Most Faroese are citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark, in which the Faroe Islands are a constituent nation.

The first known settlers of the Faroe Islands were Gaelic hermits and monks who arrived in the 6th century.

According to the saga, many Norsemen objected to the Norwegian king's unification politics and thus fled to other countries, including the newfound places in the west.

[citation needed] Historians have understood since the time of the Færeyinga saga that the Viking Grímur Kamban was the first settler in the Faroes.

Some place names from the oldest settlements on the Faroes suggest that some of the settlers perhaps came from the Scottish islands and the British coast.