Föhr

Föhr

Native name: Feer
Trilingual map of Föhr (North Frisian, German and Danish place names)
Geography
Location	Wadden Sea
Coordinates	54°43′N 8°30′E / 54.717°N 8.500°E / 54.717; 8.500
Archipelago	North Frisian Islands
Major islands	Sylt, Föhr, Amrum
Area	82.82 km2 (31.98 sq mi)
Length	12 km (7.5 mi)
Width	6.8 km (4.23 mi)
Highest elevation	13 m (43 ft)
Administration
Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Nordfriesland
Demographics
Population	8,591 (13 May 2016)
Pop. density	104 /km2 (269 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Germans, Frisians, Danes
Additional information
Official website	www.foehr.de

Föhr  pronunciation  (Fering North Frisian: Feer; Danish: Før) is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest North Sea island of Germany and a popular destination for tourists. A town and eleven distinct municipalities are located on the island. The climate is oceanic with moderate winters and relatively cool summers.

Being a settlement area already in neolithic times, Föhr had been part of mainland North Frisia until 1362. Then the coastline was destroyed by a heavy storm flood and several islands were formed, Föhr among them. The northern parts of Föhr consist of marshes while the southern parts consist of sandy geest. From the middle-ages until 1864, Föhr belonged to the Danish realm and to the Duchy of Schleswig, but was then transferred to Prussia as a result of the Second Schleswig War. Seafaring has long been the most popular trade, but farming and eventually tourism became the most important economic factors after the end of the Age of Sail. The island can be reached by a car and passenger ferry service or via an airstrip.

Apart from German, a dialect of the North Frisian language, Fering, is frequently spoken on Föhr. Several authors and poets have also written in Fering.