Bridges of Faroese Islands

A cover from Faroese Islands with the Europa 2018 stamps. 

 Faroe Islands are an archipelago be- tween the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilo- meters north-northwest of Great Britain. Infrastructure on the islands has been de- veloped extensively and some 80 percent of the population is connected by tunnels through the mountains between the is- lands, bridges and causeways.

The terrain is rugged; the climate is subpolar oceanic climate —windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. Temperatures average above freezing throughout the year because of the Gulf Stream.

Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroes were part of the Hereditary Kingdom of Norway. In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the islands, along with two other Norwegian island possessions: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948.

The Faroese have control of most of their domestic affairs. Those that are the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, policing and the justice department, currency, and foreign affairs. However, as they are not part of the same customs area as Denmark, the Faroe Islands have an independent trade policy and can establish trade agreements with other states. The Faroe Islands also have their own national teams competing in certain sports.

The Streymin Bridge 

Streymin Bridge (Faroese: Brúgvin um Streymin; in short Brúgvin), is an important highway bridge in the Faroe Islands. It connects the two biggest and most populous islands of Streymoy to the west and Eysturoy to the east. Crossing the Sundini sound at its narrowest point, it is jokingly referred to as the 'Bridge over the Atlantic', being the only inter-island bridge in the Faroe Islands and one of the few such bridges in the Atlantic Ocean.

The construction of the bridge started in 1970, its opening was celebrated in 1973. In the beginning, Brúgvin um Streymin (bridge clearance 18 meters/59 ft) only connected Streymoy and Eysturoy’s western part. But soon afterwards, in 1976, the Norðskálatunnilin was opened nearby. The tunnel: also a part of the national road number 10 that I use frequently, often thinking about times when people had to take car ferries or boats to get from one island to another. 

The Bridge over Sanda

The bridge over Sanda is a 140 m long and 14.5 m wide road structure located be- tween the cities of Torshavn and Argir on the largest island called Streymoy. Sleek V-type piers, well-balanced proportions of spans, and its deck make the bridge per- fectly fit into the beautiful landscape.

The cover bears the Torshavn post office cancellation . Torshavn is the capital city of the islands.