Extract
[Introductory Note.—The Faroes are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean which belong to Denmark. They lie between Lat. 61°20 and 62°20 north, intersected centrally by Long. 7 west, and about 170 miles north-west of the Shetland Islands. They are 22 in number, and of these 17 are inhabited. The whole group stretches about 65 miles from north to south, and 44 miles from east to west, and forming something like a triangle with the apex to the south.
The largest island is Stromsöe, which is in the centre of the group, with an area of 104 geographical square miles; the other larger ones being Osteröe, Suderöe, Sandöe, Vangöe, and Bordöe, with an aggregate area of 376 geographical square miles.
The islands generally present steep and lofty precipices to th sea, which running between them often forms fiords and bays in which good anchorage is found. The surfaces rise towards the interior and terminate in peaks. Of these the culminating one is Slatteretind, in Osteröe, with a height of 2800 feet.
The climate being insular, is much milder than the latitude might seem to indicate. The soil has sometimes a depth of 4 feet, but for the most part is thin, and often does not exceed 6 inches.
The capital is Thorshavn, in Stromsöe, and the total population is about 8000. Ed. 1902.]
Notwithstanding their prolific yield of minerals, the islands of Faröe have never been examined with much care. The late Mr. Alexander Rose, Lecturer on Mineralogy,
This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract
- © The Geological Society of Glasgow
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