Faroe Islands

Coordinates: 62°00′N 06°47′W / 62.000°N 6.783°W / 62.000; -6.783

The Faroe Islands (/ˈfɛəroʊ/; Faroese: Føroyar pronounced [ˈfœɹjaɹ]; Danish: Færøerne, pronounced [ˈfæɐ̯øːˀɐnə]) are an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometres (200 mi) north-northwest of Great Britain. The area is approximately 1,400 km² (540 sq mi) with a 2015 population of 48,700. The islands are an autonomous country within the Danish kingdom.

Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroe Islands were part of the Kingdom of Norway. The 1814 Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the islands, along with two other Norwegian regions: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Danish Realm since 1948. The Faroese have control of most domestic matters; areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, police, justice, currency and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands have representation in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation.

Faroe sheep

The Faroese sheep is a breed of domestic sheep native to the Faroe Islands.

First introduced in the 9th century, Faroese sheep have long been an integral part of the island traditions. The name Faeroe itself is thought to mean "sheep islands", and the animal is depicted on the Faroe Islands' historic coat of arms. One of the Northern European short-tailed sheep, it is a small, very hardy breed. Faroes ewes weigh around 45 pounds (20 kg) at maturity, and rams are 45–90 pounds (20–40 kg). Rams are horned and ewes are usually polled, and the breed occurs naturally in many different colours, with at least 300 different combinations with each their own unique name.

Faroese sheep tend to have very little flocking instinct due to no natural predators, and will range freely year round in small groups in pastureland, which ranges from meadows, to rugged rocky mountaintops and lush bird-cliffs. They are most closely related to the Old Norwegian and Icelandic breeds.

Ears are usually cut with various simple designs, to denote ownership and what pastures the sheep belong on. There are 54 different official cuts(see image), which can be paired in a vast variety of ways; it is however not permitted to use the same combination twice on the same island. The first known law regarding earmarks is in the Sheep letter from 1298, where it is stated among other things in the fifth section "...Enn ef hann markar þann sað sem aðr er markaðr. oc sætr sina æinkunn a ofan a hins er aðr atti þann sað. þa er hann þiofr." = "...But if he marks sheep which are already marked and puts his mark over that of the owner, he is a thief."