Eysturoy (pronounced
estroimeaning 'East Island') is a
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
and the second-largest of the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago, island group and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotlan ...
, both in size and population.
Description
Eysturoy is separated by a narrow
sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...
from the main island of
Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with some 66 separate mountain
peaks, including
Slættaratindur, the highest peak in the
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
at . The country's two longest fjords,
Skálafjørður in the south and
Funningsfjørður in the north, almost split the island in two halves. The isthmus in between, Millum Fjarða, is one of the flattest areas in the country. Important settlements on Eysturoy are
Fuglafjørður in the north and the densely populated area of the municipalities of
Runavík and
Nes in the south.
Eysturoy is connected with Streymoy by the
Streymin Bridge over the Sundini.
Leirvík on the east coast of the island is the gateway for transport connections to the north-eastern islands, particularly
Klaksvík on the island of
Borðoy
Borðoy ( da, Bordø) is an island in the north-east of the Faroe Islands. Its name means 'headland island'. There are eight settlements: Klaksvík (the second largest town in the Faroes), Norðoyri, Ánir, Árnafjørður, Strond, Norðtoftir, ...
, which is the Faroes' second-largest town. In December 2020, the sub-sea
Eysturoyartunnilin (the Eysturoy Tunnel) was opened, creating a direct link between
Runavík,
Strendur and
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
.
Sites of interest on Eysturoy include the villages of
Eiði
Eiði (''Northern Faroese'' �ɔiːjɪ) is a village located on the north-west tip of Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands. It is the seat of Eiði Municipality. It is located 4 km north of Ljósá and 6.5 km west of Funningur.
History
Eiði was fi ...
and
Gjógv, the latter having a small natural port in a rock column; the Blásastova historical museum in the village of
Gøta; and the ''varmakelda'' (thermal springs) of Fuglafjørður. Off the northern tip of the island are the
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...
sea stacks
Risin og Kellingin.
The town of
Glyvrar on the eastern coast of Eysturoy is the home-base for
Bakkafrost, the largest company in the Faroe Islands. Bakkafrost is the eighth-largest fishing company worldwide. Four out of ten Premier league
football clubs are in Eysturoy:
IF (
Fuglafjørður),
NSÍ (
Runavík),
Skála ÍF and
Víkingur (
Leirvík). There are
regional rowing festivals in Fuglafjørður (Varmakelda), Runavík (Eystanstevna), and one alternating between Skáli, Strendur and Vestmanna (Fjarðastevna). Accepted
''grind'' beaches are in Fuglafjørður,
Funningsfjørður, Norðra- and Syðragøta,
Norðskáli and
Skálafjørður.
Important Bird Area
The north, north-east, and south-east coasts of the island have been identified as an
Important Bird Area by
BirdLife International because of their significance as
seabird breeding sites, especially for
Manx shearwaters (2500 pairs),
European storm petrels (500 pairs) and
black guillemots (300 pairs).
[BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Eysturoy. Downloaded from on 2012-02-22.]
References
Further reading
* Viderö, Kristian Osvald. Saga Eysturoyar. Tórshavn: Bókagarður, 1994.
External links
*
Personal website with 15 aerial photos of Eysturoy
{{Authority control
Islands of the Faroe Islands
Important Bird Areas of the Faroe Islands