Buzz
While many islands stand out for their striking landscapes or fascinating history, Lítla Dímun is best known for its peculiar weather. This tiny island, the smallest in Denmark's Faroe Islands, is often shrouded in a lens-shaped cloud, creating a picturesque, fairytale-like scene.
As explained by Kerry Wolfe of Mytour, writing for Atlas Obscura, the cloud hovering over Lítla Dímun is a lenticular cloud. These clouds appear when moist air moves over a raised geological feature, such as a mountain. The wind passing over the landmass triggers a wave-like formation, and when the moist air cascades down the leeward side, it evaporates and condenses, forming a large, saucer-shaped cloud atop the mountain peak.
Lítla Dímun is also unique in that it is the only one of the 18 major Faroe Islands without a human population. Instead, visitors are greeted by a thriving community of sheep. The island once hosted a wild flock of sheep that may have originated in the Neolithic period, but they were hunted to extinction in the 19th century. Domesticated sheep were introduced soon after, and today, farmers come annually to gather their herds.
One of the rare indicators of human presence on Lítla Dímun are the ropes used by farmers to climb the steep cliffs surrounding the island. Even for those with rock-climbing expertise, a trip to Lítla Dímun can be perilous. Reaching the island's rugged shoreline by boat is only possible when the surrounding seas are calm.
