The
Faroe Islands consist of 18 islands, several of which are deeply incised by
fjords.
Terminology
The
Faroese word for fjord, fjørður (plural firðir), can indicate both inlets and
firths (which corresponds with how the word fjord is used in English), and channels between islands. This holds true for both the
suffix in
geographical names and for everyday speech.
-fjørður (plural: firðir): either a narrow inlet,
firth approaching an inlet, or a
strait between islands.[1][2]
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.[3] In a few cases Faroese
exonyms exist, such as Oyrarsund (
Øresund) and Ermarsund (
English Channel).
Fjords and straits also act as cultural boundaries, for example linguistically (as
isoglosses) and as identity markers. For example, the
Skopunarfjørður serves as the cultural delineation of norðanfjørðs ("north of the strait", Northern Faroe) and sunnanfjørðs ("south of the strait", Southern Faroe).[4]
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.[3] In this list, these are indicated by the
cognate word firth.[5]