The Faroe Islands are an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometres north-northwest of mainland Scotland. The area is approximately 1,400 square kilometres with a 2016 population of 49,188. The islands are an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. The land is rugged and has a subpolar oceanic climate: windy, wet, cloudy and cool. Despite its northerly latitude, temperatures average above freezing throughout the year due to the Gulf Stream.