9.1.2004

ICELAND Some basic facts

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Land

Iceland is the second largest island in Europe and measures 103.000 km2 (39,756 square miles) in area with an average height of 500m above sea level. Its highest peak, Hvannadalshnúkur, rises to 2,119m.

The youngest country in the world

Geologically speaking, Iceland is hardly out of playschool, since it only began to rise from the North Atlantic seabed about 25 million years ago, the product of volcanic eruptions that are still going on today. Parts of the country are still so rugged that American astronauts chose Iceland as a training ground to prepare them for landing on the moon. And Iceland is still taking shape before peoples eyes: the newest land is Surtsey, an island that rose from the sea during an underwater eruption off the south coast in 1963.

Ice and fire

Contrasting forces of ice and fire exist side by side in Iceland. Some 11% of the countries surface is covered with glaciers and about 30% is lava fields. On average, a volcano erupts every five years, but fortunately only rarely where anyone lives. Vatnajökull glacier, measuring 8,400 km2, is the largest ice cap in Europe in fact it is larger than all the other glaciers in Europe combined. But rather like the character of the Icelanders themselves, there is fire beneath the icy surface. In 1996 and 1998, volcanoes erupted under the ice of Vatnajökull, pushing up new mountains and causing huge melt water floods along the uninhabited south coast.

Climate

Considering the northerly location of Iceland, its climate is much milder than might be expected, especially in winter. The mean temperature for Reykjavík is 5°C (41°F), averaging -0.4°C (31.4°F) in January and 11.2°C (52.2°F) in July. The weather in Iceland is on the whole changeable and coastal areas tend to be windy.

Energy

Situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a hot spot of volcanic and geothermal activity. Thirty post-glacial volcanoes have erupted in the past two centuries, and natural hot water supplies much of the population with cheap, pollution-free heating. Rivers, too, are harnessed to provide inexpensive hydroelectric power.

History

In 930, the Icelandic settlers founded one of the world's first republican governments; the Old Commonwealth Age, described in the classic Icelandic Sagas, lasted until 1262, when Iceland lost its independence. Norway and later Denmark ruled over Iceland for almost 7 centuries. In 1918 it regained its independence and in 1944 the present republic was founded. The country is governed by the Althing (parliament), whose members are elected every four years. Four-yearly elections are also held for the presidency. The head of state plays no part in day-to-day politics.

Language

Nordic people settled Iceland in the 9th century - tradition says that the first permanent settler was Ingólfur Arnarson, a Norwegian Viking who made his home where Reykjavík now stands. The Icelanders still speak the language of the Vikings, although modern Icelandic has undergone changes of pronunciation and, of course, of vocabulary! Iceland is alone in upholding another Norse tradition, i.e. the custom of using patronymics rather than surnames; an Icelander's Christian name is followed by his or her father's name and the suffix -son or -dóttir, e.g. Gudrún Pétursdóttir (Gudrún, daughter of Pétur). Members of a family can therefore have many different "surnames," which sometimes causes confusion to foreigners!

Economy

The economy is heavily dependent upon fisheries, which are the nation's major source, and almost 60% of all exports are made up of seafood products. Yet only a small proportion of the workforce is active in this sector (5% in fishing, 6.2% in fish processing), and over 50% of the workforce is employed in services, public and other.

• Occupational distribution (1994)
• Agriculture 4.6%
• Fisheries and fish processing 11.2%
• Manufacturing 11.1%
• Construction and Energy 9.5%
• Commerce 14.6%
• Communications 6.7%
• Services and other 42.4%

People

Of a population numbering 280 thousand people, half live in the capital, Reykjavík, and its neighbouring towns in the southwest. Keflavík International Airport is located about 50 km from the capital. The highland interior is uninhabited (and uninhabitable), and most centres of population are situated on the coast.

Health

Life expectancy, at 80.8 years for women and 76.3 for men, is one of the highest in the world, and a comprehensive state health-care system aims to keep it that way.

Religion

The National Church of Iceland, to which 97% of the population belong, is Evangelical Lutheran.

Time

In spite of its mid-Atlantic location, Iceland is on Greenwich Mean Time all year round.

Is Iceland in Europe or America?

Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the mainly underwater border where the tectonic plates of America and Eurasia are slowly spreading apart. A huge rift runs through the country from southwest to northeast, disappearing and surfacing by turns, where the plates are heading in different directions. So although Iceland is geographically and culturally part of Europe, half of it lies on the American plate, and is moving westwards at an estimated 1-2 cm a year. At the ancient parliament site of Thingvellir, which lies on this rift, you can stand on the edge of America (geologically speaking) and see all the way to Europe, 10 km away.

Vikings in America

Five hundred years before Columbus, the first European set foot in America: Leif the Lucky, who was born in west Iceland, the son of Erik the Red. According to the Sagas, Leif wintered in a place he named Vínland (Vineland) after grapes he found growing there, around the year 1000. A likely site is Newfoundland, where ruins of a Viking farmstead have been excavated. Leif left the New World but another expedition was led there by Thorfinn Karlsefni and his wife Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir, who explored as far as where New York stands today and spent three or four years trying to establish a settlement before they gave up the idea. While in America they had a son, Snorri Thorfinnsson, the first European born in the New World. Gudrid and Thorfinn left America to live on a farm in north Iceland, Glaumbær, and when she was widowed she made a pilgrimage on foot to Rome, becoming the first known female transatlantic traveller.

More information about Iceland

Information about Reykjavík

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