Eysturoy

Eysturoy

Eysturoy is the second largest of the Faroe Islands, both in terms of size and number of inhabitants. The island of Eysturoy is separated from the main island of Streymoy by a narrow sound. The island is very rugged, with about 66 separate mountain peaks, among them Slættaratindur, the archipelago's highest peak at 880 meters. The island is almost cut in half by the country's two longest fjords, Skálafjørður in the south and Funningsfjørður in the north. One of the flattest areas in the country is the isthmus between the two, Millum Fjarða. The villages of Eiði and Gjógv, the latter with a small natural harbor in a rocky outcrop, are among Eysturoy's attractions. Also worth a visit are Blásastó Museum in Gøta and Fuglafjørður's 18-degree hot springs. And at the northern tip of the island are the basalt towers of Risin and Kellingin. The northern, northeastern and southeastern coasts of the island have been designated as Important Bird Areas by BirdLife International for their importance as breeding areas for seabirds, particularly the Manx Shearwater, the European Storm-Petrel and the Black Guillemot.