About
Iceland
The
Facts & Figures
ICELAND:
Country name:
- conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
- conventional short form: Iceland
- local short form: Ísland
-
local long form: Lýðveldið Ísland
Capital: Reykjavík
National
Anthem: Ó, Guð vors lands (O, God of Our Land)
Flag: 
Language: Icelandic
People: Icelanders
Population:
290,570 (December
31, 2003)
Area:
103,125 km²
National
Day: 17 June (Inauguration of the Republic of Iceland 1944 –
union with
Denmark terminated 16 June 1944)
Head
of State: President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson (1996, 2000, 2004)
Prime
Minister: Halldór Ásgrímsson (since 15
September
2004)
Currency:
Icelandic Króna (ISK)
Religion: 95% Evangelical Lutheran, 3% other Protestant denominations,
1% Roman Catholic, & some followers of
Ásatrú, an
ancient Norse religion
Time zone: GMT
REYKJAVÍK:
City nickname: "Stærsta smáborg í
heimi" (The
biggest small city in the world)
Area: 274.5 km²
Population: 113,387 (2003)
The
Geography & Geology Lessons
The Republic of Iceland is a North Atlantic island situated on the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and is the westernmost country in Europe.
It
lies about 800 km northwest of Scotland and 970 km west of Norway. Its
northern coast is just below the Arctic Circle. The island is the
world's 18th largest island.
Iceland 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: the newest land is Surtsey, an island
which rose from the sea during an underwater eruption off the south
coast in 1963. Parts of the country are so rugged that American
astronauts chose Iceland as a training ground to prepare them for
landing on the moon.
Some 11% of the country’s
surface is covered
with
glaciers and about 30% is lava fields. On average, a volcano erupts
every five years. Vatnajökull glacier, measuring 8,400 km2 is
the
largest ice cap in Europe - it is larger than all the other glaciers in
Europe combined.
The island has many fjords along the
coastline,
where most towns and cities are situated, because the interior, the
Highlands of Iceland, are an uninhabitable desert. The main 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 settlement in Iceland.
There are four National Parks around the country, each with its own
particular points of interest:
Þingvellir, “Symbol
of the Icelandic
Consciousness”, is in a rift valley between the American and
European
geological plates and Lake Þingvellir contains species of
fish
found nowhere else. The Icelandic parliament, Alþing, was
established here around 930 AD. It is a place of exceptional beauty and
geological interest.
Jökulsárgljúfur national park was
established in 1973. Its area covers 150 km² with a 35 km long
stretch along the western side of the glacial river
Jökulsá. The northernmost part, Ásbyrgi,
was
incorporated in 1978. The park's main attractions include the
Ásbyrgi canyon, Hljóðaklettar (bluff of
sounds) and
the Dettifoss waterfall. Ásbyrgi canyon is 3.5 km long and
its
walls are up to 100 metres high. According to legend the canyon was
formed when Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of Odin the chief god of
Nordic mythology put one of his feet down and created an enormous
hoof-print. Geologists claim that the canyon was formed by two
catastrophic floods from the Vatnajökull glacier which lies to
the
south. Hljóðaklettar is a series of ancient volcanic
crater
plugs decorated with "basalt roses" and strange patterns. Dettifoss is
the largest waterfall in Europe, at 44 m high and about 100 m wide.
Skaftafell National Park is Iceland's
biggest
national park at 1600km². It is one of the most visited places
in
Iceland during the summer. In Skaftafell there are icebergs, canyons,
hanging valleys, ice tunnels and arches, glacial rivers and more. The
weather is milder than in many places around the island , since
Skaftafell is partly shielded from winds by the surrounding glaciers.
Snaefellsjökull National Park
was established
in June 2001, and is the youngest national park in Iceland. It is the
only Park that reaches from the seashore to the mountaintops. Although
technically an active strata volcano, the
Snæfellsjökull
volcano (which formed the setting for " A Journey to the Centre of the
Earth" by Jules Verne) has not erupted for around 2000 years.
Other sights in Iceland include:
Gullfoss, "The Golden Waterfall", drops
32 metres
into a narrow canyon 70 metres deep and 2.5 km long. It is Iceland's
most famous waterfall.
The great Geysir in Haukadalur valley is
mentioned
in Icelandic literature, as far back as 1294 AD, when a series of
strong earthquakes, accompanied by a devastating eruption of Mt Hekla,
hit Haukadalur valley. Geysir had been dormant for a long time until
June 2000, when a series of earthquakes hit the south of Iceland. The
quakes helped Geysir wake up, so now it erupts almost daily and
sometimes several times each day. The more reliable, but smaller,
Strokkur about 100 metres from Geysir erupts every 10 minutes or so,
sending a 30 metre jet of boiling hot water into the air.
Þórsmörk,
("Thor's woods") nature
reserve, often called "The valley between the glaciers" is surrounded
by natural boundaries of mountains, ice caps and glacial rivers.
Landmannalaugar, located in a geothermal area north of
Þórsmörk, is a place of surreal
landscapes,
contrasting colours and great beauty. It is famous for its hot pools.
Vik is Iceland's most southerly village,
with around
600 inhabitants. The black beach south of Vik was named as one of the
10 best island beaches in the world in 1991. A unique rock arch is
located on Dyrhólaey, a 120-metre high cape in the western
part
of Mýrdalur valley, and to the south of Reynisfjall mountain
you
can see the spectacular Reynisdrangar rock columns rise out of the
Atlantic Ocean. North of Vik is the 700 km²
Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Around 600 meters below the
surface
of the ice sleeps the dormant sub-glacial volcano Katla, one of
Iceland's most active volcanoes. Katla erupts on average about twice a
century; the last eruption was in 1918.
Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon
in the southern part of Vatnajökull glacier. Blocks of ice
constantly break off the glacier and are carried to the sea by a
glacial river. Jökulsarlón is said to be one of the
greatest natural wonders in Iceland.
Lake Mývatn, declared a
national conservation
area in 1974, is around 37 km² and only around 5 metres deep.
It
has more species of duck than anywhere else in Europe. The name
Mývatn means gnat lake, because of the swarms of gnats
around
the lake. Nearby, there are bubbling mud flats, volcanic craters, lava
fields and pseudo craters.
Látrabjarg cliff, 14
kilometres long and up
to 441 metres high, is the most westerly point of Europe. It is the
biggest sea cliff in Iceland and one of the most crowded bird cliffs in
the world. In the summertime Látrabjarg comes alive with a
million birds; seals can often be seen basking on the rocks below, and
the occasional whale may be sighted in the sea beyond.
The Blue Lagoon is a spa close to
Keflavik. Its
reported healing powers derive from silica mud, mineral salts, and
blue-green algae.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is located in southwest Iceland by
Faxaflói
bay. The Reykjavík area coastline is characterized by
peninsulas, coves, straits and islands. The city of
Reykjavík is
mostly located on the Seltjarnarnes peninsula but the suburbs spread to
the south and east from it. The largest rivers to run through
Reykjavík are the Elliðaár Rivers. Mt.
Esja, at 914
m, is the tallest mountain in the vicinity of Reykjavík.
The
History Lesson
Iceland was the last European country to be settled. The first people
known to have inhabited Iceland were Irish monks who settled there in
the 8th century. They left with the arrival of the pagan Norsemen, who
systematically settled Iceland in the period 870-930 AD. In the year
930, at the end of the Settlement period, a constitutional law code was
accepted and the Alþing (parliament) established (it has
operated
since then in several different forms except for a 45 year period in
the 19th century). The Alþing met for two weeks every summer,
attracting a large proportion of the population. The judicial power of
the Alþing was distributed between 4 local courts, and a
Supreme
Court of sorts was conducted annually at the national assembly at
Þingvellir.
According to the Landnamabok (Book of
Settlements),
Ingolfur Arnarson was the first settler. He was a chieftain from
Norway, arriving in Iceland with his family and dependents in 874. He
built his farm in Reykjavík, naming the settlement after the
columns of steam that came from the hot springs in the area and made
such a profound impression on the original settlers. The word
“Reykjavík” means “smoky
bay”.
In the year 1000, Christianity was
peacefully
adopted by the Icelanders. The first bishopric was established at
Skálholt in South Iceland in 1056, and a second at Holar in
the
north in 1106. Both became the country's main centres of learning.
In the late 10th century Greenland was discovered and colonized by the
Icelanders under the leadership of Erik the Red.
Around the year 1000 the Icelanders were
the first
Europeans to set foot on the American continent. Leif the Lucky, the
son of Erik the Red, was born in west Iceland,. According to the Sagas,
Leif wintered in a place he named Vinland after grapes he found growing
there. 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 returning to
Iceland. While in America they had a son, Snorri Thorfinnsson, the
first European born in the New World. When Gudrid was widowed she made
a pilgrimage on foot to Rome, becoming the first known female
transatlantic traveller and undoubtedly the most widely travelled women
for at least the next 500 years.
In 1262-1264 internal feuds, amounting
to a civil
war, led to submission to the king of Norway and a new monarchical code
in 1271. When Norway and Denmark formed the Kalmar Union in 1397,
Iceland fell under the sovereignty of the King of Denmark.
The Danish kings brought about the Reformation of the Church in 1551,
which resulted in Danish control over the Church, and confiscation of
its great wealth. They replaced the Hansa and English trade with an
oppressive Danish trade monopoly, and established absolute monarchy in
1662, transferring all governing power to Copenhagen. This arrangement
was very profitable for the Danish Crown, but disastrous for the
Icelandic economy. The volatile Icelandic nature and the limited
merchant sailings to Iceland resulted in shortages of food and
supplies. The 16th and 17th centuries in Iceland are characterized by
extreme conditions, causing the population of people and stock to fall
drastically.
The eighteenth century marked the most
tragic age in
Iceland's history. In 1703, when the first complete census was taken,
the population was approximately 50,000, of whom about 20% were poor
and deprived people. From 1707 to 1709 the population sank to about
35,000 because of a devastating smallpox epidemic. Twice again the
population declined below 40,000, during the years 1752-57 and 1783-85,
owing to a series of famines and natural disasters.
Reykjavík is not mentioned in
any medieval
sources except as a regular farm land. The 18th century was the
beginning of urban concentration there. In 1752, the King of Denmark
donated the estate of Reykjavík to the
Innréttingar
Corporation; the name comes from Danish (indretninger) and means
enterprises. In the 1750s several houses were constructed to house the
woolen industry that was to be Reykjavík's most important
employer and the original reason for its existence. There were also
fisheries, sulphur mining, agriculture and ship building taking place.
The Danish Crown abolished its monopoly
trading in
1786 and granted six communities around the country a exclusive trading
charter. Reykjavík was one of them, and the only one to hold
the
charter permanently. 1786 is regarded as the date of the city's
founding. Trading rights were still limited to the subjects of the
Danish Crown, and Danish traders continued to dominate trade in
Iceland.
By the end of the 18th century the
Alþing had
been dissolved and the old diocese replaced by one bishop residing in
Reykjavík. In 1843 the Alþing was re-established
as a
consultative assembly that was supposed to advise the King about
matters relating to Iceland. The placement of the Alþing in
Reykjavík effectively established the city as the capital of
Iceland.
In 1874, when Iceland celebrated the
millennium of
the first settlement, the country was given a constitution and with it,
the Alþing gained some limited legislative powers and in
essence
became the institution that it is still today
Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875
devastated
the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next
quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to
Canada and the US. After 1880 free trade was expanded to all
nationalities and the influence of Icelandic merchants started to grow.
The next step towards independence was
to move most
of the executive power to Iceland. This was achieved by the
introduction of Home Rule
in 1904, when the office of minister for Iceland was established in
Reykjavík. On December 1, 1918, Iceland became a sovereign
country under the Crown of Denmark - the Kingdom of Iceland.
In the 1920s and 1930s, most of the
growing
Icelandic fishing trawler fleet sailed from Reykjavík.
Salt-cod
production was the main industry, but the Great Depression hit
Reykjavík hard with unemployment and labour union struggles.
In 1940, four warships approached
Reykjavík
and anchored in the harbour. Citizens were relieved to find out that
the ships were British and not German. The allied occupation of
Reykjavík was completed within a few hours without any
violence.
For the remainder of World War II, British (and later, American)
soldiers built bases in Reykjavík. The number of foreign
soldiers in Reykjavík came to rival the local population of
the
city.
The economic effects of the occupation
were quite
positive for Reykjavík - the unemployment of the depression
years vanished and a lot of construction work was done. The British
built Reykjavík Airport, which is still in service today,
mostly
serving national flights; the Americans built Keflavík
Airport
that later became the primary international airport.
In 1944 the Republic of Iceland was
founded and the
office of the President was placed in Reykjavík.
In the post-war years, the growth of
Reykjavík began for real. A mass exodus from the rural
countryside started mainly because of the better technology in
agriculture that reduced the need for workforce in that sector and
because of the population boom following better living conditions in
Iceland. Young people in the prime of their lives were the most
populous group that moved to the capital to live the
"Reykjavík
Dream", and the city became a city of children. The previously
primitive village was rapidly transforming into a modern city. Private
cars became common, modern apartment complexes rose in the expanding
suburbs, and much of Reykjavík lost its village feel. In
1972,
Reykjavík hosted the world chess championship between Bobby
Fischer and Boris Spassky.
Reykjavík has, in the last
two decades,
become a significant player in the global community. The 1986 summit
between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev underlined
Reykjavík's new-found international status. Deregulation in
the
financial sector and the computer revolution of the 1990s have
transformed Reykjavík yet again. Both sectors are now
significant employers in the city. It is estimated that approximately
60% of the population of Iceland now lives in the Reykjavík
area.
Historic population (Reykjavík)
1801 - 600
1860 - 1,450
1901 - 6,321
1910 - 11,449
1920 - 17,450
1930 - 28,052
1940 - 38,308
1950 - 55,980
1960 - 72,407
1970 - 81,693
1980 - 83,766
1985 - 89,868
1990 - 97,569
1995 - 104,258
2003 - 113,387
The
Other Information
Language
Icelandic is a Teutonic language of the Nordic group, and is believed
to have changed little from the original tongue spoken by the Norse
settlers. Icelandic has two letters of its own: Þ/þ
pronounced like th in "thing" and Ð/ð pronounced like
th in
"them".
Literacy has been widespread ever since
the first
sagas were written down in the thirteenth century, and people today can
still read them without difficulty. Unlike most western cultures, there
are no real dialects and the best language tends to be spoken in the
countryside rather than the big city.
One feature of Icelandic is that it
refuses to
accept foreign words, but almost always coins new words from ancient
Viking roots for even the most complex technological concepts. An
example is the word for computer: tölva, a hybrid formed from
old
words for number and prophetess.
Most Icelanders still use the old Viking
patronymic
system instead of family surnames, with different forms for sons and
daughters. For example, a man called Haraldur Magnusson and his wife
Helga Jonsdottir might have a son called Petur whose final name would
then be Haraldsson, and a daughter called Ingibjörg
Haraldsdottir.
In the age of women’s lib, increasing numbers of children are
being
given matronymics, i.e. identified as the son or daughter of their
mother rather than their father.
Economy
The economy is heavily dependent upon fishing. Despite effort to
diversify, particularly into the travel industry, seafood exports
continue to account for nearly three-quarters of merchandise exports
and approximately half of all foreign exchange earnings. However, less
than 10 per cent of the workforce is involved in fishing and fish
processing. The travel industry makes up the second-largest export
industry in Iceland.
The standard of living is high, with
income per
capita among the best in the world. The economy is service-oriented:
two-thirds of the working population are employed in the service
sector, both public and private.
Iceland is a member of the European Free
Trade
Association (EFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEC).
Food
Seafood is widely available, including salmon and lobster. Highland
lamb is a popular meat. Ptarmigan and reindeer are available in early
winter, and a range of seabirds, including puffin, are included among
traditional foods.
Traditional food is made using the only
preservation
methods available when people had to store up for the winter in the
days before refrigerators. Meat was commonly smoked, and
hangikjöt
(smoked lamb) is still popular today. Among dairy products, skyr
(curds) is popular, especially served with fresh bilberries in late
summer. On the more adventurous side is slátur, which
literally
means "slaughter" but is a haggis-like concoction made from sheep's
blood and intestines. For those with nerves of steel and stomachs of
iron, the menu for the Þorrablót midwinter feast
(January/February) is a real challenge. Delicacies include cuts of
meat, including boiled sheep's head (on the bone or pressed), ram's
testicles pickled in whey, and loin bags.
Other Icelandic specialities include
cured skate
(pungently laden with ammonia), dried fish (usually eaten with butter),
svid (charred sheep's head) and shark (putrefied).
Holidays
National
holidays in Iceland are as follows:
1 January, New Years Day; Maundy Thursday; Good Friday; Easter Sunday;
Easter Monday; first day of summer; 1 May; Labour Day; Ascension Day;
Whit Sunday; Whit Monday; Independence Day; Bank Holiday, first Monday
in August; Christmas Eve, December 24th from noon; Christmas Day,
December 25th; Second Christmas Day, December 26th; New Years Eve,
December 31st from noon
Events in Iceland:
First day of summer (Sumardagurinn fyrsti) - the third Thursday in
April. The first day of summer in Iceland is celebrated each year with
festivities and parades.
Independence Day
(Þjóðhátíðardagur)
- June 17th. June 17th is the birthday of local hero Jón
Sigurðsson (1811-1879), leader of the peaceful movement that
eventually brought independence from Denmark. The day has been
celebrated since 1911 and was chosen as the day to found the republic
of Iceland in 1944. It is celebrated around the island with parades,
speeches, dances and various other festivities.
Midsummer Night (Jónsmessa) - June 24th. On midsummer night
in
Iceland cows talk, seals shed their "clothing", and rolling naked in
the midsummer night dew can cure what ails you. Festivities vary.
Labour Day weekend, or tradesmens day (Verslunarmannahelgi) - First
weekend in August. The first Monday in August is the Icelandic Labour
day. One of the best known of Icelandic holidays; celebrations range
from friendly family festivals to flat-out outrageous drinking
marathons.
Geothermal
Power In Iceland
Geothermal energy is often used for
heating and producing electricity. There are three major geothermal
power plants which produce
about 17% (2004) of the country's electricity. In addition, geothermal
heating meets the heating and hot water requirements for around 87% of
the nations' housing.
The first two produce both electricity
and hot water
for heating purposes, whereas the third only produces electricity:
1) The Svartsengi Power-Plant, situated in the south-west of the
country, near the International Airport at Keflavik on the Reykjanes
peninsula. It currently produces 39 MWe of electricity, and about 315
litres/second of almost boiling water (90 °C). The water is
also
used
to heat up the lake of the nearby Bláa
Lónið (Blue
Lagoon).
2) The Nesjavellir Power-Plant, situated in the south of the country,
near the lake Þingvallavatn and Hengill volcano. It currently
produces
90 MWe of electricity, and about 500 to 800 litres/second of heating
water.
3) The Krafla Power-Plant, situated in the north-east corner of Iceland
near lake Mývatn and the volcano Krafla - hence the name. It
produces
60 MWe of electricity.
In
Reykjavík
Perlan
The Pearl was
built
in 1988 to house hot water tanks for the city. On top of the tanks is a
"bowl" - inside this is a restaurant with a rotating floor, giving
guests a grand view to all directions. There is also a
cafeteria,
from which you have access to a platform around the bowl, offering a
brilliant view over the city.
Inside the building, in the space
between the six
hot water tanks there is an exhibition hall. In a small inside pond
there is an artificial geyser, which erupts on a regular basis.
Outside Perlan there is a man-made
geyser called
STRÓKUR. This functions in exactly the same way as real
geysers
do, but since the water flow in this one can be controlled, it only
erupts according to schedule.
All around the Pearl, on the
Öskjuhlíð hill on which it stands, around
180.000 trees
have been planted on the hillside, resulting in a woodland setting with
various paths through it.
Laugardalur
valley
This valley is known as the centre for recreation in the capital. In
Laugardalur valley you will find the largest outdoor swimming pool in
Reykjavík, in which you can swim all year round in hot
geothermal water. In the valley there is also
Reykjavík’s
main
sports stadium. Close to the stadium there is the big Sports and
Exhibition Hall Laugardalshöll, built in 1965 for housing all
kind
of sports, events and exhibitions. In 1972, the world chess championship
took
place here, between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fisher. The handball
world
championship was also held here in 1995. There are other
sports
facilities in the area, including running-tracks, football fields and a
skating rink.
Besides sports facilities, the valley
houses the
Botanical Garden, the family park, and the zoo. The Family park and the
Zoo are open all year round.
Alþingishús
Alþingishús (The Parliament House) stands in the
center of
Reykjavík. It was designed by the Danish architect Ferdinand
Meldahl (1827-1908). It is made of dolerite and was built during
1880-1881.
Alþingishús has
housed the National
Library and Antiquaries Collection, and later the National Gallery. The
University of Iceland used the first floor of the house from 1911-1940.
The President of Iceland was located in the building until 1973.
Laugavegur
Laugavegur is one of the oldest shopping streets of central
Reykjavík. It still contains the charm of an historical
shopping
street and is home to some of the more exclusive stores in Iceland.
Tjörnin
& City Hall
Tjörnin is a natural lake in the middle of Reykjavík.
The
City Hall stands at the edge of the lake. The first floor is open to
visitors. There is a large relief map of Iceland, and sometimes
exhibitions are held there.
Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímskirkja took almost 50 years to complete. It stands
on a
hilltop overlooking central Reykjavík.
It is
named after Reverend Hallgrímur
Pétursson, Iceland's foremost hymnwriter. Bells in the tower
are
named after him, his wife, and his daughter.
