Skopun

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Town on the Faroe Islands, Denmark

title: "Skopun" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["municipalities-of-the-faroe-islands", "populated-places-in-the-faroe-islands", "sandoy", "populated-places-established-in-1833", "ports-and-harbours-of-the-faroe-islands", "1833-establishments-in-the-danish-colonial-empire"] description: "Town on the Faroe Islands, Denmark" topic_path: "general/municipalities-of-the-faroe-islands" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopun" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town on the Faroe Islands, Denmark ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameSkopun
official_nameSkopun Municipality
fo
other_nameda
native_name
settlement_typeMunicipality and village
image_skylineSkopun (4).JPG
imagesize250px
image_mapMap-position-skopunar-kommuna-2005.png
mapsize250px
map_captionLocation of Skopun Municipality in the Faroe Islands
pushpin_mapFaroe Islands
pushpin_label_positionleft
pushpin_mapsize250
pushpin_map_captionLocation of Skopun village in the Faroe Islands
subdivision_typeState
subdivision_nameKingdom of Denmark
subdivision_type1Constituent country
subdivision_name1Faroe Islands
subdivision_type2Island
subdivision_name2Sandoy
subdivision_type3Municipality
subdivision_name3Skopun Municipality
leader_title1
established_titleFounded
established_date1833
unit_prefImperial
area_total_km2
area_land_km2
population_as_ofSeptember 2025
population_footnotes
population_total481
timezoneGMT
timezone_DSTWEST
utc_offset_DST+1
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
postal_code_typePostal code
postal_codeFO 240
blank_nameClimate
blank_infoCfc
websiteSkopun
::

|name = Skopun |official_name = Skopun Municipality fo |other_name = da |native_name =
|nickname = |settlement_type = Municipality and village |motto = |image_skyline = Skopun (4).JPG |imagesize = 250px |image_caption = |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_map = Map-position-skopunar-kommuna-2005.png |mapsize = 250px |map_caption = Location of Skopun Municipality in the Faroe Islands |pushpin_map = Faroe Islands |pushpin_label_position = left |pushpin_mapsize = 250 |pushpin_map_caption = Location of Skopun village in the Faroe Islands |subdivision_type = State |subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark |subdivision_type1 = Constituent country |subdivision_name1 = Faroe Islands |subdivision_type2 = Island |subdivision_name2 = Sandoy |subdivision_type3 = Municipality |subdivision_name3 = Skopun Municipality | |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 =
|leader_name1 = |established_title = Founded |established_date = 1833 |area_magnitude = |unit_pref =Imperial |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 = |population_as_of = September 2025 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 481 |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title = |population_blank1 = |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi = |timezone = GMT |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = WEST |utc_offset_DST = +1 |coordinates = |elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |postal_code_type = Postal code |postal_code = FO 240 |area_code = |blank_name = Climate |blank_info = Cfc |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = Skopun |footnotes = Skopun (pronounced ; ) is a town in the Faroe Islands situated on the northern coast of Sandoy.

Skopun is the second-largest town on the island. Skopun Municipality consists only of the town of Skopun.

History

Although the area has been inhabited since the Middle Ages, Skopun was not founded until 1833. The people of Skopun did not possess any land. They subsisted on fishing, so the houses were built close to the water.

In 1897, Skopun's church was constructed out of timber taken from the old church of Vestmanna. The Faroe Islands' first road was built on Sandoy in 1917, as part of a government-financed plan to improve the island's non-existent harbour facilities. It connects Skopun with Sandur, the island's main town. Skopun's harbour was built in 1926 and later extended. In 1982, the harbour was furnished with a gate which protects the dock from the sea. A 1988 hurricane destroyed the town's small wood.

Until December 2023, Skopun was the ferry port for the route to Gamlarætt on Streymoy, occasionally via Hestur. This service ceased to operate after the Sandoyartunnilin opened for general traffic.

Name

The first part of the place name comes from skopa, a bowl shaped vessel for bailing water out of a boat (better known as an eyskar), and the un by a shortening of havn (haven or port). The Danish Skopen appeared on three cancellers between 1908 and 1962 and Skopun has been in use since. The word skopa as defined seems to be uniquely Faroese, although a similar-sounding skota was the word for a bailing vessel in northeast Iceland (also called austurskota).

People from Skopun

Gallery

Image:Skopun (1).JPG|The village of Skopun Image:Skopun (2).JPG|View over Skopun Image:Skopun and Hestur.JPG|View from Skopun northwards over the Skopunarfjørður to Hestur Image:Skopun (5).JPG|The ferry "Teistin", connecting Skopun on Sandoy with Gamlarætt on Streymoy.

References

References

  1. [https://hagstova.fo/en/population/population/population Population, municipalities and villages] Statistics Faroe Islands
  3. Wylie, Jonathan. (1987). "The Faroe Islands: Interpretations of History". The University Press of Kentucky.
  4. Proctor, James. (2008). "Faroe Islands". Bradt Travel Guides.
  5. Brandt, Don. (2006). "More stamps and the story of the Faroe islands". Postverk Føroya.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

municipalities-of-the-faroe-islandspopulated-places-in-the-faroe-islandssandoypopulated-places-established-in-1833ports-and-harbours-of-the-faroe-islands1833-establishments-in-the-danish-colonial-empire