or FERØE (Danish Færøerne), a group of islands belonging to Denmark, in the North Sea, between Iceland and the Shetland islands, about 200 miles N.W. of the lat- ter: between N. Lat. 61° 20' and 62° 25', and between W. Long. 6° 16' and 7° 40'. The group consists of seventeen in- habited and several uninhabited islands, the former having an area of 490 square miles, and (in 1850) 8150 inhabitants. The principal islands with their populations in 1845 were Strömö 2162, Osterö 1909, Süderö 1156, Vagö 649, Sandö 528, and Bordö 304. They consist throughout of rocks and hills, rising to a considerable height, and separated from each other by narrow valleys, or rather ravines. Al- though, however, these hills rise abruptly, there are often on their summits, or at different stages of their ascent, plains of considerable magnitude. They everywhere pre- sent to the sea perpendicular cliffs, broken into a thousand fantastic forms, presenting to those who sail along the coast, at every turn, the most picturesque and varied scenery. The highest peak is that of Skellingfell, in the island of Strömö, which rises to about 3000 feet above the sea. The rocks consist generally of trap, and exhibit little variety of composition, though they present some striking geological phenomena. The zeolites and chalcedonies here collected have long supplied the best specimens of these minerals to the cabinets of Europe. Coal is found in Süderö and some of the other islands, and turf is abundant.

The climate is moist and foggy, and violent storms are frequent at all seasons. July and August are the only sum- mer months, but the winters are not very severe. It seldom freezes for more than one month, and the harbours are rarely ice-bound. The only grain crop is barley; and on account of the uncertainty of the weather, it is frequently reaped in a half ripe condition. Agriculture is in a very backward state, the infield, or cultivated land, being calculated to be to the outfield, or uncultivated, in the proportion of one to sixty. The plough is seldom used, being in fact ill suited to the rugged and uneven surface of the land. The ground is therefore turned up with the spade, care being taken not to destroy the roots of the grass. Horses and cows are few in number, and the latter give very little milk, in con- sequence probably of the very coarse hay upon which they are fed. Sheep are numerous, and form the chief riches of the islanders; some individuals having flocks of from three to five hundred. The sheep are never housed either in summer or winter, and in severe seasons they suffer considerably. The wool is generally coarse, and is torn off the animals in so rough a manner as often to lacerate the skin. The catching of the numerous birds which build their nests upon the face of the cliffs, forms a great source of subsistence to the inhabitants. The persons employed in this hazardous trade display great ingenuity and the most adventurous spirit. Sometimes the fowler is let down from the top of the cliff by a rope fastened to his waist; at other times, where there is any footing at all, he climbs the steepest rocks, or, where that is impossible, he is pushed upwards by poles made for the purpose. The puffin (Alca arctica) is the most common of these birds, and the eider duck is here often shot for food. The fisheries are important and valuable.

The monopoly of the trade of the Faroe Islands was for some time in the hands of a mercantile house at Copen- hagen; but it has now been assumed by government, and neither Dane nor foreigner is allowed to interfere. The trade is carried on between Copenhagen and Thorshavn. The chief exports are hosiery, tallow, dried and salt fish, train-oil, feathers, skins, and butter.

Thorshavn, the capital of these islands, is situated on the S.E. side of the island of Strömö, upon a narrow tongue of land, having creeks on each side, where ships may be safely moored. Pop. about 1500. The houses are built of wood, and roofed with birch bark covered with turf; the greenness Farquhar, of which makes it impossible at a very short distance to distinguish the place from the surrounding fields. The character of the people is generally marked by great simplicity of manners, kindness, and hospitality. They are well fed and clothed, and seem to be kindly treated by the Danish government. The average duration of life, as stated by Dr Panum, is 44½ years; while in Denmark it is only 36. The language of the people is a remnant of the old Norse, but that of the courts, churches, and schools, is the modern Danish. See Feroe and Feroe Reservata, by Lucas Jacobson Debes, translated from the Danish into English, 1675; Description of the Faroe Islands, by the Rev. G. Landt, London, 1810: an account of their geology and mineralogy in the Trans. of the Royal Soc., Edin., vol. vii., by Sir G. S. Mackenzie, Bart., and Thomas Allan Esq.; Den Danske Stats Statistik, vol. iv., 1853; J. Nichol's Account of Iceland, Greenland, and the Feroe Isles; Dr Panum's Official Report on the Diseases of Feroe, 1849, of which an abstract appeared in vol. vii. of the Medico-chirurgical Review. The scenery of these islands is well illustrated in a work entitled Cruises of the Yacht Maria, Lond. 1855.