Hestur

Hestur (Danish: Hestø) is an island in the central Faroe Islands, to the west of Streymoy and the south of Koltur. Hestur means horse in Faroese.

Hestur
Island
West coast of Hestur
Location within the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 61°57′10″N 6°53′40″W
State Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country Faroe Islands
Area
 • Total6.1 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
Area rank15
Highest elevation
421 m (1,381 ft)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total20
 • Rank13
 • Density3.3/km2 (8.5/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (EST)
Calling code298

On the west coast is a guillemot colony. In the north there is moorland with four small lakes, of which Fagradalsvatn is the largest. At Hælur, Hestur's southernmost tip, there is a lighthouse. The island has one settlement, a village also named Hestur on the east coast. The village enjoys the view over Gamlarætt and Velbastaður on Streymoy.

History

The island has been settled since Viking times; the old settlement was at Hælur, the southern tip of the island. Due to it being the sunward side of the island, cereal ripened better there than anywhere else on the island. But due to extreme difficulties in landing boats there, the village was abandoned and the current village of Hestur was established.

In 1919 a fishing accident resulted in the deaths of one-third of Hestur's men. In an attempt to fight the depopulation of the village, a swimming pool was built on the island in 1974. On the southern part of the island by the lake Fagradalsvatn, one can camp. Hestur's postal code is FO 280. Since 1 January 2005 the island has been part of the municipality of Tórshavn.

Important Bird Area

The 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 Atlantic puffins (25,000 pairs), European storm petrels (5000 pairs) and black guillemots (50 pairs).[1]

Mountains

The island has the following four mountains

Name Height
Múlin 421 m
Eggjarrók 421 m
Nakkur 296 m
Álvastakkur 125 m
  • Hestur
  • Hestur
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See also
  • List of towns in the Faroe Islands

References
  1. BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Hestur. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-23.
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