Tangafjørður is the southern part of the strait separating the islands of

Streymoy Streymoy (, ) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also includes the ...

and

Eysturoy Eysturoy (, meaning 'East Island') is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population. Description Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with som ...

in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. The northern part of the strait between is named Sundini.

Name

''Tangi,'' genitive case ''tanga,'' is a Faroese word meaning 'landspit', 'low eroded headland' and is

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

of English 'tongue'. This refers to Raktangi peninsula near Strendur. ''Tangi'' can also mean '

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

', which typically is abundant around landspits. In Faroese, ''fjørður'' can refer to any elongated body of saltwater, including a

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 the br ...

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

separating two islands. Narrow sounds are referred to as '' sund''.

Geography

The northern part of the strait between Streymoy and Eysturoy is called Sundini which transitions into Tangafjørður between Norðuri í Sundum ( Kollafjørdur) and Morskranes. The southern end is not precisely defined and merges with

Nólsoy Nólsoy (, previously also ''Nölsoy''; ; ) is an island and village in central Faroe Islands, 4km east of the capital Tórshavn in Streymoy. Description Nólsoy is the lowest of the Faroes; the highest point is Eggjarklettur (372 m) on the moun ...

arfjørður strait at a line roughly between cape Eystnes (near Æðuvík on Eysturoy) and the islet of Hoyvíksholmur (near

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; ; Danish language, Danish: ''Thorshavn''), 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 th ...

, Streymoy). Tangafjørður is split in a distinct northern and a southern half by two side fjords, Skálafjørður and Kaldbaksfjørður. Tangafjørður's overall length is . Its southern section is wider (ca. ) than the northern section (ca. ). The deepest points of the northern and southern section are both at locations just offshore of Kolbeinagjógv and Hvítanes respectively. Where Tangafjørður flows into Nólsoyarfjørður the seafloor drops to . There are shallow sections (submerged thresholds) in the entrance of the Skála- and Kaldbaksfjørður, but the Tangafjørður itself has no such threshold, governing good nutrient in- and outflow. In the middle of the "intersection" of the Kaldbaks-, Skála- and Tangafjørður are reefs and skerries which break the surface. These Flesjarnar skerries are marked by a lighthouse. The villages on Streymoy are

Kollafjørður Kollafjørður () is a village in the Faroe Islands, located on the island of Streymoy. As of 29. April 2025, the village had a population of 815. Its postal code is FO 410. Until 2001 it was a municipality in its own right but is now part of the ...

, Kaldbak, Hvítanes and Hoyvík, part of

. The villages on Eysturoy are Morskranes, Kolbeinagjógv, a modern residential area of Strendur (all part of Sjóvar kommuna), Toftir and Nes. Windmills near Æðuvík can be seen from Tangafjørður. There are fish farms close to Nes, Kolbeinagjógv and south of Kollafjørður.

Transport

A car ferry operated between Hósvík and Selatrað until 1976. Another ferry operated between Tórshavn, Toftir and Strendur (Skálafjarðarleiðin, route 40), which ceased to operate in 2003 due to lack in demand, in competition with the more reliable connections via Streymin Bridge. In the last years it sailed two return trips a day only for foot passengers. The past two decades all transport used Streymin Bridge to northern Eysturoy. This caused a long detour for transport between southern Eysturoy and Streymoy: the distance between Hvítanes and Toftir is as the crow flies, but by road. In December 2020 the

Eysturoyartunnilin The Eysturoy Tunnel (, previously known as ) is a large Undersea tunnel, undersea road tunnel under the sound in the Faroe Islands, connecting the island of Streymoy to the island of Eysturoy. It also crosses the southern part of , and connec ...

opened and provides a much shorter route across the Tangafjørður. An estimated 5,800 vehicles are expected to use the tunnel daily, including local traffic across the Skálafjørður. In 2011, circa 1,300 people commuted on a regular basis for work or education between the two sides of the Tangafjørður, yet were forced via Streymin Bridge.

References

{{coord, 62.088, -6.793, type:waterbody_region:FO_dim:20000, display=title Straits of the Faroe Islands Geography of the Faroe Islands