Streymoy

Streymoy
Skælingur (767 m) on Streymoy
Location within the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°08′N 7°01′W / 62.133°N 7.017°W / 62.133; -7.017Coordinates: 62°08′N 7°01′W / 62.133°N 7.017°W / 62.133; -7.017
State	Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country	Faroe Islands
Region	Streymoy
Area
• Total	373 km2 (144 sq mi)
Area rank	1
Population (2010)
• Total	22,400
• Rank	1
• Density	60/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	EST (UTC+1)
Calling code	298

Streymoy (Danish: Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its east 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, especially in the northwest, with the highest peak 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.

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 fence around them in order to keep sheep out.

Streymoy is separated from the nearby Eysturoy, second largest island of the Faroe Islands by the narrow sound of Sundini in the east. To the west lies the island of Vágar, and to the south the island of Sandoy. Three additional smaller islands are situated around the southern tip of Streymoy: Koltur, Hestur and Nólsoy.

The north-east coastline of the island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of its significance as a breeding site for seabirds, especially northern fulmars (75,000 pairs), European storm petrels (2500 pairs), European shags (150 pairs), great skuas (120 pairs), black-legged kittiwakes (9000 pairs), Atlantic puffins (20,000 pairs) and black guillemots (300 pairs).