Tradition, change and innovation in the North Atlantic (UK edition)
A tribute to the remarkable people who inhabit 18 islands in the middle of the wild Atlantic Ocean. It paints an optimistic and at times idiosyncratic picture of a micro-nation that has embraced remarkable change over a quarter of a century as it contemplates the prospect of potential full statehood amid an uncertain world.
During the Second World War, the Faroe Islands were occupied by the UK, which sought to protect its North Atlantic supply routes. The British recognised the islands’ own flag, a fact denounced by Denmark but celebrated annually at Flag Day. After the war, the people voted in favour of independence, but Denmark quashed the result.
Ever since then, public opinion has been finely balanced on the independence question. But this has always had the feel of inevitability in the longer run. There are lessons for small nations and island people everywhere.
