i/ˈaɪslənd/; Icelandic: Ísland [ˈistlant]) is a Nordic island countrybetween the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. It has a population of 329,100 and an area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi), making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe.[8] The capital and largest city is Reykjavík; the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country are home to two-thirds of the population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists mainly of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle
And there is more
- Iceland has the most active volcano area in the world.
- The largest waterfall and glacier in Europe.
- The northern most botanical garden and golf course in the world
- The cleanest capital in the world,
- A population with the longest life expectancy
- Had the first democratically elected female president in the world
- The English word "geyser" comes from Iceland's Great Geysir in Haukadalur.
- The phenomenon of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) can be seen during mid-winter (November-December) when the weather is clear.
- Iceland today plants more trees per head of population than any other nation in the world (around four million a year, or 16 for every man, woman and child.
- The last name of Icelanders is derived from their father's first name.
- In the telephone book everyone is listed by their first name.
- In the last quarter of the nineteenth century twenty percent of Iceland's population emigrated to Canada and the USA.
- In the 1960s and 70s there was a dispute between Iceland and the UK over fishing grounds, known as the "Cod Wars".
- 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
- There are no polar bears in Iceland
- Soccer is Iceland’s favourite team game
- As many as 80% of Icelanders believe in the existence of elves.
