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GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY 



c. H. OSTENFELD. «^ 



Introduction. Far out in the North Atlantic Ocean, between 

 Scotland and Iceland, lie the Færoes, a small group of islands. 

 They lie here completely isolated where the warm waters of the 

 Atlantic mingle with the cold polar current from off the east coast 

 of Iceland; hence the frequent fogs which envelop the islands and 

 are a terror to sailors on account of the dangerous cliffs, which 

 are entirely concealed from their view by the wet mist. Storm and 

 rain predominate here and only rarely are the islands seen in calm, 

 clear weather. But on these occasions the view is most lovely. 

 Nobody who ha,s stood on one of the mountain heights on a bright 

 summer day and let his eyes wander over the numerous isles and 

 the narrow sounds with their smooth, blue surfaces, can easily 

 forget the sight. The sharp, fantastic cliff formations, their blackish- 

 brown rocks alternating with the gently sloping sides clad with 

 fresh-green vegetation, stand out harmoniously and yet clearly against 

 the deep blue waters of the ocean and the azure sky; no land is 

 to be seen on the horizon and only at rare intervals does a solitar}^ 

 sail become visible. On a day like this one can understand how 

 the old Norsemen in their pursuit of freedom and independence 

 came to settle down here and inhabit these islands. It is the descen- 

 dants of these Norsemen who form the greater part of the popu- 

 lation at the present day. On Sydero, however, an Irish (Celtic) element 

 can distinctly be traced and according to old writings, the 

 Irish were the first to inhabit the islands. They are said to have 

 been entirely driven out by the Norsemen, but this statement is 

 contradicted by the faet that the inhabitants of Sydero are small 

 and dark, while the majority of the inhabitants of the other islands 

 are tall and fair. 



