Lost in the Faroe Islands Trivia Quiz

Answer: Atlantic Ocean

They are specifically in the North Atlantic Ocean, lying between Iceland and the Shetland Islands of the British Isles, which are part of Scotland. Their name can also be spelled as Faeroe Islands while in Faroese they are called Føroyar and in Danish Færøerne.

They consist of seventeen inhabited islands of volcanic rock covered by peat with other islets and numerous fjords.

Answer: Hereford's Mappa Mundi

The Mappa Mundi (Map of the World) which is on display at Hereford's cathedral is believed to date from around 1300. It shows Jerusalem as the centre of the world, so it is a little surprising to find such a small group of islands appearing. The map does extend to Scotland, and the Faroe Islands are named as 'farei'.

The name of the islands is generally accepted to mean 'sheep islands' from the Old Norse language.

Answer: Icelandic

Although it is now part of Denmark, and was previously owned by Norway, it is Icelandic which is closest to Faroese. Although the written languages resemble each other, the spoken language differs considerably and speakers of each language cannot generally understand the other.

The language has developed from Old Norse and is spoken by around 70,000 people in all in the first quarter of the twenty-first century, mostly living on the islands with some in Denmark itself.

Answer: White

Most of the Scandinavian countries and dependencies have a Nordic cross on their flags, Greenland being an exception with a red and white circle set on a background of red and white halves. Denmark's flag has a red field with a white cross offset to the left, which is the distinguishing feature of the Nordic cross.

The flag of the Faroe Islands has a red cross edged in blue on its white field and is known as the Merkið, which translates as the sign or mark.

Answer: Fishing

They are islands after all, so fishing is the most likely answer. According to the official government website, fishing and aquaculture accounts for a massive 90 to 95% of its exports and around 20% of its gross domestic product in the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Aquaculture primarily focuses on salmon while fish such as cod, mackerel and herring are caught at sea.

The islands are looking to expand both shipping and tourism, but they have a way to go at the time of writing.

Answer: Faroese parliament

The name has the literal meaning of 'law thing' in Old Norse and dates from the Viking era. It is the name given to assemblies and has applied to meetings to agree laws on the islands for over one thousand years.

As the Faroes are recognised as an autonomous territory, they have their own parliament with a total of 33 members. The parliament building is located on the peninsula called Tinganes, near Tórshavn, where assemblies were held historically.

Answer: Streymoy

The name of the capital means 'Thor's Harbour' and the city is located in the south east of the island of Streymoy. As you'd expect, it is a coastal city (although the size of the islands means that most settlements are), and is where ferries to and from Norway and Iceland dock. There are also local ferry services between the islands.

Tórshavn also has a cathedral, dating originally from 1609.

Answer: Pigs

All the mammals on the Faroe Islands were originally brought there by man. The Faroese sheep date from the ninth century and are a hardy breed, due to the exposed nature of the islands. Unlike most sheep, they do not form flocks, behaviour which is attributed to there being no predators. A sheep appears on the official coat of arms. Faroese cattle are smaller than most breeds and are kept primarily for milking. Faroese geese have the run of the islands, again due to the lack of predators.

The other animal named for the island is the Faroe pony, which the islanders insist is a horse despite its small stature. There are no records of a Faroese pig, though.

Answer: Britain

You may have been surprised to see that it was Britain, but the proximity of the Faroe Islands to Scotland - around 260 miles (420 km) from the mainland and even closer from the outlying islands - meant that Britain was proactive in protecting itself. As soon as Germany occupied Denmark and Norway, Britain moved into the Faroe Islands in Operation Valentine to prevent Germany taking the islands.

The presence of the troops meant that Germany never attempted to take control of the Faroes, and the army withdrew as soon as the war was over.

Answer: Atlantic Airways

At the time of writing, the Faroe Islands have only one airport, although there are several heliports which provide access. The airport is located on the island of Vagar and the airport is known as Vagar Airport.

It was originally built by the British Army during World War II but then lay abandoned until 1963 when a regular air service to Copenhagen began. The airport has now expanded and Atlantic Airways (Atlantsflog in Faroese) provides flights to Edinburgh, Paris and Barcelona to name just a few.