Halfway between Iceland and Norway are the Faroe Islands, a place with two quite particular “obsessions”: the tunnels and the sheep. If you ever visit this place dotted with towering cliffs, verdant slopes and steep mountains, you probably won’t go a day without encountering underground pathways and disheveled creatures.
While the increasing number of tunnels is presented as the most ideal solution to help connect the 18 islands that are part of this autonomous territory of Denmark, the sheep are rooted in its history and identity. In the Faroe Islands, whose name means “Sheep Islands”, there are about 54,000 islanders and, curiously, about 70,000 sheep.
A place with tunnels everywhere
For a long time, residents and visitors have had certain limitations when moving around the archipelago. One of the characteristics of the islands is an irregular terrain, literally mined by steep slopes and formations. Although this forms a lovely landscapehas made it difficult to build roads to connect the different urban centers.
The first tunnels in the Faroe Islands were built in the 1960s. Until then, people had to go through mountainous areas to reach certain destinations. Almost 60 years later, the inhabitants have a network of interconnected roads with twenty underground roads. 17 of them are on land and four extend underwater.
The first of the islands’ underwater tunnels was inaugurated more than two decades ago. Vágatunnilin It was inaugurated in 2022 and connects through its almost five kilometers of length Streymoy with Vágar. This is a vitally important connection because the latter is the main entrance to the islands, its only airport.
All the underwater tunnels on the islands
Before the launch of this tunnel, crossing between Vágar and Streymoy depended exclusively on a ferry, with all the limitations that this implied: restricted schedules, crossings subject to weather conditions and a considerably longer travel time. The opening of Vágartunnelen did not drastically reduce these drawbacks.
The second of the underwater tunnels, the Norðoyartunnilin, began operating in 2006. It has a length of 6.3 kilometers and connects the second largest city in the Faroe Islands, Klaksvík on Borðoy, with Leirvík on Eysturoy. We could say that the work has been a success given that it is currently crossed by about 4,000 cars a day.
From top to bottom: Vágatunnilin, Norðoyartunnilin and Eysturoyartunnilin
Years later, in 2020, authorities cut the ribbon on the Eysturoyartunnilin, a connecting tunnel connecting both sides of Skálafjørður to Eysturoy. The work stands out for several aspects. Although, as we will see below, a fourth tunnel was built, it is still the longest (11.2 km) and the most ambitious given that it includes an underwater roundabout.
The Faroe Islands boast a charming passage
The most recently inaugurated tunnel on the islands is the Sandoyartunnilin 10.8 km long. This is a road that connects Sandoy with Streymoy. Around de 700 vehicles a day They travel through this section whose lowest point is 155 meters deep. As we can see, the land connection of the islands has changed drastically in recent years.
As we can see in the images, the tunnels are more than impressive works of engineering. These are decorated with works by Faroese artists that transform the boring walls into authentic art galleries. At the same time, they seek to promote the tourism sector as an alternative means of income to the dominant fishing and agriculture.
But not all the tunnels on the islands have to do with transportation. There are many others too. For example, the authorities They have put out to tender works to drill various mountainous areas to create tunnels capable of conducting large flows of water to improve the capacity of the Eidis hydroelectric plant of the Faroe Islands.
The sheep kingdom
Several studies suggest that sheep have been present in the Faroe Islands for centuries, when they were introduced by the first Irish settlers. Sheep farming for meat and wool, fishing and whaling are key activities on the islands to this day. As Tim Ecott of the BBC tells itmost families in this region of the world are still involved in the herds in some way.
Sheep everywhere in the Faroe Islands
Sheep are a symbol that runs through various aspects of life on the islands. These animals are everywhere. Not only can they be seen happily eating grass almost anywhere (including the airport in Vágar), but they are also present in the logo of the Tourism Board, the Oveja Negra beer brand and various monuments. Even the Faroese have your own version of Google Street Viewa Sheep View mapped with sheep.
Images | Erik Christensen 1, 2(CC BY-SA 3.0) | P/F Tunnil| Wikimedia (1) | Tobias Akerboom | BriYYZ | Simaron(CC BY 2.0)
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