Munkurin is the southernmost point of the Faroe Islands. Munkurin is an 11-metre-high rock, also known as Sumbiarsteinur. Munkur means "monk". The rock is one of a group of

skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland * Skerries, County Armagh, a townland in County Armagh * Skerry, County Antrim, a ...

, called Flesjarnar, 5 km south of the island of

Suðuroy Suðuroy (literally South Island, da, Suderø) is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi). In 2018 the population was 4,601. Suðuroy region (sýsla) comprises this island and Lítla ...

in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago, island group and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotlan ...

. The sound between Flesjarnar and Suðuroy is notorious for its strong current.

Flesjarnar

Flesjarnar are a group of rocks, located 5 km south of

Akraberg Akraberg is the southern tip of Suðuroy, 5 km south from the village of Sumba, Faroe Islands, Sumba, in the Faroe Islands. The name Akraberg derives from ''akur'' (cereal field). Five kilometres south of Akraberg is the southernmost point ...

. The rocks are: * Sumbiarfles, 4 metres high (nearest to land) * Miðjufles, 4 metres high (the word miðju means in the middle) * Bøllufles, 6 metres high (two rocks) * Stórafles, 7 metres high (Stóra means large) * Munkurin or Sumbiarsteinur, 11 metres high

Munkurin

The rocks are close together except for Munkurin which is a little further away, which is possibly why it is called the Monk. Two sources mention another reason for the name Munkurin, referring to before the islet collapsed. The article tells about the observations of Pastor

Jørgen Landt Jørgen Landt (c. 1751–1804) was a Danish priest, botanist and author, who published descriptions of the people and geography of the Faroe Islands. Landt was born in the town of Vissenbjerg, on the island of Fünen, Denmark. He died 26. June ...

written in 1800, that when seen from land the rock-island presented the appearance of a monk with red neck and dark grey body and head; and from sea it looked like a ship under full sails. Another source, that of

Olaus Magnus Olaus Magnus (October 1490 – 1 August 1557) was a Swedish writer, cartographer, and Catholic ecclesiastic. Biography Olaus Magnus (a Latin translation of his birth name Olof Månsson) was born in Linköping in October 1490. Like his elder b ...

's ''Histora de Gentibus Septentrionalibus'', states that the rock appeared to wear a hood over its "head," similar to that of a monk, as well as the fact that it provides safe refuge for those caught in a storm. The article mentions that the Monk was 70 feet (21 metres) high. Wikisource.org, Popular Science Monthly, Volume 30. Munkurin is now 11 metres high, but it used to be higher. It collapsed in 1884/85. Before it collapsed the bird

northern gannet The northern gannet (''Morus bassanus'') is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and Northeastern North America. It is the largest seabird i ...

(''Morus bassanus'') used to nest there, but since it collapsed the birds don't nest there any more, they nest in Mykineshólmur. It happens sometimes that the rock looks white from land, and that is because there are many northern gannets sitting there.

Literature in German and Danish

*Lucas Jacobson Debes: ''Natürliche und Politische Historie der Inseln Färöe''. The German book is translated from Danish. Writer: C. G. Mengel, Copenhagen / Leipzig 1757.

References

* A Map of the Faroe Islands * Also based on the German version of Wikipedia.

External links

Visitsuduroy.fo

Photos on Flickr related to Munkurin
Islets of the Faroe Islands Uninhabited islands of the Faroe Islands Stacks of the Faroe Islands {{Faroes-geo-stub

Flesjarnar

Munkurin

Literature in German and Danish

See also

References

External links