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Location within the Faroe Islands
Location within the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°13′N 6°53′W﻿ / ﻿62.217°N 6.883°W﻿ / 62.217; -6.883Coordinates: 62°13′N 6°53′W﻿ / ﻿62.217°N 6.883°W﻿ / 62.217; -6.883
State Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country Faroe Islands
 • Total 286.3 km2 (110.5 sq mi)
Area rank 2
Population (2011)
 • Total 10,839
 • Rank 2
 • Density 38/km2 (98/sq mi)
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) EST (UTC+1)
Calling code 298

Eysturoy (Danish: Østerø) means East island (pronounced ['estroi]) and is the second-largest of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, both in size and population.


Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with some 66 separate mountain peaks, including Slættaratindur, the highest peak in the archipelago. Important settlements on Eysturoy are Fuglafjørður in the north and the densely populated area of the municipalities of Runavík and Nes in the south.

Eysturoy is connected with Streymoy by a road bridge over the sound. The islanders humorously refer to this bridge as the only bridge over the Atlantic. (The natives of the Scottish island of Seil make the same claim, as do the people of Great Bernera in Na h-Eileanan Siar.) Leirvík on the east coast of the island is the gateway for transport connections to the north-eastern islands, particularly Klaksvík on the island of Borðoy, which is the Faroes' second-largest town.

Sites of interest on Eysturoy include the villages of Eiði and Gjógv, the latter having a small natural port in a rock column; the Blásastova historical museum in the village of Gøta; and the varmakelda (thermal springs) of Fuglafjørður, which indicate the volcanic origin of the archipelago. Off the northern tip of the island are the basalt sea stacks Risin og Kellingin.

Important Bird Area[edit]

The north, north-east, and south-east coasts of the island have been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of their significance as seabird breeding sites, especially for Manx shearwaters (2500 pairs), European storm petrels (500 pairs) and black guillemots (300 pairs).[1]

Map of Eysturoy
Gjógv harbour


  1. ^ BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Eysturoy. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-22.

Further reading[edit]

  • Viderö, Kristian Osvald. Saga Eysturoyar. Tórshavn: Bókagarður, 1994.

External links[edit]