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Portal:Faroe Islands/Selected article/1

The Løgting (meaning "Law Thing") is the unicameral parliament of the Faroe Islands, a self-ruling dependency of Denmark.

A ting or Þing has existed on the Faroe Islands for over a millennium. Along with Manx Tynwald and the Icelandic Alþing it is one of the three oldest Norse assemblies of Europe, comprising one of the oldest parliamentary systems in the world. Today, the Faroe Islands compromise one constituency, and the number of MPs is fixed at 33. The first elections with this new system was held on 19 January 2008, after the Election law was changed in late 2007. Prior to that, the membership of the Løgting varied from 27 to 32. The 7 constituencies had 27 seats, and up to 5 supplementary seats. That Election Act came into force in 1978, and the eight general elections between 1978 and 2004 all resulted in 32 members.

The Løgting is elected for a period of four years. Election of the Løgting can take place before the end of an election period if the Løgting agrees on dissolving itself. The Løgmaður (Prime Minister) issues a proclamation of the forthcoming election and appoints the day of election, which must take place, at the earliest, 6 weeks after the proclamation.

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Portal:Faroe Islands/Selected article/2

Tórshavn (Danish: Thorshavn) is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the 347-meter (1,138 ft) high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the 350-meter (1,150 ft) high Kirkjubøreyn. The city proper has a population of 13,000 (2008), and the greater urban area a population of 19,000.

The Vikings established their parliament on the Tinganes peninsula in 850 CE, thus Tórshavn was made capital of Faroe Islands and has remained so ever since. All through the Middle Ages the narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea made up the main part of Tórshavn. Sources do not mention a built-up area in Tórshavn until after the Protestant Reformation in 1539. Early on, Tórshavn became the center of the monopoly trade, thereby being the only legal place for the islanders to sell and buy goods. In 1856, the trade monopoly was abolished and the islands were left open to free trade. The town has grown rapidly ever since the turn of the 20th century into the undisputed administrative, economic and cultural center of the Faroes.

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Portal:Faroe Islands/Selected article/3

Ólavsøka is a national holiday of the Faroe Islands, celebrated on July 29. It is the day when Løgting, the Faroese Parliament, opens its session.

The literal meaning is “Saint Olaf’s Wake” (vigilia sancti Olavi in Latin), from Saint Olaf’s death at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 (see Olsok), but the Løgting predates this event. Like several other Faroese holidays, the vøka begins the evening before, so Ólavsøka always starts on July 28 with an opening ceremony.

Ólavsøka is the day of the year when many Faroese crowd into the capital Tórshavn. There the national rowing competition finals are held, which is one of the highlights in Faroese sports. In addition, there are art exhibitions, folk music, and Faroese chaindance performances.

The salute for Ólavsøka in Faroese is Góða Ólavsøku! (Good St. Olaf's Wake!).

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Portal:Faroe Islands/Selected article/4

The Church of the Faroe Islands (Faroese Fólkakirkjan) is the national church of the Faroe Islands and the smallest of the world's few remaining state churches. About 85% of the Faroese people belong to the state church. Other churches on the Faroe Islands include the Plymouth Brethren and Roman Catholics.

According to the Færeyinga saga, it was the Viking chief Sigmundur Brestisson, who brought Christianity to the Faroe Islands. On the orders of the Norwegian King Olav Trygvason, Sigmundur forced the island people to convert to Christianity in 999 AD. Resistance to the new religion, led by the notorious Tróndur í Gøtu, was quickly suppressed; and even though Sigmundur himself lost his life, Christianity gained a foothold.

In 1540 the last Catholic bishop in the Faroe Islands was removed from his position, signifying the reformation of Faroese religion and the introduction of Lutheranism.

In 1990 the Faroe Islands became an independent diocese with its own bishop within the Church of Denmark and on the 29th July 29 2007, the Faroese Church became totally independent of the Church of Denmark.

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Portal:Faroe Islands/Selected article/5

The Faroese sheep (Faroese: Føroyskur seyður) is a breed of 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 "Faroe Islands" has been argued to ultimately derive from fær, the word for sheep in Old Norse, and the animal is depicted on the country's 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, each of which has its own unique name. (Full article...)

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