The football field at the end of the world invites you to immerse yourself in the experience →

On the other side of the North Atlantic Ocean, there is a football field with its back against the cliff and facing the sea, as if standing at the end of the world. When playing football here, you can hear the whistling of the Sandini Strait and the clapping of the sea water.

Image source: Standard map service system. Image approval number: GS(2021)5443

Desolate and lonely, this is the Faroe Islands, 18 fragments scattered in the boundless ocean on the edge of the Arctic Circle . Although seemingly unknown, it easily beat Hawaii, Bermuda and more than 100 other islands to become the first of the "World's Most Beautiful Islands" selected by National Geographic.

01

Nordic wanderers

While Iceland is packed with excited tourists, the Faroe Islands have become the last secret place in Northern Europe. Located at 62° north latitude, in the center of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic , with a coastline of 1,117 kilometers, any house on the island can let you sleep by the waves.

Today, like Greenland, it is a legitimate overseas territory of the Kingdom of Denmark . Compared with the sovereign country, it is closer to Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom.

Hiding in the northwest of Scotland, between Iceland and Norway. Based on PIE-Engine Studio

Millions of years ago, the sea carved out the European continent, and 18 discarded boulders drifted in the North Atlantic. It was not until the 6th century AD that Irish ascetics who loved to preach became the first pioneers , built monasteries, raised a flock of sheep, and began a monastic life of self-cultivation.

As a strategic route between North America and Europe and an important port hub for regional trade, these have meant that the archipelago cannot remain isolated from the world forever.

Klaksvik Seaport in the Faroe Islands. Image source: PIE-Engine Server

In the early 9th century, a group of Viking pirates from Northern Europe set their sights on the Faroe Islands . The Vikings, who believed in the Nordic gods such as Odin and Thor, used coastlines and lakes as a link to plunder from the European continent to the Arctic Circle.

The natural geographical proximity made it easy for the Vikings from Norway to occupy the Faroe Islands. The Norwegian Vikings gradually settled on the islands and became the first ethnic group with a say in the Faroe Islands.

As time went by, the former belief in the Nordic gods gradually declined, and the Vikings slowly converted to Christianity . After conquering England, they also ruled Denmark, Sweden and Norway, forming a huge Nordic empire.

The three powers in the early Nordic countries. Based on PIE-Engine Studio

Since the 12th century, the rise of European city alliances has finally brought the "Viking Age" to an end. In 1397, the three Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) jointly established the Kalmar Union under the leadership of Queen Margaret I of Denmark, and the Faroe Islands became a territory under the jurisdiction of Denmark.

The farce of the three Nordic countries' open and covert struggles continues. Although it was briefly controlled by Britain during World War II, the Faroe Islands have always been firmly controlled by Denmark .

02

A small island with a lot to offer

The islands are covered with glacial rocks or volcanic rocks with peat soil, and the terrain is high and rugged. Pyramid-shaped simple mountains, fjord cliffs with terrifying waves, and silky green meadows are full of primitive wildness.

This high-latitude archipelago has three things in common: too many strong winds, too much time, and too many sheep . The mild maritime climate means that the temperature does not change much throughout the year, but the weather is unpredictable, with strong westerly winds and continuous rain being the norm.

In the Faroe Islands, a day is stretched into a year by the changeable climate. If you have nothing to do, you can choose to hike a few kilometers . Crossing mountains and ridges is no longer a necessity for survival, but is included in the 23 hiking guides officially compiled by the Faroe Tourism Bureau.

Kalsoy Island in the northeast, on the endless cliffs, heading towards the lighthouse. Image copyright of the library, no permission for reproduction

Or maybe you can have a thrilling football match. Can you imagine that this archipelago with a population of just over 50,000 and only slightly larger than Hong Kong has only a few houses but more than 20 football fields ?

Eiði village has less than 700 people, and the old stadium is located on land reclaimed from the sea. Image source: PIE-Engine Server

Because people always have to go to the sea to pick up balls, the village of Eiði built a new stadium across the sea from the old one. Image source: PIE-Engine Server

Although football has a history of more than a hundred years in the Faroe Islands, the lack of a natural grass pitch that meets international competition standards meant that their home ground for the 1992 European Cup qualifiers had to be temporarily set up in Sweden.

The football field of the Thorsfield Football Club is well-equipped. Image source: PIE-Engine Server

However, it is this group of amateur or semi-professional players on the island, formed by the bottom-ranked European team , that are marching rapidly towards the top professional league.

The Faroe Islands, ranked 122nd in the world, even tied with the Chinese U17 team in the 2018 Nordic Cup. Source: FIFA

The ocean is the most important material and spiritual matrix for the islanders in the millennium of coexistence. Seafood and its processing industry contribute 1/4 of the country's GDP. In 2018, China's ban on Norwegian salmon made Faroe the biggest winner, becoming China's largest salmon importer .

The sea is blue, the mountains are brown, the grass is green, there are polar days in summer, polar nights in winter, the beauty of the green fields, and the busyness of the coast. This remote island is perfect for "exiling" yourself.

Source: PIE Engine Earth Science Exploration

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