Area. I think we paid like $20 or so for a 15-20 min flight. However, to reduce tourist abuse, you can only take the helicopter one-way. But when we visited, it was very low season and helicopter was pretty much empty and they allowed us to take a roundtrip flight which was quite amazing. That being said, on our last full day we took a boat ride. Where the pilot showed us some of uninhabited islands. Like you read this in this article. He would point to a hut on a small abandon island and he would say: no one has lived here since 1998 (or something like that). On that same boat ride we hit some rainy weather, and part of the highlight of the trip is the boat going through this giant rock formation by the cliffs. It was almost like being inside the movie King Kong. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. One more interesting experience was arriving there. Firstly the airport is on this strange and scary location. Secondly, on arrival (because of high tariff rates) you see people buying cases of Coca Cola, etc at duty-free shop before officially entering into the country. I highly recommend visiting there. [1] https://www.eyeem.com/p/121810400 https://www.eyeem.com/p/121810400 [2] https://www.eyeem.com/p/121804039 https://www.eyeem.com/p/121804039 [3] https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320647 https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320647 [4] https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320500 https://www.eyeem.com/p/93320500

cryptozeus 8y ago
What site is this ? Does not open properly on mobile. Photo cuts of due to add for app on header.
- freshyill 8y ago
  There’s an iOS app called Unobstruct that provides an extension that will removed position: fixed elements. It helped here.

algesten 8y ago

My mom took me and my sister hiking on Faroe islands in the 80s. Boat from Bergen, Norway. We went to Mykines and I remember a village full of dogs roaming around free. This was heaven for my animal obsessed 12 year old self. And some hanging rope bridge high over the sea between to islands. Mum tied herself, my sister and I together with a rope. Not sure that would have worked...

Sammi 8y ago
I think the bridge has be replaced since the eighties, but here's what it looks like now: https://www.google.com/search?q=mykines+bridge&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXrPTL57XbAhVRKFAKHXPSDKoQ_AUICigB&biw=1600&bih=898&dpr=1.2 https://www.google.com/search?q=mykines+bridge&hl=en&source=...

hestefisk 8y ago

Funny enough it doesn’t mention their brutal treatment of whales.

ionwake 8y ago
Thanks for the comment I had a good read. My opinion is that if whaling is a tradition held over 500 years, the least they could do is atleast use the same wooden boats and tools from the era, and mantain the tradition as it was, instead of amping it up with modern technologies and motor boats. I can understand the history of cultures is important, but they should atleast stick to the way it was, especially if it will reduce the number of whale deaths and help if anything improve the accuracy of the tradition.
- sakarisson 8y ago
  Faroese guy here. Feel free to ask me any questions if there is something in this comment that I don't address. As you might imagine, Faroese people have a tendency to get quite defensive when this subject comes up. In my opinion, this mostly comes from the fact that most of the critique is based on misinformation. First of all, I should point out that the whale slaughter is not purely a tradition. It's not like fox hunting or bullfighting, which is are mainly done for entertainment and other non-essential reasons. The whale hunt accounts for a significant portion of the meat consumed in the country. The only other locally sourced meat is sheep and fish. Everything else needs to be imported. The whale hunt is not for fun or for entertainment. It is for food. Is it possible to survive without it? Sure, but then those missing calories will need to be imported, causing damage to the environment and also acting as drain on the already vulnerable economy. The Faroes are largely supported by fishing, and most families own a modern boat. If we for some reason had to do the whaling with traditional wooden boats, then we'd all need to own two boats. Not only that, but the hunt would become much more dangerous and risky for no practical reason. That said, the boats are probably not used for hunting like you imagine it. They are used to herd the whales onto the beach where they are killed using pretty traditional means. This part of the hunt has also diverged from the old days though, and I would definitely say for the better. Originally, the whales were killed by slicing their throats, letting them bleed out. These days doing it like that is illegal. We have developed a new spear-like tool, which makes it easy to sever the spinal cord in a single blow, instantly killing the whales. This eliminates the most painful part for the animal. The whale drives are a communal effort to provide food for the entire community, not a "manhood tradition", as often depicted in the media. I can tell you one thing for certain - if people stopped caring about eating whales, the tradition would also stop.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

walrus01 8y ago

This is also the place where their tourism promotion agency did "Google sheep view" https://www.google.com/search?num=100&ei=plISW_-wDYjV8AOv552wCg&q=google+sheep+view+faroe&oq=google+sheep+view+faroe&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.3..0j0i22i30l2.14182.17300..17683...4....118.988.6j4......0....1.........33i160j0i13j0i13i30j0i8i13i30j33i22i29i30j0i22i10i30j33i21.WOvuYYo67Ec%3D https://www.google.com/search?num=100&ei=plISW_-wDYjV8AOv552... https://youtu.be/6KubWaYvRGE https://youtu.be/6KubWaYvRGE

ianai 8y ago

What does this country produce? The article gave me the impression that all the work is logistics.

sakarisson 8y ago
As you might be able to imagine, mainly fish.
lb1lf 8y ago
Also, as I’ve met lots of Faroese sailors while working in the offshore industry, I’d imagine those not carrying the mail or working the fisheries are crewing vessels.
Sammi 8y ago
"The vast majority of Faroese exports, almost 95%, consists of fishery products" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Faroe_Islands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Faroe_Islands

skookumchuck 8y ago

It'd be nice if the author dialed back the oh-so-clever display of the photos. What's wrong with just putting in the photos like on a magazine page? Geez. I want to look at the pictures, not irritating overlays and weird scrolling. I suppose it's the modern version of blinky text.

afterburner 8y ago
I've hated this style of scroll-but-not-scroll technique ever since first seeing it on some NYT article a few years ago. It's never grown on me; it feels unnatural and annoying.
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  I've given up on some recent moderately interesting nyt articles because the scroll direction kept changing. It was just too exhausting.
dvh 8y ago
So that's why my 512mb phone keeps crashing on OOM

chriselles 8y ago

Beautifully desolate photos.

Odenwaelder 8y ago

How do they maintain genetic diversity on such small islands?

rando444 8y ago
Many locals move away, and many Danes move there later in life.
- kwhitefoot 8y ago
  Danes moving there in later life aren't likely to add much to the gene pool, at least not the women.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

marban 8y ago

Random trivia if you're into soccer and/or underdog stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnbZHNS4O1k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnbZHNS4O1k

smcl 8y ago
I’m a a Scot, The Faroes also pushed us close a couple of times. Some countries dread drawing France, Italy or Germany in their group for the World Cup or European Championshp, I dread the Faroe Islands lest we have another fucking away game in Toftir...

growlist 8y ago

Another article about the Faroe Islands - this one about women from abroad moving to marry Faroese men. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39703486 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39703486

dpatrick86 8y ago

Wow. The island with just two families that you have to get to by helicopter is hard to wrap my head around! It seems like using a helicopter to go anywhere would be expensive... and yet, they must use it for all kinds of things. If I hadn't read it and seen pictures, I would think the impracticalities of this situation would make it fundamentally impossible to do long-term. Yet, people are doing it. They have a clearly very nice homestead and a way of life that is working for them.

ridewinter 8y ago
In Switzerland they use helicopters for everything, even for normal building construction instead of a crane. Very wealthy countries can get away with it..in which the Faroes are as a part of Denmark.

Sami_Lehtinen 8y ago

Don't forget checking out Svalbard [1], it's much larger, way northern and a lot less people. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard

teddyh 8y ago

Apparently, the Faroe Islands are a lot more religious than is the norm among other nordic countries: https://satwcomic.com/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-like https://satwcomic.com/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-like https://satwcomic.com/ungodly-surprise https://satwcomic.com/ungodly-surprise