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Iceland
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Jökulsárlón
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Iceland[4][5] i/ˈaɪslənd/ (Icelandic: Ísland
IPA: [ˈislant]; see Names for Iceland)
officially called Republic of Iceland[6][7][8] and sometimes its counterpart Lýðveldið Ísland in Icelandic (for example this is a part of the name of the Constitution of Iceland
Stjórnarskrá lýðveldisins Íslands)
is a Nordic European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean
on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.[9] The country has a population of about 320
000 and a total area of 103
000 km2 (40
000 sq mi).[10] The capital and largest city is Reykjavík
[11] with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to two-thirds of the country's population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior mainly consists of a plateau characterised by sand 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. According to Landnámabók
the settlement of Iceland began in AD 874 when the chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norse settler on the island.[12] Others had visited the island earlier and stayed over winter. Over the following centuries
Norsemen settled Iceland
bringing with them thralls (serfs) of Gaelic origin. From 1262 to 1918 Iceland was part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies. Until the 20th century
the Icelandic population relied largely on fisheries and agriculture. Industrialisation of the fisheries and Marshall Aid brought prosperity in the years after World War II. In 1994
Iceland became party to the European Economic Area
which made it possible for the economy to diversify into economic and financial services. Iceland has a free market economy with relatively low taxes compared to other OECD countries
[13] while maintaining a Nordic welfare system providing universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens.[14] In recent years
Iceland has been one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world. In 2011
it was ranked as the 14th most developed country in the world by the United Nations' Human Development Index
[3] and the fourth most productive country per capita.[15] In 2008
the nation's entire banking system systemically failed and there was substantial resulting political unrest. Icelandic culture is founded upon the nation's Norse heritage. Most Icelanders are descendants of Norse (particularly from Western Norway) and Gae
a North Germanic language
is closely related to Faroese and some West Norwegian dialects. The country's cultural heritage includes traditional Icelandic cuisine
poetry
and the medieval Icelanders' sagas. Currently
Iceland has the smallest population among NATO members and is the only one with no standing army.| Link to this photo view: |
