Fjords in the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are made up of 18 islands, and many have deep fjords. In Faroese, the word for fjord is fjørður (plural firðir). It can mean a real fjord, an inlet or firth, or a channel between islands. This word is used in everyday speech and in place names.
Faroese place names often adapt water-related endings from other Scandinavian languages, such as Limfjørður (Limfjord) and St. Georgesfjørður (Saint George's Channel). There are also a few local exonyms, like Oyrarsund (Øresund) and Ermarsund (the English Channel).
Fjords and straits act as cultural boundaries. They help mark dialect areas and regional identities. For example, Skopunarfjørður separates the northern Faroe from the southern Faroe.
The list of traditional fjords focuses on those ending with the suffix -fjørður. Sometimes the name refers to the sea entrance rather than the sheltered part of the inlet, and in those cases the term firth is used. Søldarfjørður sits on the Skálafjørður coast, but there is no fjord named Søldarfjørður.
Among the straits, six have fixed road crossings, while ten are served by ferries.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:04 (CET).