Fjords in the Faroe Islands


The Faroe Islands consist of 18 islands, several of which are deeply incised by fjords.

Terminology

The Faroese word for fjord, fjørður, can indicate both inlets and firths, and channels between islands. This holds true for both the suffix in geographical names and for everyday speech.
Water suffixes in other Scandinavian names are often Faroenised, e.g. Limfjørður for Limfjord in Denmark and St. Georgesfjørður for Saint George's Channel between Wales and Ireland. In a few cases Faroese exonyms exist, such as Oyrarsund and Ermarsund.
Fjords and straits also act as cultural boundaries, for example linguistically and as identity markers. For example, the Skopunarfjørður serves as the cultural delineation of norðanfjørðs and sunnanfjørðs.

Fjords and firths in the Faroe Islands

This list includes all 'traditional' dead-ending fjords with the suffix -fjørður. In some cases, the name more strictly refers to the seaward approaches to the inlet, rather than the sheltered reaches of the inlet. In this list, these are indicated by the cognate word firth.
In addition, the village of Søldarfjørður is situated on the Skálafjørður coast, but no fjord-of-the-same name exists.

Straits in the Faroe Islands

Ending with -fjørður:
Ending with a different suffix:
  • Hvannasund
  • Haraldssund
  • Djúpini
  • Sundini
  • Vestmannasund
  • Kolturssund
Of these straits, six are crossed by fixed road links and ten by ferries.

Major bays and inlets with a different suffix