Faroe Islands Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands (; , ; , ), or the Faeroe Islandsa North Atlantic archipelago located north-northwest of Scotland and about halfway between Norway and Icelandare an autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Total area is about with a population of 50,322 in October 2017. The terrain is rugged; the climate is subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc)windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. Temperatures average above freezing throughout the year because of the Gulf Stream. Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroes were part of the Hereditary Kingdom of Norway. In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the
Faroe Islands rat ("Rattus norvegicus"), and the house mouse ("Mus musculus"). Apart from these, there once was a local domestic sheep breed, the Faroe sheep (depicted on the coat of arms), a variety of feral sheep survived on Lítla Dímun until the mid-19th century. Grey seals ("Halichoerus grypus") are common around the shorelines. Several species of cetacea live in the waters around the Faroe Islands. Best known are the long-finned pilot whales ("Globicephala melaena"), which are still hunted by the islanders in accordance with longstanding local tradition. Orcas ("Orcinus orca") are regular visitors around the islands. The domestic animals of the Faroe