# Sandoy > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sandoy > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sandoy.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandoy > Source revision: 1319767140 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{for|the former municipality in Norway|Sandøy Municipality}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Sandoy | other_name = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | settlement_type = [Island](/source/List_of_islands_of_the_Faroe_Islands) | image_skyline = Sandoy aerial 2019 b.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = Island of Sandoy seen from a helicopter. | image_map = Position of Sandoy on Faroe map.png | map_alt = | map_caption = Location within the Faroe Islands | coordinates = {{coord|61|51|N|6|47|W|region:FO_type:isle|display=inline,title}} | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = [State](/source/List_of_sovereign_states) | subdivision_name = [Kingdom of Denmark](/source/Kingdom_of_Denmark) | subdivision_type1 = Autonomous country | subdivision_name1 = [Faroe Islands](/source/Faroe_Islands) | subdivision_type2 = Region | subdivision_name2 = Sandoy | established_title = | established_date = | seat_type = Municipality seat | seat = | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 125 | area_rank = | area_note = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_max_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = 1231[http://statbank.hagstova.fo/pxweb/en/H2/H2__IB/ Statistical Database] | population_as_of = 01-2020 | population_rank = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_note = | timezone1 = [GMT](/source/Greenwich_Mean_Time) | utc_offset1 = +0 | timezone1_DST = [EST](/source/European_Summer_Time) | utc_offset1_DST = +1 | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = Calling code | area_code = 298 | website = | footnotes = | official_name = }} '''Sandoy''' ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the [Faroe Islands](/source/Faroe_Islands),{{cite book|last=Proctor|first=James|title=Faroe Islands|year=2008|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-224-8|pages=133|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=blwCW3h2o28C&q=sandoy+faroe&pg=PA133}} an autonomous region of the [Kingdom of Denmark](/source/Kingdom_of_Denmark). It also refers to the [region](/source/Regions_of_the_Faroe_Islands) that includes this island along with [Skúvoy](/source/Sk%C3%BAvoy) and [Stóra Dímun](/source/St%C3%B3ra_D%C3%ADmun). {{As of|2020|January}}, the largest population centre on the island is the village of [Sandur](/source/Sandur_(Faroe_Islands)) with a population of 532.{{cite web|last=Hagstova|date=|title=Sandoy|url=https://statbank.hagstova.fo/pxweb/fo/H2/H2__IB__IB01/fo_vit_by_ar.px/table/tableViewLayout2/|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=20 August 2020|website=|publisher=Faroese Statistics Office}} Other settlements include [Skarvanes](/source/Skarvanes), [Skopun](/source/Skopun), [Skálavík](/source/Sk%C3%A1lav%C3%ADk), [Húsavík](/source/H%C3%BAsav%C3%ADk%2C_Faroe_Islands) and [Dalur](/source/Dalur). Sandoy gets its name from the large beach at [Sandur](/source/Sandur%2C_Faroe_Islands), and the general sandy soil of the island. It is the only island with [dune](/source/dune)s. There are similarly named islands, [Sanday](/source/Sanday%2C_Orkney) in the [Orkney](/source/Orkney) Islands, [Sanday](/source/Sanday%2C_Inner_Hebrides) in the [Inner Hebrides](/source/Inner_Hebrides) and [Sandøy](/source/Sand%C3%B8ya%2C_M%C3%B8re_og_Romsdal) in Norway. The [Sandoyartunnilin](/source/Sandoyartunnilin) connects between the centre of the island and [Gamlarætt](/source/Gamlar%C3%A6tt) on [Streymoy](/source/Streymoy). Construction started in 2019 and the tunnel opened for traffic on 21 December 2023.{{Cite web|title=Framgongd við boring|url=https://www.estunlar.fo/fo/um-tunlarnar/sandoyartunnilin/framgongd-vid-boring/|access-date=2020-08-20|website=Eystur- og Sandoyatunlar}} == Agriculture == The island is considered the best island for [agriculture](/source/agriculture) due to its fertile sandy soil. The largest potato farm in the country is located on the island. And people who have gardening interests have generally an easier time getting plants to grow here. On 19 August 2015 the agricultural union "Veltan" was founded for people who have an interest in gardening and farming, their aim is to improve conditions for a self-sustaining way of life, and agricultural businesses. The island supports 6,878 sheep, not including lambs. There are two [''grind'' beaches](/source/Whaling_in_the_Faroe_Islands) used for whaling, in [Húsavík](/source/H%C3%BAsav%C3%ADk%2C_Faroe_Islands) and [Sandur.](/source/Sandur%2C_Faroe_Islands) ==Important Bird Areas== The island's surrounding [bird cliff](/source/bird_cliff)s and steep slopes have been identified as an [Important Bird Area](/source/Important_Bird_Area) (IBA) by [BirdLife International](/source/BirdLife_International) because of their significance as a breeding site for [seabird](/source/seabird)s, especially [northern fulmar](/source/northern_fulmar)s (50,000 pairs), [Manx shearwater](/source/Manx_shearwater)s (5000 pairs), [European storm petrel](/source/European_storm_petrel)s (50,000 pairs), [European shag](/source/European_shag)s (150 pairs), [great skua](/source/great_skua)s (15 pairs), [Atlantic puffin](/source/Atlantic_puffin)s (70,000 pairs) and [black guillemot](/source/black_guillemot)s (400 pairs).BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Sandoy. Downloaded from [http://www.birdlife.org Birdlife.org] on 2012-02-23. An additional IBA on the island comprises the lowland areas around the village of [Sandur](/source/Sandur%2C_Faroe_Islands), with their [moorland](/source/moorland) and [peat](/source/peat) [bog](/source/bog)s, and the lakes Gróthúsvatn, Lítlavatn, Sandsvatn and Stóravatn, because they support 100-150 breeding pairs of [Eurasian whimbrel](/source/Eurasian_whimbrel)s.BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Vøtnini á Sandoy (Lakes of Sandoy). Downloaded from [http://www.birdlife.org Birdlife.org] on 2012-02-23. ==See also== * [List of islands of the Faroe Islands](/source/List_of_islands_of_the_Faroe_Islands) ==Further reading== {{Refbegin}} * Jørgensen, Gunni, and Jóannes Rasmussen. ''Glacial Striae, Roches Moutonnées, and Ice Movements on Sandoy (Faeroe Islands)''. Communications géologiques, no 314. [Copenhagen, Denmark]: Muséum de minéralogie et de géologie de l'Université de Copenhague, 1978. * Lawson, Ian, et al. 2005. "Historical Ecology on Sandoy, Faroe Islands: Palaeoenvironmental and Archaeological Perspectives". ''Human Ecology''. 33, no. 5: 651–684. {{Refend}} ==Gallery== File:Skarvanes, Faroe Islands.JPG|Skarvanes File:Sandsvatn a Lake on Sandoy in the Faroe Islands.JPG|The lake [Sandsvatn](/source/Sandsvatn) is the largest on the island and the third largest in the Faroe Islands. File:Húsavík, Faroe Islands (2).JPG|[Húsavík, Faroe Islands](/source/H%C3%BAsav%C3%ADk%2C_Faroe_Islands) File:Skopun (2).JPG|[Skopun](/source/Skopun) File:Skalavik Sandoy Faroe Islands in July 2012.JPG|[Skálavík](/source/Sk%C3%A1lav%C3%ADk) File:Dalur, Faroe Islands.JPG|[Dalur](/source/Dalur) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{Wikivoyage-inline|Sandoyar}} *{{wiktionary-inline|Sandoy}} *{{Commons-inline|Sandoy}} {{Islands of the Faroe Islands}} {{Faroe Islands topics}} {{Regions of Denmark}} {{Authority control}} Category:Sandoy Category:Islands of the Faroe Islands Category:Important Bird Areas of the Faroe Islands --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sandoy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandoy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandoy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.