Sumba, Faroe Islands
Encyclopedia
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
on the island of Suðuroy
Suðuroy
Suðuroy is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 km². In 2010 there were 4763 inhabitants, but there has been a gradual decline in the population numbers ever since the 1950s....
. It is located in the Sumbiar municipality.
The municipality has 385 inhabitants. 258 of these people are living in Sumba. The other villages in the Municipality of Sumba are: Lopra
Lopra
Lopra is a village on the island of Suðuroy with the postal code FO 926. In 2009 its population was 96. It is located in the Municipality of Sumba along with the villages Akrar, Sumba and Víkarbyrgi, constituting the southernmost settlements in the Faroe Islands...
(98 inns.), Akrar
Akrar
Akrar is a village in the Faroe Islands. It is located on Lopransfjørður, an inlet, which itself is part of Vágsfjørður, on the east-side of Suðuroy, and was founded in the year 1817.-External links:...
(28 inns.), Víkarbyrgi
Víkarbyrgi
Víkarbyrgi is a former village on the Faroese island of Suðuroy, Faroe Islands. It no longer has a population. It retains a postal code and is located at N 61° 26' 34 W 6° 43' 28. The etymology of its name is reputed to be connected with an early settlement of Irish monks who predated the arrival...
(1 inns.).
Sumba is known for several things, e.g. its beauty, for the high bird cliff
Bird cliff
Bird cliffs are steep cliffs with numerous small shelves which serve as nesting locations for bird colonies. Bird cliffs are found on islands in the North Atlantic and Arctic, such as the Faroe Islands, the Svalbard archipelago and on islands off Northern Norway...
Beinisvørð
Beinisvørð
Beinisvørð is a 470 meter high sea cliff in Suðuroy, Faroe Islands, the highest sea cliff in Suðuroy. It is located between the villages of Lopra and Sumba. Beinisvørð has vertical cliffs facing the sea and a green slope down towards the village of Sumba...
and the skills of the local people regarding Faroese chain dance
Faroese dance
The Faroese dance is the national chain dance of the Faroe Islands, accompanied by kvæði, the Faroese ballads.The dance is a mediaeval ring dance, which only survived in the Faroe Islands, while in other European countries it was banned by the church, due to its pagan origin...
. They are very good dancers and have a long tradition for singing long songs along with the chain dance. Poul F. Joensen (born 1898 - died 1970) is one of the most famous Farose poets; he was born in Sumba and grew up there. Later he got married and moved to Froðba
Froðba
Froðba is a village located farthest out on the north brink of Trongisvágsfjørður, an inlet on the east coast of the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. The village has eventually merged with the harbour-city of Tvøroyri....
.
Residents of the village are known as Sumbingar. The name Sumba is from the old name of the village which was Sunnbø/ba or Sunnbøur which means the southern-most village, but over the years misspellings by Danish rulers have led to the name Sumba. A high mountain separates the village from the other settlements of the island. The village lies on the west coast as the only one on the island except from Fámjin
Fámjin
Fámjin is a village, located in the middle of the coastline on the western side of Suðuroy, the southernmost island in Faroe Islands. It has a population of around 100....
.
Sumba is said to be one of the oldest villages in the Faroe Islands. Excavations have shown traces from people from the 7th century. Sumba is an impressive village in its natural setting.
The church in Sumba is from 1887.
Sumba lies behind high mountains and it used to be difficult to reach in wintertime when the storms raged. Just outside the coast of Sumba is the islet Sumbiarhólmur
Sumbiarhólmur
Sumbiarhólmur is an islet in the Faroe Islands, located just outside the village of Sumba, which is the southernmost village in the island Suðuroy. Sumbiarhólmur is the 6th largest islet of the Faroe Islands. It is 7 hectares. The North Atlantic Ocean is often quite rough near Sumbiarhólmur and...
. In summertime men from Sumba take 7 or 8 rams out on the islet and collect them again in September. The rams gain much weight when they are grassing on Sumbiarhólmur, up to 30 pounds, and the meat gets much tastier according to the people from Sumba.
In 1997 a tunnel was blown through the mountains from Lopra
Lopra
Lopra is a village on the island of Suðuroy with the postal code FO 926. In 2009 its population was 96. It is located in the Municipality of Sumba along with the villages Akrar, Sumba and Víkarbyrgi, constituting the southernmost settlements in the Faroe Islands...
to Sumba. This makes life easier for people in Sumba who work in Vágur
Vágur
Vágur meaning Bay is a town on the Faroe Islands of Suðuroy, it is situated on the east coast of the island on the Vágsfjørður fjord, and dates from the fourteenth century. Expansion has meant that the nearby town of Nes is now a suburb of Vágur...
or Tvøroyri
Tvøroyri
Tvøroyri lies picturesquely on the north side of the Trongisvágsfjørður on the east coast of Suðuroy, Faroe Islands....
.
South in the middle of Lopra you will encounter a fork in the road. One way leads to the old, but passable mountain road to Sumba, the other leads to the long tunnel through the mountain, which is the more direct route to Sumba. If you take the mountain road, you could stop near the birdscliff Beinisvørð
Beinisvørð
Beinisvørð is a 470 meter high sea cliff in Suðuroy, Faroe Islands, the highest sea cliff in Suðuroy. It is located between the villages of Lopra and Sumba. Beinisvørð has vertical cliffs facing the sea and a green slope down towards the village of Sumba...
, which rises vertically 470 meters above the sea. From the top, there is a magnificent view over the sea and rocks deep below. It is possible to climb Beinisvørð from the backside even if it is pretty steep.
In 1975 a part of the top of Beinisvørð
Beinisvørð
Beinisvørð is a 470 meter high sea cliff in Suðuroy, Faroe Islands, the highest sea cliff in Suðuroy. It is located between the villages of Lopra and Sumba. Beinisvørð has vertical cliffs facing the sea and a green slope down towards the village of Sumba...
fell into the sea.
The people from Sumba used to catch birds in Beinisvørð. Some men have lost their lives because of it.