Streymoy (Danish: Strømø) 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 islands of Hestur, Koltur and Nólsoy.
The island is oblong in shape and stretches roughly in northwest–southeast direction with a length of 47 kilometres (29 miles) and a width of around 10 kilometres (6 miles). There are two deeply-indented fjords in the southeast: Kollafjørður and Kaldbaksfjørður. The island is mountainous (average height is 337 meter), especially in the northwest, with the highest peak being Kopsenni (789 metres (2,589 ft)). That area is dominated by over 500-metre-high (1,640 ft) cliffs. The area is known as Vestmannabjørgini, which means Cliffs of Vestmanna. The beaches of Tórshavn, Vestmanna, Leynar, Kollafjørður, Hvalvík (meaning Whale Bay) and Tjørnuvík are officially approved grind beaches for whaling.
Like the rest of the Faroe Islands there are numerous short streams and minor lakes. The main vegetation is grass, with no trees. Some of the villages have planted trees inside or just outside the village. These parks need to have fences around them in order to keep sheep out.
Streymoy is separated from the nearby Eysturoy, the second-largest island of the Faroe Islands, by the sounds of Sundini and Tangafjørður. To the west lies the island of Vágar, and to the south the island of Sandoy, separated by the Vestmannasund and Skopunarfjørður respectively. Three additional smaller islands are situated around the southern tip of Streymoy and belong to the Streymoy sýsla: Koltur, Hestur and Nólsoy; all of which are incorporated into Tórshavn Municipality.
[caption id="attachment_219212" align="aligncenter" width="432"] Friedrich Schiller by Ludovike Simanowiz (1793 or 1794)[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Johann Christoph Friedrich (von) Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, physician, hi...