Culture of the Faroe Islands but he didn't make it to the finals. He competed for Denmark, because the Faroe Islands are not allowed to compete at the Olympics, as they don't accept countries which are not independent. He swam for Denmark in the men's 400m free, 1500m free and the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay. He was the first Faroese swimmer to compete at the Olympics. Pál Joensen has moved to live and study in Denmark after finishing high school in the Faroe Islands in August 2012. Only one other Faroese athlete has participated in the Olympics, Katrin Olsen was rowing in a
Flora of the Faroe Islands the abundance of "Corylus" pollen in deep layers, suggest that at least some local stands of birch and hazel trees were present in the Faroe Islands, prior to human settlement. Four species of willow are still present in the Faroe Islands: "Salix herbacea" is very common in the mountains, but the other three species: "Salix phylicifolia", "Salix lanata" and "Salix arctica" are only to be found in a few places, due to heavy grazing by animals. Only one evergreen, "Juniperus communis" (the prostrate form) grows naturally in the Faroe Islands, and small populations are spread throughout the islands, though for