How Faroe will sheep go?

Ever since 2007, Google Street View has been slowly changing the way that we look at our world. What started as a project that included only a few American cities, is now one that allows us to type in an address and see a panoramic view of that location on your computer. Google captures these images by driving fleets of cars around the countries of the world, from Australia to Russia, Japan to Argentina. Each of these cars is armed with 360º cameras that capture everything in view. The final result is amazing. An instant look into any address on the planet.

Well, okay. Not any address. In truth, for all of the more unexpected spots that one can visit on Google Street View (right now, you can "take a walk" through Nuuk, the capital of Greenland), there are some surprising omissions, such as popular Caribbean countries like Cuba, Barbados, and Jamaica, and nearly all of Africa.

Then there are other omissions. Ones that you probably would not think to look for, unless you lived there, of course.

Such as the Faroe Islands.

No view of a great view

The Faroe Islands are not very well known. This tiny volcanic archipelago (that means group of islands) is found in the North Atlantic Ocean. It sits between Iceland and England and Norway, and is technically a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Still, the entire population of about 50,000 operates mainly as their own nation. They have a cool climate with little snow, a history of fishing, a charming culture... and no Google Street View.

This frustrated a Faroese woman named Durita Dahl Andreassen. She works for the Faroese Tourism Board (that's a job where you try to get people to come and visit your country) and was disappointed that her country didn't have Street View. She was convinced that if it did, many more people would want to visit her homeland. But even she had to admit that there weren't exactly a lot of roads to travel on. So she came up with a plan.

The sheep islands

"You want to put a camera on me? What a honour!" (© Visit Faroe Islands)

The name "Faroe Islands" means "the sheep islands" in Danish. Turns out that this was a good name, because aside from puffins and ponies, this place is run by sheep. There are twice as many sheep as people here. And though the wild rolling pastures and rocky cliffs of the Faroes aren't that great for a car, they are tailor made for the wily hooves of the wooly sheep.

So, the solution? Take the same 360º cameras that Google uses to map out neighbourhoods around the world, and throw them on the back of a sheep or two! Allow Durita to explain it for you, and enjoy the sights of the Faroe Islands while you're at it. Looks like a great place to visit!