   #copyright

Iceland

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; European
Countries

                 Lýðveldið Ísland
   Republic of Iceland

   Flag of Iceland Coat of arms of Iceland
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Motto: none
   Anthem: Lofsöngur
   Location of Iceland
   Capital
   (and largest city)       Reykjavík
                            64°08′N 21°56′W
      Official languages    Icelandic
   Government               Constitutional republic
    - President             Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
    - Prime Minister        Geir H. Haarde
         Independence       from Denmark
    - Sovereignty           1 December 1918
    - Republic              17 June 1944
                         Area
    - Total                 103,000 km² ( 107th)
                            39,768.5 sq mi
    - Water (%)             2.7
                      Population
    - October 2006 estimate 305,309 ( 178th)
    - December 1980 census  229,187
    - Density               2.9/km² ( 222nd)
                            7.5/sq mi
          GDP ( PPP)        2005 estimate
    - Total                 $10.531 billion ( 135th)
    - Per capita            $35,586 (2005) ( 5th)
        GDP (nominal)       2005 estimate
    - Total                 $15.823 billion ( 90th)
    - Per capita            $52,764 ( 3rd)
         HDI  (2004)        0.960 (high) ( 2nd)
           Currency         Icelandic króna ( ISK)
          Time zone         GMT ( UTC+0)
         Internet TLD       .is
         Calling code       +354

   Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( Icelandic: Ísland or
   Lýðveldið Ísland; IPA: [ˈliðvɛltɪð ˈislant]) is a volcanic island
   nation in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Norway,
   Scotland, Ireland and the Faroe Islands.

Administrative Divisions

   Iceland is divided into regions, constituencies, counties, and
   municipalities.

Regions

   There are eight regions which are primarily used for statistical
   purposes; the district court jurisdictions also use an older version of
   this division.

Constituencies

   Until 2003, the constituencies for the parliament elections were the
   same as the regions, but by an amendment to the constitution they were
   changed to the current six constituencies. The change was made in order
   to balance the weight of different districts of the country since a
   vote cast in the sparsely populated areas around the country would
   count much more than a vote cast in the Reykjavík city area. The
   imbalance between districts has been reduced by the new system, but
   still exists.

Counties

   Iceland's 23 counties are for the most part historical divisions.
   Currently, Iceland is split up among 26 magistrates that represent
   government in various capacities. Among their duties are running the
   local police (except in Reykjavík, where there is a special office of
   police commissioner), tax collection, administering bankruptcy
   declarations, and performing civil marriages.

Municipalities

   There are 79 municipalities in Iceland which govern most local matters
   like schools, transportation and zoning.

   Regions of Iceland

   Constituencies of Iceland

   Counties of Iceland

   Municipalities of Iceland

Cities & towns

     * Akranes
     * Akureyri
     * Blönduós
     * Bolungarvík
     * Borgarfjörður
     * Dalvík
     * Djúpivogur
     * Egilsstaðir
     * Eskifjörður
     * Eyrarbakki
     * Garðabær
     * Grenivík
     * Grindavík
     * Hafnarfjörður
     * Hella
     * Hornafjörður
     * Húsavík
     * Hvammstangi
     * Hveragerði
     * Ísafjörður
     * Keflavík
     * Kirkjubæjarklaustur
     * Kópavogur
     * Mosfellsbær
     * Ólafsfjörður
     * Ólafsvík
     * Patreksfjörður
     * Raufarhöfn
     * Reyðarfjörður
     * Reykjavík
     * Sauðárkrókur
     * Selfoss
     * Seltjarnarnes
     * Seyðisfjörður
     * Siglufjörður
     * Skagafjörður
     * Stokkseyri
     * Stykkishólmur
     * Suðureyri
     * Vestmannaeyjar
     * Vopnafjörður
     * Þorlákshöfn

Geography

   CIA World Factbook map of Iceland
   Enlarge
   CIA World Factbook map of Iceland
   Iceland, as seen from space on September 9, 2002.
   Enlarge
   Iceland, as seen from space on September 9, 2002.

Location and Topography

   Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic
   Circle, which passes through the small island of Grímsey off Iceland's
   northern coast, but not through mainland Iceland. Unlike neighbouring
   Greenland, Iceland is considered to be a part of Europe, not of North
   America, though geologically, the island belongs to both continents.
   Due to cultural, economic and linguistic similarities, Iceland in many
   contexts is also included in Scandinavia. It is the world's 18th
   largest island, and Europe's 2nd largest island following Great
   Britain.

   Approximately 10 percent of the island is glaciated. Many fjords
   punctuate its 3,088 miles (4,970 km) long coastline, which is also
   where most towns are situated because the island's interior, the
   Highlands of Iceland, is a cold and uninhabitable combination of sands
   and mountains. The major towns are the capital Reykjavík, Keflavík,
   where the international airport is situated, and Akureyri. The island
   of Grímsey on the Arctic Circle contains the northernmost habitation of
   Iceland.

   The only native land mammal when humans arrived was the arctic fox. It
   came to the island at the end of the ice age, walking over the frozen
   sea. There are no native reptiles or amphibians on the island. There
   are around 1,300 known species of insects in Iceland, which is rather
   low compared with other countries (there are about 925,000 known
   species in the world). During the last Ice Age almost all of the
   country was covered by permanent snow and glacier ice. This explains
   the low number of living species in Iceland.

   When humans arrived, birch forest and woodland probably covered 25-40%
   of Iceland’s land area. But soon the settlers started to remove the
   trees and forests to create fields and grazing land. During the early
   20th century the forests were at their minimum and were almost wiped
   out of existence. The planting of new forests has increased the number
   of trees since, but this can not be compared with the original forests.
   Some of those planted forests have included new foreign species.

   Iceland has four national parks: Jökulsárgljúfur National Park,
   Skaftafell National Park, Snæfellsjökull National Park, and Þingvellir
   National Park.

Area

     * Whole country: 103,000  km² (39,768.5  mi²)
     * Vegetation: 23,805 km² (9,191 mi²)
     * Lakes: 2,757 km² (1,065 mi²)
     * Glaciers: 11,922 km² (4,603 mi²)
     * Wasteland: 64,538 km² (24,918 mi²)

Geological and volcanic activity

   Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, is located in
   northeastern Iceland.
   Enlarge
   Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, is located in
   northeastern Iceland.

   Iceland is located on both a geological hot spot, thought to be caused
   by a mantle plume, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs right through
   it. This combined location means that the island is extremely
   geologically active, having many volcanoes, notably Hekla, Eldgjá, and
   Eldfell. The volcanic eruption of Laki in 1783- 1784 caused a famine
   that killed nearly a quarter of the island's population; the eruption
   caused dust clouds and haze to appear over most of Europe and parts of
   Asia and Africa for several months after the eruption. There are also
   geysers (a word derived from the name of one in Iceland, Geysir). With
   this widespread availability of geothermal power, and also because of
   the numerous rivers and waterfalls that are harnessed for hydropower,
   residents of most towns have hot water and home heat for a low price.
   The island itself is composed primarily of basalt, or cooled lava.

   Iceland controls Surtsey, one of the youngest islands in the world. It
   rose above the ocean in a series of volcanic eruptions between November
   8, 1963 and June 5, 1968.

Largest lakes

     * Þórisvatn ( Reservoir): 83-88 km² (32-34 mi²)
     * Þingvallavatn: 82 km² (31.7 mi²)
     * Lögurinn: 53 km² (20.5 mi²)
     * Mývatn: 37 km² (14.3 mi²)
     * Hvítárvatn: 30 km² (11.6 mi²)
     * Hóp: 30 km² (11.6 mi²)
     * Langisjór: 11.6 km² (10 mi²)

Deepest lakes

     * Öskjuvatn: 220  m (722  ft)
     * Hvalvatn: 160 m (525 ft)
     * Jökulsárlón: 150 m (492 ft)
     * Þingvallavatn: 114 m (374 ft)
     * Þórisvatn ( Reservoir): 113 m (371 ft)
     * Lögurinn: 112 m (367 ft)
     * Kleifarvatn: 97 m (318 ft)
     * Hvítárvatn: 84 m (276 ft)
     * Langisjór: 75 m (246 ft)

Distance to nearest countries and islands

     * Greenland: 287  km (178  mi)
     * Faroe Islands: 420 km (261 mi)
     * Jan Mayen (Norway): 550 km (342 mi)
     * Scotland: 798 km (496 mi)
     * Norway (mainland): 970 km (603 mi)
     * Ireland: 1480 km (920 mi)

Climate

   Strokkur, in the process of erupting. Lying on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
   Iceland is one of the most geologically active areas on Earth.
   Enlarge
   Strokkur, in the process of erupting. Lying on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
   Iceland is one of the most geologically active areas on Earth.

   The climate of Iceland is temperate. The warm North Atlantic Current
   ensures generally higher temperatures than in most places of similar
   latitude in the world. The winters are mild and windy while the summers
   are damp and cool. The highest air temperature recorded was 30.5°C
   (86.9°F)on 22 June 1939 at Teigarhorn on the southeastern coast. The
   lowest temperature was -38°C (-36.4°F) on 22 January 1918 at
   Grímsstaðir and Möðrudalur in the interior of northeast. The
   temperature records for Reykjavík are 24.8°C (76.6°F) on 11 August
   2004, and -24.5°C (-12.1°F) on 21 January 1918.

   CAPTION: Table Mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures in Degrees
   Centigrade (1961 - 1990)

   Location  Jan    Feb   Mar    Apr    May Jun Jul   Aug Sep Oct Nov   Dec
   Reykjavík    1.9
             -3.0      2.8
                    -2.1     3.2
                          -2.0     5.7
                                 0.4    9.4
                                        3.6 11.7
                                            6.7 13.3
                                                  8.3 13.0
                                                      7.9 10.1
                                                          5.0 6.8
                                                              2.2    3.4
                                                                  -1.3     2.2
                                                                        -1.8
   Akureyri      0.9
             -5.5      1.7
                    -4.7      2.1
                          -4.2       5.4
                                 -1.5   9.5
                                        2.3 13.2
                                            6.0 14.5
                                                7.5   13.9
                                                      7.1 9.9
                                                          3.5 5.9
                                                              0.4    2.6
                                                                  -3.5    1.3
                                                                        -5.1

   There are some variations in the climate between different parts of the
   island. Very generally speaking, the south coast is warmer, wetter and
   windier than the north, low lying inland areas in the north are the
   most arid. Snowfall in winters is more common in the north than the
   south. The Central Highlands are the coldest part of the country.

History

Demographics

   The original population of Iceland was of Nordic and Celtic origin.
   This is evident by literary evidence from the settlement period as well
   as from later scientific studies such as blood type and genetic
   analysis. One such genetics study has indicated that the majority of
   the male settlers were of Nordic origin while the majority of the women
   were of Celtic origin. The modern population of Iceland is often
   described as a "homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts"
   but some history scholars reject the alleged homogeneity as a myth that
   fails to take into account the fact that Iceland was never completely
   isolated from the rest of Europe and actually has had a lot of contact
   with traders and fishermen from many nations through the ages.

   Iceland has extensive genealogical records about its population dating
   back to the age of settlement. Although the accuracy of these records
   is debated, biopharmaceutical companies such as deCODE Genetics see
   them as a valuable tool for conducting research on genetic diseases.

   The population of the island is believed to have varied from 40,000 to
   60,000 in the period from initial settlement until the mid-19th
   century. During that time, cold winters, ashfall from volcanic
   eruptions, and plagues adversely affected the population several times.
   The first census was carried out in 1703 and revealed that the
   population of the island was then 50,358. Improving living conditions
   triggered a rapid increase in population from the mid-19th century to
   the present day - from about 60,000 in 1850 to 300,000 in 2006.

   In 2004, 20,669 people (7% of the total population) who were living in
   Iceland had been born abroad, including children of Icelandic parents
   living abroad. 10,636 people (3.6% of the total population) had foreign
   citizenship. The most populous nationalities are Polish (1903), Danish
   (890), ex-Yugoslavians (670), Filipinos (647) and Germans (540).

   The island's spoken language is Icelandic, a North Germanic language.
   In terms of etymology, the Icelandic language is the closest to Old
   Norse, the language of the Vikings. Experts claim them to be virtually
   identical even though the Viking civilization disappeared about 800
   years ago. Today, the closest language still in existence to Icelandic
   is Faroese. In education, the use of Icelandic Sign Language for the
   Deaf in Iceland is regulated by the National Curriculum Guide. The
   predominant religion is Lutheran.

   Prominent foreign languages include English, Danish, other Scandinavian
   languages and German.

   The southwest corner of Iceland is the most densely populated region
   and the location of the capital Reykjavík, the northernmost capital in
   the world. The largest towns outside the capital region are Akureyri
   and Reykjanesbær.

Politics

   The modern parliament, called "Alþingi" (English: Althing), was founded
   in 1845 as an advisory body to the Danish king. It was widely seen as a
   reestablishment of the assembly founded in 930 in the Commonwealth
   period and suspended in 1799. It currently has 63 members, each of whom
   is elected by the population every four years. The president of Iceland
   is a largely ceremonial office that serves as a diplomat, figurehead
   and head of state. The head of government is the prime minister, who,
   together with the cabinet, takes care of the executive part of
   government. The cabinet is appointed by the president after general
   elections to Althing; however, this process is usually conducted by the
   leaders of the political parties, who decide among themselves after
   discussions which parties can form the cabinet and how its seats are to
   be distributed (under the condition that it has a majority support in
   Althing). Only when the party leaders are unable to reach a conclusion
   by themselves in reasonable time does the president exercise this power
   and appoint the cabinet himself. This has never happened since the
   republic was founded in 1944, but in 1942 the regent of the country (
   Sveinn Björnsson, who had been installed in that position by the
   Althing in 1941) did appoint a non-parliamentary government. The regent
   had, for all practical purposes, the position of a president, and
   Björnsson in fact became the country's first president in 1944. The
   governments of Iceland have almost always been coalitions with two or
   more parties involved, due to the fact that no single political party
   has received a majority of seats in Althing in the republic period. The
   extent of the political powers possessed by the office of the president
   are disputed by legal scholars in Iceland; several provisions of the
   constitution appear to give the president some important powers but
   other provisions and traditions suggest differently.

   Elections for the office of presidency, parliament and in town councils
   are all held every four years, last held in 2004, 2003 and 2006,
   respectively.

Military

   Defense was provided by a predominantly United States-manned NATO base
   in Miðnesheiði near Keflavík. Iceland has a Coast Guard
   (Landhelgisgæslan) and a counter-terrorism team named Sérsveit
   Ríkislögreglustjóra (English: "The Special Operations Task Force of the
   National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police"), commonly referred to
   as Víkingasveitin (The Viking Team or Viking Squad) similar to the
   German GSG 9. . Iceland also possesses an armed expeditionary
   peacekeeping force called the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit or
   Íslenska Friðargæslan.

   On Sept. 30, 2006, the U.S. closed its NATO base at Keflavik Naval Air
   Station, ending six decades of American military presence.

Economy

   Iceland is the fifth most productive country in the world based on GDP
   per capita at purchasing power parity. It is also ranked second on the
   2005 United Nations Human Development Index. The economy historically
   depended heavily on the fishing industry, which still provides almost
   40% of export earnings and employs 8% of the work force. In the absence
   of other natural resources (except for abundant hydro-electric and
   geothermal power), Iceland's economy is vulnerable to changing world
   fish prices. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as
   well as to drops in world prices for its main material exports: fish
   and fish products, aluminium, and ferrosilicon. Although the Icelandic
   economy still relies heavily on fishing it is constantly becoming less
   important as the travel industry and other service, technology, energy
   intensive and various other industries grow.

   The centre-right government plans to continue its policies of reducing
   the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing,
   containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies,
   diversifying the economy, and privatising state-owned industries. The
   government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of
   Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources.

   Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service
   industries in the last decade, and new developments in software
   production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The
   tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism
   and whale-watching. Growth slowed between 2000 and 2002, but the
   economy expanded by 4.3% in 2003 and grew by 6.2% in 2004. The
   unemployment rate of 1.8% (3rd quarter of 2005) is among the lowest in
   the European Economic Area.

   Over 99% of the country's electricity is produced from hydropower and
   geothermal energy.

   Iceland's agriculture industry consists mainly of potatoes, green
   vegetables, mutton, dairy products and fish.

   Iceland's stock market, the Iceland Stock Exchange (ISE), was
   established in 1985.

Religion

   Icelanders enjoy freedom of religion as stated by the constitution;
   however, church and state are not separated and the National Church of
   Iceland, a Lutheran body, is the state church. The national registry
   keeps account of the religious affiliation of every Icelandic citizen
   and according to it, Icelanders in 2005 divided into religious groups
   as follows:
     * 84.1% members of the National Church of Iceland.
     * 4.6% members of the Free Lutheran Churches of Reykjavík and
       Hafnarfjörður.
     * 2.5% not members of any religious group.
     * 2.2% members of the Roman Catholic Church, which has a Diocese of
       Reykjavík.

   The remaining 6.5% is mostly divided between a number of other
   Christian denominations and sects, with less than 1% of the population
   in non-Christian religious organisations including a tiny group of
   state-sanctioned indigenous Ásatrú adherents in the Íslenska
   Ásatrúarfélagið. Most Icelanders are either very liberal in their
   religious beliefs or uninterested in religious matters altogether, and
   predominantly do not attend church regularly or even at all.

Culture

   Cliffs at the island of Grímsey, on the Arctic Circle.
   Enlarge
   Cliffs at the island of Grímsey, on the Arctic Circle.

Cuisine

   Iceland offers wide varieties of traditional cuisine. Þorramatur (food
   of the þorri) is the Icelandic national food. Nowadays þorramatur is
   mostly eaten during the ancient Nordic month of þorri, in January and
   February, as a tribute to old culture. Þorramatur consists of many
   different types of food. These are mostly offal dishes like pickled
   ram's testicles, putrified shark meat, singed sheep heads, singed sheep
   head jam, blood pudding, liver sausage (similar to Scottish haggis) and
   dried fish (often cod or haddock) with butter.

Entertainment

   Iceland is home to Nick Jr's, LazyTown (Latibær), created by Magnús
   Scheving. It has become a huge phenomenon with children and adults and
   is shown in over 98 countries, including, the US, Canada, Sweden and
   Latin America. The LazyTown Studios are located between Hafnarfjörður
   and Garðabær.

Technology

   Iceland is one of the world's most technologically advanced and
   digitally-connected countries. It has the highest number of broadband
   Internet connections per capita among OECD countries

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
