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The Faroese or Faroe Islanders (Føroyingar) are the people of the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe or Faeroes are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately half way between Scotland and Iceland....
 in Northern Europe
Northern Europe

Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:...
 of Scandinavian
Scandinavians

Scandinavians may refer to:*the historical Norsemen*the modern Nordic countries populations:**Danish people**Norwegians**Swedish ethnic group...
 and British
British people

The British are citizenship of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British overseas territories, and their descendants....
 origins. About 21,000 Faroese live in neighbouring countries, particularly in Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
, Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
 and Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
.

The Faroese language
Faroese language

Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese , is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language spoken by 48,000 people in the Faroe Islands and about 12,000 Faroese people in Denmark....
 is a West Nordic language, closely related to Icelandic
Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic languages, the language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese language and Norwegian dialects such as Telemark dialect and Sognam?l....
, and more distantly to western Norwegian
Norwegian language

Norwegian is a North Germanic languages language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language. It is also spoken as a second language among Norwegian-Americans in the United States of America, especially in the central northern states....
 dialects.
king colonization took place in the 9th century. Little is known about this period, thus giving room for speculation.






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The Faroese or Faroe Islanders (Føroyingar) are the people of the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe or Faeroes are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately half way between Scotland and Iceland....
 in Northern Europe
Northern Europe

Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:...
 of Scandinavian
Scandinavians

Scandinavians may refer to:*the historical Norsemen*the modern Nordic countries populations:**Danish people**Norwegians**Swedish ethnic group...
 and British
British people

The British are citizenship of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British overseas territories, and their descendants....
 origins. About 21,000 Faroese live in neighbouring countries, particularly in Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
, Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
 and Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
.

The Faroese language
Faroese language

Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese , is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language spoken by 48,000 people in the Faroe Islands and about 12,000 Faroese people in Denmark....
 is a West Nordic language, closely related to Icelandic
Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic languages, the language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese language and Norwegian dialects such as Telemark dialect and Sognam?l....
, and more distantly to western Norwegian
Norwegian language

Norwegian is a North Germanic languages language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language. It is also spoken as a second language among Norwegian-Americans in the United States of America, especially in the central northern states....
 dialects.

Origins

A Viking colonization took place in the 9th century. Little is known about this period, thus giving room for speculation. A single source mentions early settlement, the Icelandic Færeyinga Saga
Færeyinga Saga

The F?reyinga Saga, the Norse saga of Faroese people, is the story of how the Faroes were converted to Christianity and became a part of the Kingdom of Norway....
. It was written somewhere around 1200, and it explains events taking place about 300 years earlier. According to the saga, many objected the Norwegian king's unification politics and thus fled to other countries, including the new found places in the west.

Historians have understood since the time of the Færeyinga Saga that the Viking Grímur Kamban was the first settler in the Faroes. The Norwegians who fled must have known about the isles before leaving Norway. If Grímur Kamban had settled some time earlier, this could explain the Norwegians knowing about them.

While Grímur is an Old Norse
Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic languages that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
 first name, Kamban indicates a Celtic origin. Thus he could have been a man from Ireland, Western Isles or Isle of Man, where the Vikings already had settlements. Some place names from the oldest settlements on the Faroes suggest that some of the settlers perhaps came from the Scottish islands and the British coast.

DNA analyses have revealed that Y chromosomes, tracing male descent, are 87% Scandinavian
Scandinavians

Scandinavians may refer to:*the historical Norsemen*the modern Nordic countries populations:**Danish people**Norwegians**Swedish ethnic group...
. While mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondrion. Most other DNA present in eukaryotic organisms is found in the cell nucleus....
, tracing female descent, is 84% Scottish
Scottish people

The Scots people are a nation and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.Historically, as an ethnic group, they emerged from an amalgamation of Celts, Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
 / Irish
Irish people

The Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha D? Danann and the Milesians ?the last group supposedly representing the "pure" Gaelic a...
.

= See also =
  • List of Faroese people
    List of Faroese people

    This is a list of famous or important Faroese people. In a small island-society of less than 50,000 inhabitants, each person can gain certain meaning for the entire nation....
  • Demographics of the Faroe Islands
    Demographics of the Faroe Islands

    This article is about the demographics features of the population of the Faroe Islands, including population density, Ethnic group, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
  • Culture of the Faroe Islands
    Culture of the Faroe Islands

    Culture of the Faroe Islands has its roots in the Nordic culture. The Faroe Islands were long isolated from the main cultural phases and movements that swept across parts of Europe....
  • Flag of the Faroe Islands
    Flag of the Faroe Islands

    File:Flag of the Faroe Islands.svgFile:F?mjin.flag.jpgFile:FaroeseFlag.JPGThe flag of the Faroe Islands is an offset cross, following as with other Nordic Cross the tradition set by Flag of Denmark....
  • Faroese American
    Faroese American

    Faroese Americans are United States of Faroese people descent. Most Faroese emigrated to countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom....


Further reading