Languages of the Faroe Islands of tourism. Norwegian is occasionally heard too, due to the islands' geographical proximity to Norway. Languages of the Faroe Islands The official language of the Faroe Islands is Faroese. The Faroese language is a Germanic language which is descended from Old Norse. Faroese is similar in grammar to Icelandic and Old Norse, but closer in pronunciation to Norwegian. In the twentieth century Faroese became the official language and, because the Faroe Islands are a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark, Danish is taught in Faroese schools. The first recorded settlers of the Faroe Islands were Irish monks (papar), so
Fauna of the Faroe Islands Fauna of the Faroe Islands The fauna of the Faroe Islands is characterized by the islands' remote location in the North Atlantic Ocean. There are few terrestrial species, but relatively many breeding seabirds and marine animals. Some sub-species and breeds are endemic. All land mammals were introduced by humans. The bird fauna of the Faroes is dominated by seabirds and birds attracted to open land like heather, probably due to the lack of woodland and other suited habitats. There are special Faroese races of eider, starling, wren, guillemot, and black guillemot. Puffins ("Fratercula arctica"), razorbills ("Alca torda"), and guillemots ("Uria