Iceland is an island republic in the North Atlantic Ocean, located between Greenland and Norway. The northern tip of Iceland reaches the Arctic Circle. Oval in shape, Iceland measures about 485 km (300 mi) from east to west and about 360 km (190 mi) from north to south. Unlike nearby Greenland, Iceland is generally considered to be a part of Europe.

Geologically Iceland is very young. It was formed by volcanic eruptions during the last 60 million years. A large number of volcanoes are still active on the island. Earthquakes are frequent, and hot springs bubble to the surface in volcanic areas, especially in the southwest. Steam rising from hot springs in a southwestern bay gave rise to the name of Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavík, which is an Icelandic term meaning “Smoky Bay.” Today, abundant geothermal energy provides much of Iceland’s heating needs.

Despite its northerly location, Iceland is not an Arctic country. The island’s climate is tempered by the warm waters of the North Atlantic Drift—a part of the Gulf Stream. The seacoast is open for ships nearly all year-round. It is closed only in the north and east during the winter, when ice descends from the polar region.

Icelandic culture derives from the island’s 9th century Viking settlers. Icelanders are proud of their Viking heritage, and many people can trace their family roots to the earliest settlers. Icelanders inhabit a rugged land with few mineral or agricultural resources. About three-quarters of the island is barren of vegetation. Plant life consists largely of grasslands, which are grazed by livestock, especially sheep, cattle, and sturdy Icelandic ponies. Many varieties of fish live in the surrounding ocean waters, and the fishing industry has traditionally been a cornerstone of Iceland’s economy. Today, fishing and fish processing account for more than half of Iceland’s total exports.

Geography of Iceland
Iceland was formed by volcanic activity. Lava tablelands and mountainous outcroppings constitute much of its topography, rendering a majority of the land uninhabitable. The country has many thermal springs in the form of either geysers or boiling mud lakes. Hot springs produce enough energy to heat buildings in cities. Iceland’s coast is indented by many bays and fjords, except in the south, where the shore is mostly sandy. Iceland’s coastline has a total length of 4,988 km (3,099 mi). Iceland is located on a volcanically active region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Volcanic eruptions have created vast uninhabitable lava tablelands with mountainous outcroppings.

Gullfoss Falls, on the Hvítá River in southwest Iceland, drops 31 m (102 ft). Waterfalls are common in Iceland. Recent geological upheavals have created numerous sheer cliffs, while heavy rains and glacier melt produce many large rivers. Although the Icelandic government has put some of this waterpower to use with hydroelectric dams, about 90 percent of the country’s waterpower potential is untapped.

Snowfield sand glaciers cover nearly 15 percent of Iceland’s surface. Vatnajökull, a glacier in the southeast, has an area of 8,456 sq km (3,265 sq mi). Iceland has numerous small lakes and many swift-flowing rivers broken by dramatic waterfalls. None of the rivers is navigable, but many hold significant waterpower potential. Lowlands in Iceland are situated mainly along the southwestern coast. Lowlands occupy about 25 percent of the island’s total area. The bulk of the Icelandic population lives along the coast, particularly in the southwest.

Iceland is remarkable for its numerous volcanoes, craters, and hot springs, and for the frequency of its earthquakes. More than 100 volcanoes, including at least 25 that have erupted in recorded history, rise on the island. In 1963 a volcanic eruption off Iceland’s southern coast created the small island of Surtsey. Among Iceland’s best-known volcanoes is Hekla (1,491 m/4,892 ft), which has erupted many times, and nearby Laki, with about 100 separate craters. Many eruptions have caused widespread devastation, including the 1783 eruption of Laki in which more than 9,000 Icelanders died. Where ice fields overlay volcanoes, the latter sometimes erupt through the ice, causing spectacular ice explosions.

Hotsprings rise to the surface across Iceland. Particularly numerous in the volcanic areas, the springs occur as geysers (a word of Icelandic origin), as boiling mud lakes, and in various other forms. The famous Geysir in south central Iceland—the oldest geyser in recorded history and generally regarded as one of the most spectacular—erupts at irregular intervals (usually from 5 to 36 hours), ejecting a column of boiling water up to about 60 m (about 200 ft) in height. Most homes and industrial establishments in the Reykjavík area are heated by water piped from nearby hot springs.

Climate
The coastal lowlands of Iceland are home to most of the nation’s people. Although Iceland touches the Arctic Circle, the island’s climate is relatively mild. This is because an ocean current called the North Atlantic Drift carries relatively warm waters along Iceland’s shores. As a result, climatic conditions are moderate across most of the island. The mean annual temperature at Reykjavík is about 5° C (about 41° F), with a range from -1° C (31° F) in January to 11° C (52° F) in July.

The north western, northern and eastern coastal regions are subject to the effects of polar currents and drifting ice, and temperatures are generally lower. Violent windstorms are common during much of the winter season. Annual precipitation ranges between about 1,270 and 2,030 mm (about 50 and 80 in) along the southern coast, but only about 510 mm (about 20 in) along the northern coast. The southern slopes of some of Iceland’s interior mountains receive up to about 4,570 mm (about 180 in) of moisture per year.

People of Iceland
Icelanders are one of the most homogenous peoples in the world. They are predominantly of Nordic origin, descendants of the hardy people who emigrated from Norway to Iceland in the Middle Ages. There are also some Celtic influences from Irish and Scottish immigrants who arrived from the British Isles. Numerous times in its history, Iceland has suffered major population losses due to epidemics, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Beginning in the mid-20th century, many rural Icelanders began moving to coastal towns and villages. Today, some 93 percent of the people now live in cities and towns. About 60 percent of Iceland’s total population lives in Reykjavík. The overall population density is 3 persons per sq km (7.8 per sq mi).

Reykjavík is the capital and chief port. Other towns are Akureyri, on the northern coast; Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, and Keflavík, on the western coast near Reykjavík; and Vestmannaeyjar, on the tiny island of Heimaey off the southern coast.

Religion and Language
The state church of Iceland is the Evangelical Lutheran church. About 90 percent of Icelanders are affiliated with the church. Complete religious freedom exists, however. Free Lutherans and Roman Catholics make up a small minority. The language is Icelandic, which has remained closer to the Old Norse of Iceland’s original Viking settlers than to the other Scandinavian languages.

Education
Literacy in Iceland approaches 100 percent of the adult population. Education is free through the university level and is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16. The leading institution of higher education is the University of Iceland (1911), in Reykjavík. The country also has a technical college and colleges of agriculture and music as well as teacher-training schools.

Economy of Iceland
Private enterprise forms the basis of the economy of Iceland, but the government exercises a considerable degree of control and supervision over key sectors. Until the close of the 19th century, most people raised livestock and crops, with fishing as a supplementary source of income. By the middle of the 20th century, however, fishing and fish processing had become the major industries.

Hydroelectric and geothermal energy sources are abundant in Iceland. Hydroelectric power has promoted the development of modern industrial enterprises, including the energy-intensive aluminum industry. Geothermal energy provides nearly all of Iceland’s heating and hot water needs. In recent decades, Iceland’s economy has diversified into services, software production, and biotechnology. The Iceland Stock Exchange (ICEX), founded in 1985, has encouraged the growth of financial services by establishing a platform for domestic trading in equities, bonds, and mutual funds. Tourism has grown steadily since the mid-20th century, and whale watching draws tens of thousands of visitors every year.

In 1970 Iceland became a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) trading bloc established a decade earlier by Austria, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. Most Icelanders remain opposed to membership in the European Union (EU), largely because of Iceland’s national interest in maintaining strict control over its territorial fishing resources.The monetary unit of Iceland is the króna, consisting of 100 aurar.

The Official Website of Iceland
http://www.iceland.is