Sunda is a municipality 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 ...

, loosely centered around the

Sundini 280px, The Streymin Bridge crosses the Sundini at its narrowest point Sundini is the northern section of the sound separating the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands. The southern section of the strait is named Tangafjørður. ...

sound between 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 ...

History

Sunda is an amalgamation of the former municipalities of Hósvíkar, Hvalvíkar, Saksunar, Haldarsvíkar, (former) Sunda and Gjáar kommuna, which merged in 2005. The mayor as of 2020 is Heðin Zachariasen, who was also the first mayor, from 2005 to 2009.

Geography

The region in which Sunda kommuna is situated is referred to as Sundalagið, centered around the

(''The Narrows'') between the islands of

and

. The region also includes Eiðis kommuna, while strictly speaking Gjógv does not belong to Sundalagið, though is part of Sunda kommuna. The villages Selatrað, Morskranes and Kolbeinagjógv are also situated on the Sundini but not considered part of Sundalagið region. Sunda kommuna contains the following villages: *

Hósvík Hósvík () is a village in the Faroe Islands. It has a population of 320 and is located on a bay on Streymoy's east-coast. The ferry to Selatrað on Eysturoy island used to go from Hósvík, but was superseded by the Streymin Bridge between t ...

Norðskáli Norðskáli is a settlement in the Faroe Islands on the island of Eysturoy, a few kilometres north of Oyri. Its name means ''north dwelling'' and its population is 330. The 226-metre Streymin Bridge crosses Sundini from the island of Streymoy ...

Hvalvík Hvalvík () is a village in the Faroe Islands, located in a valley on the east coast of the island of Streymoy. It is the southern half of a twin-village situated on both sides of the valley. The villages are divided by the river Stórá. The no ...

* Streymnes * Haldórsvík * Oyri * Oyrarbakki *

Tjørnuvík Tjørnuvík () is the northernmost village on Streymoy in Sunda Municipality, 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 ...

Gjógv Gjógv (pronounced , literally: ''Canyon, gorge'', ''Geo (landscape), geo'') is a village located on the northeast tip of the island of Eysturoy, in the Faroe Islands and 63 km (39 mi) north by road from the capital of Tórshavn. The vi ...

* Langasandur *

Saksun Saksun is a village near the northwest coast of the Faroese island of Streymoy, in Sunda Municipality. Geography Saksun lies in the bottom of what used to be an inlet of the sea, surrounded by high mountains. The inlet formed a good deep natura ...

Nesvík Nesvík is a village on the east coast of the Faroese island of Streymoy, located in the Sunda municipality. The population has been 0 since 2016, when the last inhabitants left. Nesvík is home to a religious camp of the conservative Inner Missi ...

The municipality is centrally located in the country, situated in the middle of highway 10 between capital Tórshavn and second city Klaksvík. Both cities are 40 kilometers by road from Oyrarbakki. The eastern and western bank of Sundini are connected by the Streymin Bridge. This is the only road link between these islands until 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 ...

has finished and opened in 2021. National bus service 400 connects Tórshavn, Oyrarbakki and Klaksvík up to 11 times on weekdays in either direction, with less frequent routes to Tjørnuvík, Eiði and Gjógv operating from Oyrarbakki weekdays-only. How Sunda will be connected to Tórshavn and Klaksvík by public transport in the future, when the

has rearranged route 400, remains unknown. A free citizen-only bus service operated by Sunda kommuna connects all villages except Saksun and Gjógv.

Population

As of January 2024, there were 1,828 inhabitants. The population is steadily rising, up from 1.386 in 2000. The Sundalagið as a whole (including Eiðis kommuna and Gjógv) had 2,572 inhabitants in 2020. The area is popular for its central location in the country, at commuting distance from all major towns.

Photos

Image:Cleft of Gjógv, Faroe Islands.JPG, The boat harbour in the gorge of

, north

. Image:Gjógv, Faroe Islands (2).JPG, The village of Gjógv, the island

Kalsoy Kalsoy (, ) is an island in the north-east of the Faroe Islands of Denmark between Eysturoy and Kunoy. The name means man island; by contrast with the parallel island to the east, Kunoy, the name of which means woman island. The northernmost par ...

is in the background. Image:Saksun Kirkja.Streymoy.fo.3.jpg, The church of Saksun in north

Image:Saksun.10.jpg,

Image:Hósvík, Faroe Islands (4).JPG, Waterfall in

Image:Tjørnuvík, Faroe Islands.JPG,

in north

. Image:Tjørnuvík, Faroe Islands (3).JPG, Old wooden houses with turf roof in

. Image:Church of Haldarsvík, Faroe Islands.JPG, The octagonal church in Haldarsvík in north

References

External links

Website of Sunda kommuna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunda Municipalities of the Faroe Islands Streymoy Eysturoy