The
Republic of Iceland ( ) ( ; ) is a European
island country located in the
North Atlantic
Ocean
. It has a population of about 320,000 and a
total area of 103,000 km².
Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík
, whose surrounding area is home to some two-thirds
of the national population. Located on the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is
volcanically and
geologically active on a large scale;
this defines the landscape. The interior mainly consists of a
plateau characterised by sand fields, mountains and glaciers, while
many big
glacial rivers flow to the sea
through the lowlands. Warmed by the
Gulf
Stream, Iceland has a temperate climate relative to its
latitude and provides a habitable environment and nature.
According to
Landnámabók, the
settlement of Iceland began in
AD 874 when the Norwegian chieftain
Ingólfur Arnarson became the first
permanent
Norwegian settler on the
island. Others had visited the island earlier and stayed over
winter. Over the next centuries, people of
Nordic and
Celtic
origin settled in Iceland.
Until the 20th century, the Icelandic population relied largely on fisheries
and agriculture, and was from 1262 to 1918 a part of the Norwegian
, and later the Danish
monarchies. In the 20th century, Iceland's economy and
welfare system developed quickly, and in recent decades the nation
has implemented free trade in the
European Economic Area, diversifying
from fishing to new economic fields in services, finance and
various industries. Iceland is a free market economy with low taxes
compared with other
OECD countries. The country
maintains a
Nordic welfare system
providing
universal health
care and post-secondary education for its citizens.
Icelandic culture is based on the
nation’s
Norse heritage and its status as a
developed and technologically advanced society. The country's
cultural heritage includes traditional
Icelandic cuisine, the nation’s
poetry, and the medieval
Icelandic Sagas. In recent years, Iceland
has been one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the
world. In 2007, it was ranked as the
most developed country in the world by
the
United Nations' Human
Development Index and the
fourth most productive country per capita.
In 2008, however, the nation’s banking system
systematically failed,
causing significant
economic contraction
and
political
unrest that lead to
early parliamentary
elections making
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
the country's
Prime
Minister.
Geography
A map of Iceland with major towns
marked
Iceland is
located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic
Circle, which passes through the small island of Grímsey
off Iceland's northern coast, but not through
mainland Iceland. Unlike neighbouring Greenland
, Iceland is a part of Europe, not of North America,
though geologically the island is part of both continental
plates. Because of cultural, economic and linguistic
similarities, Iceland is one of the
Nordic countries and participates in Nordic
cooperation.
The closest bodies of land are Greenland
(287 km) and the Faroe Islands
(420 km). The closest distance to the
mainland of Europe is 970 km (to Norway).
Iceland is the
world's 18th
largest island, and Europe's second largest island following
Great Britain. The main island is 101,826 km² but the entire
country is in size, of which 62.7% is
tundra.
Lakes and glaciers cover 14.3%; only 23% is vegetated.
The largest lakes are
Þórisvatn
(Reservoir): and
Þingvallavatn
: ; other important lakes include Lögurinn
and Mývatn
.
Öskjuvatn is the deepest lake at .
However, geologically Iceland is a subaerial part of the
Mid-Atlantic ridge, the ridge along which
the oceanic crust spreads and forms new oceanic crust. In addition
to this, this part of the mid ocean ridge is located atop a mantle
plume causing Iceland to be subaerial (above sea level).
Tectonically, Iceland belongs neither to the European continent nor
to North America since it is a raised part of the oceanic crust,
not a continental land mass.
Many
fjords punctuate its 4,970 km long
coastline, which is also where most settlements are situated. The
island's interior, the
Highlands of
Iceland, are a cold and uninhabitable combination of sand and
mountains.
The major towns are the capital of Reykjavík, along with its outlying towns of Kópavogur
, Hafnarfjörður
and Garðabær
, Reykjanesbær
, where the international airport is located, and
Akureyri
, in northern Iceland. The island of Grímsey just south of the Arctic
Circle contains the northernmost habitation of
Iceland.
Iceland
has three national parks: Vatnajökull National Park
, Snæfellsjökull National Park
, and Þingvellir National Park
.
Geological activity
A geologically young land, Iceland is located on both the
Iceland hotspot and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
which runs right through it.
This combined location means that the island
is highly geologically active and has many volcanoes, notably
Hekla
, Eldgjá
, Herðubreið
and Eldfell
. Iceland is one of two places on Earth where
a
mid-ocean ridge rises above sea
level, making it an easily accessible site to study the geology of
such ridges .
The volcanic eruption of Laki
in 1783-1784
caused a famine that killed nearly a quarter of the island's
population; the eruption caused dust clouds and haze to appear over
most of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa for several months
afterward.
There are also many
geysers in Iceland,
including
Geysir, from which the English word
is derived, as well as the famous
Strokkur,
which erupts every 5–10 minutes. After a phase of inactivity,
Geysir started erupting again after a series of earthquakes in the
year 2000.
With the widespread availability of
geothermal power, and because many rivers
and waterfalls are harnessed for hydroelectricity, most residents
have inexpensive hot water and home heat.
The island itself is
composed primarily of basalt, a low-silica lava associated with
effusive volcanism like Hawaii
.
Iceland, however, has various kinds of volcanoes, many of which
produce more evolved lavas such as
rhyolite
and
andesite.
Iceland
controls Surtsey
, one of the youngest islands in the world.
Named after
Surtr, it rose above the ocean in
a series of volcanic eruptions between 8 November, 1963 and 5 June,
1968. Only scientists researching the growth of new life are
allowed to visit the island.
Climate
The climate of Iceland's coast is subpolar
oceanic. The warm
North Atlantic Current ensures
generally higher annual temperatures than in most places of similar
latitude in the world.
Regions in the world with similar climate
include the Aleutian
Islands
, the Alaska Peninsula
and Tierra del Fuego
, although these regions are closer to the
equator. Despite its proximity to the Arctic, the island's
coasts remain ice-free through the winter. Ice incursions are rare,
the last having occurred on the north coast in 1969.
There are some variations in the climate between different parts of
the island. Generally speaking, the south coast is warmer, wetter
and windier than the north. Low-lying inland areas in the north are
the most arid. Snowfall in winter is more common in the north than
the south (there is ca. 50% chance of a white Christmas in
Reykjavík but ca. 70% in Akureyri) . The
Central Highlands are the coldest part
of the country.
The highest air temperature recorded was on 22 June, 1939 at
Teigarhorn on the southeastern coast. The lowest was on 22 January,
1918 at Grímsstaðir and Möðrudalur in the northeastern hinterland.
The temperature records for Reykjavík are on 30 July 2008, and on
21 January 1918.
Flora and fauna
Few plants and animals have migrated to the island or evolved
locally since the last ice age, 10,000 years ago. There are around
1,300 known species of insects in Iceland, which is a rather low
number compared with other countries (over one million species have
been described worldwide). The only native land mammal when humans
arrived was the
Arctic Fox, which came to
the island at the end of the ice age, walking over the frozen sea.
There are no native reptiles or amphibians on the island.
Phytogeographically, Iceland belongs
to the Arctic province of the
Circumboreal Region within the
Boreal Kingdom. According to the
World Wide Fund for Nature, the
territory of Iceland belongs to the ecoregion of Iceland boreal
birch forests and
alpine tundra.
Approximately three-quarters of the island are barren of
vegetation; plant life consists mainly of grassland which is
regularly grazed by livestock. The most common tree native to
Iceland is the Northern Birch
Betula pubescens, which formerly
formed forest over much of Iceland along with "Aspen" (Populus
Tremola), "Rowan" (Sorbus Aucuparia) and "Common Juniper"
(Juniperus communis) and other smaller trees. Permanent human
settlement greatly disturbed the isolated ecosystem of thin,
volcanic soils and limited
species
diversity. The forests were heavily exploited over the
centuries for firewood and timber.
Deforestation caused a loss of critical
topsoil due to
erosion, greatly reducing the
ability of birches to grow back. Today, only a few small birch
stands exist in isolated reserves. The planting of new forests has
increased the number of trees, but does not compare to the original
forests. Some of the planted forests include new
foreign species.
The animals of Iceland include the
Icelandic sheep,
cattle,
chicken,
goat and the sturdy
Icelandic horse, as well as the
Icelandic sheepdog. Many varieties of
fish live in the ocean waters surrounding
Iceland, and the
fishing industry
is a main contributor to Iceland's economy, accounting for more
than half of the country's total exports. Wild mammals include the
Arctic Fox,
mink,
mice, rats, rabbits and
reindeer.
Polar bears occasionally visit the island,
travelling on icebergs from Greenland. In May 2008 two polar bears
arrived only two weeks apart. Birds, especially seabirds, are a
very important part of Iceland's animal life.
Puffins,
skuas, and
kittiwakes nest on its sea cliffs. Commercial
whaling is practiced intermittently along with scientific whale
hunts. Whale watching has become an important part of Iceland's
economy since 1997.
History
Settlement and the establishment of the Commonwealth
(874–1262)
The first people believed to have visited Iceland were members of a
Hiberno-Scottish mission or
hermits, also known as
Papar, who came in the
8th century. No archaeological discoveries support this theory; the
monks are supposed to have left with the arrival of
Norsemen, who systematically made settled in the
period circa AD 870–930. The results of recent carbon dating work,
published in the journal Skírnir, suggests that the country may
have been settled as early as the second half of the 7th century.
The first known permanent Norse settler was
Ingólfur Arnarson, who built his
homestead in Reykjavík in the year 874. Ingólfur was followed by
many other emigrant settlers, largely Norsemen and their Irish
slaves. By 930, most arable land had been claimed and the
Althing, a legislative and judiciary parliament, was
founded as the political hub of the
Icelandic Commonwealth.
Christianity was adopted
999–1000. The Commonwealth lasted until 1262 when the political
system devised by the original settlers proved unable to cope with
the increasing power of Icelandic chieftains.
Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era
The internal struggles and civil strife of the
Sturlung Era led to the signing of the
Old Covenant, which brought Iceland
under the Norwegian crown. Possession of Iceland passed to
Denmark-Norway in the late 14th century, when
the kingdoms of Norway and Denmark were united in the
Kalmar Union. In the ensuing centuries, Iceland
became one of the poorest countries in Europe. Infertile soil,
volcanic eruptions, and an unforgiving climate made for harsh life
in a society whose subsistence depended almost entirely on
agriculture. The
Black Death swept
Iceland in 1402–04 and 1494–95, each time killing about half the
population.
Around the middle of the 16th century, King
Christian III of Denmark began to
impose
Lutheranism on all his subjects.
The last Catholic bishop in Iceland was beheaded in 1550, along
with two of his sons and the country subsequently became fully
Lutheran. Lutheranism has since remained the dominant religion.
In the
17th and 18th centuries, Denmark imposed harsh trade restrictions
on Iceland, while pirates from England, Spain and Algeria
(Turkish
Abductions) raided its coasts. A great smallpox
epidemic in the 18th century
killed around a third of the population.
In 1783 the Laki
volcano
erupted, with devastating effects. The years following the
eruption, known as the
Mist
Hardships (Icelandic:
Móðuharðindin), saw the
death of over half of all livestock in the country, with ensuing
famine in which around a quarter of the population died.
The Independence Movement and the World Wars (1814-1945)
In 1814, following the
Napoleonic
Wars, Denmark-Norway was broken up into two separate kingdoms
via the
Treaty of Kiel. Iceland,
however, remained a Danish dependency.
Throughout the 19th
century, the country's climate continued to grow worse, resulting
in mass emigration to the New World, particularly Manitoba
in Canada. About 15,000 out of a total
population of 70,000 left. However, a new national consciousness
was revived, inspired by
romantic and
nationalist ideas from continental Europe, and an
Icelandic independence
movement arose under the leadership of
Jón Sigurðsson.
In 1874, Denmark granted Iceland a constitution and home rule,
which was expanded in 1904. The
Act of Union, an agreement
with Denmark signed on 1 December 1918, recognised Iceland as a
fully sovereign state under the Danish king.
During World War II,
Iceland joined Denmark in asserting neutrality. After the
German occupation of Denmark on
9 April 1940, the Icelandic parliament declared that the Icelandic
government should assume the Danish king's duties and take control
over foreign affairs and other matters previously handled by
Denmark on behalf of Iceland. A month later,
British Armed Forces occupied Iceland, violating Icelandic
neutrality. In 1941, responsibility for the occupation was taken
over by the United States.
Allied occupation of Iceland lasted
throughout the war.
On 31 December 1943, the Act of Union agreement expired after 25
years. Beginning on 20 May 1944, Icelanders voted in a
four-day plebiscite on whether to
terminate the union with Denmark and establish a republic. The vote
was 97% in favour of ending the union and 95% in favour of the new
republican constitution. Iceland formally became an independent
republic on 17 June 1944, with
Sveinn Björnsson as the first
president.
Recent history (1946–present)
In 1946,
the Allied occupation force left Iceland, which formally became a
member of NATO
on 30 March 1949, amid domestic controversy and
riots. On 5 May 1951, a defence agreement was signed with the United States
. American troops returned to Iceland and
remained throughout the
Cold War, finally
leaving on 30 September 2006.
The immediate post-war period was followed by substantial
economic growth, driven by industrialisation
of the fishing industry and
Marshall
aid. The
1970s were marked by the
Cod Wars—several disputes with the United Kingdom
over Iceland's extension of its fishing limits. The economy was
greatly diversified and liberalised when Iceland joined the
European Economic Area in 1994.
During the period 2003–07, Iceland developed from a nation best
known for its fishing industry into a global financial powerhouse,
but was consequently
hit
particularly hard by the 2008 global financial crisis.
Government
Iceland is a
representative
democracy and a
parliamentary
republic.
The modern parliament, called "Alþingi"
(English: Althing), was founded in 1845 as
an advisory body to the Danish monarch. It was widely seen as a
re-establishment of the assembly founded in 930 in the
Commonwealth period and suspended in
1799. Consequently, "it is arguably the world's oldest
parliamentary democracy." It currently
has 63 members, elected for a four year term.
The
president of Iceland is a
largely ceremonial head of state and serves as a diplomat but can
block a law voted by the parliament and put it to a national
referendum. The current president is
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. The
head of government is the prime minister,
Jóhanna
Sigurðardóttir, who, together with the cabinet, is responsible
for
executive government. The
cabinet is appointed by the president after a general election to
Althing; however, the appointment is usually negotiated by the
leaders of the political parties, who decide among themselves after
discussions which parties can form the cabinet and how its seats
are to be distributed, under the condition that it has a majority
support in Althing. Only when the party leaders are unable to reach
a conclusion by themselves in a reasonable time does the president
exercise this power and appoint the cabinet himself or herself.
This has not happened since the republic was founded in 1944, but
in 1942 the regent of the country (
Sveinn Björnsson who had been
installed in that position by the Althing in 1941) did appoint a
non-parliamentary government. The regent had, for all practical
purposes, the position of a president, and Sveinn in fact became
the country's first president in 1944.
The governments of Iceland have almost always been coalitions with
two or more parties involved, as no single political party has
received a majority of seats in Althing during the republic. The
extent of the political power possessed by the office of the
president is disputed by legal scholars in Iceland; several
provisions of the constitution appear to give the president some
important powers but other provisions and traditions suggest
differently. In 1980, Icelanders elected
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir as
president, the world's first directly elected female head of state.
She retired from office in 1996.
Elections for town councils, presidency and parliament are each
held every four years. The next elections are scheduled for 2010,
2012 and 2013 respectively.
Subdivisions
Iceland is divided into regions, constituencies, counties, and
municipalities. There are eight regions which are primarily used
for statistical purposes; the district court jurisdictions also use
an older version of this division. Until 2003, the constituencies
for the parliamentary elections were the same as the regions, but
by an amendment to the constitution, they were changed to the
current six constituencies:
- * Reykjavík
North and Reykjavík South (city
regions);
- * Southwest
(four geographically separate
suburban areas around Reykjavík);
- * Northwest
and Northeast
(north half of Iceland, split); and,
- * South
(south half of Iceland, excluding Reykjavík and suburbs).
The redistricting change was made in order to balance the weight of
different districts of the country, since previously a vote cast in
the sparsely populated areas around the country would count much
more than a vote cast in the Reykjavík city area. The imbalance
between districts has been reduced by the new system, but still
exists.
File:Regions of Iceland.png|Regions of IcelandFile:Constituencies
Iceland.png|Constituencies of
IcelandFile:Syslur.PNG|Counties
of Iceland
Iceland's 23 counties are, for the most part, historical divisions.
Currently, Iceland is split up among 26 magistrates
(
sýslumenn, singular
sýslumaður) who represent
government in various capacities. Among their duties are tax
collection, administering bankruptcy declarations, and performing
civil marriages. After a
police
reorganization in 2007, which combined police forces in multiple
counties, about half of them are in charge of police forces.
There are 79 municipalities in Iceland which govern local matters
like schools, transport and zoning. These are the actual
second-level subdivision of Iceland,
as the constituencies have no relevance except in elections and for
statistical purposes.
Reykjavík is by far the most populous
municipality, about four times more populous than Kópavogur, the second one.
Politics
Iceland has a
left–right
multi-party system. The biggest
parties are the
Social Democratic
Alliance (
Samfylkingin), the
Centre-right Independence Party
(
Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) and the
Left-Green Movement
(
Vinstrihreyfingin - grænt framboð). Other political
parties with seats in Althing are the
centrist Progressive Party
(
Framsóknarflokkurinn) and the
Citizens' Movement
(
Borgarahreyfingin). Many other parties exist on the
municipal level, most of which only run locally in a single
municipality.
File:Merki_samfylkingarinnar.svg|Social Democratic
AllianceFile:Independence party.jpg|Independence
PartyFile:Left-green movement.PNG|Left-Green
MovementFile:Framsóknarflokkurinn logo.gif|Progressive
PartyFile:Borgarahr-logo bigger.gif|Citizens' Movement
Foreign relations
Nordic prime ministers in 2007
Iceland maintains diplomatic and commercial relations with
practically all nations, but its ties with the Nordic countries,
Germany, the US and the other NATO nations are particularly close.
Icelanders remain especially proud of the role Iceland played in
hosting the historic 1986
Reagan–Gorbachev summit in Reykjavík,
which set the stage for the end of the Cold War. Iceland's
principal historical international disputes involved disagreements
over
fishing rights. Conflict with
the United Kingdom led to a series of so-called
Cod Wars in 1952–1956 as a result of the extension
of Iceland's fishing zone from , 1958–61 following a further
extension to , 1972–73 with another extension to ; and in 1975–76
another extension to .
Iceland has no standing army. The
U.S. Air Force
maintained four to six interceptors at
the Keflavík
base
, until 30 September, 2006 when they were
withdrawn. Iceland supported the
2003 invasion of Iraq despite much
controversy in Iceland, deploying a
Coast Guard EOD team to Iraq which was
replaced later by members of the
Icelandic Crisis Response
Unit. Iceland has also participated in the ongoing
conflict in
Afghanistan and the 1999
bombing
of Yugoslavia. Despite the ongoing financial crisis the first
new patrol ship for decades was
launched on
29 April 2009.
Iceland is a member of
European
Economic Area (EEA), which allows the country access to the
single market of the European Union (EU). It is not a member of EU,
but in July 2009 the Icelandic parliament, the
Althingi, voted in favour of application for EU
membership. EU officials mentioned 2011 or 2012 as possible
accession dates. Iceland is also a member of the UN, NATO,
EFTA and
OECD.
Demographics
The original population of Iceland was of Nordic and Celtic origin.
This is evident from literary evidence dating from the settlement
period as well as from later scientific studies such as
blood type and genetic analyses. One such
genetics study has indicated that the majority of the male settlers
were of Nordic origin while the majority of the women were of
Celtic origin.
Iceland has extensive genealogical records dating back to the late
17th century and fragmentary records extending back to the
Age of Settlement.
The biopharmaceutical
company deCODE
Genetics
has funded
the creation of a genealogy database which
attempts to cover all of Iceland's known inhabitants. It
sees the database, called Íslendingabók, as a valuable tool for
conducting research on genetic diseases, given the relative
isolation of Iceland's population.
The population of the island is believed to have varied from
40,000–60,000 in the period from initial settlement until the
mid-19th century. During that time, cold winters, ashfall from
volcanic eruptions, and
bubonic
plagues adversely affected the population several times. The
first census was carried out in 1703 and revealed that the
population was then 50,358.
After the destructive volcanic eruptions of
the Laki volcano
during 1783–84 the population reached a low of about 40,000.
Improving living conditions have triggered a rapid increase in
population since the mid-19th century—from about 60,000 in 1850 to
320,000 in 2008.
| Population estimate |
| Year |
Population |
| 2008 |
313,376 |
| 2009 |
319,442 |
| 2010 |
317,440 |
| 2020 |
340,095 |
| 2030 |
368,468 |
| 2040 |
391,983 |
| 2050 |
408,835 |
| Source: Statistics Iceland |
|
In December 2007, 33,678 people (13.5% of the total population)
living in Iceland had been born abroad, including children of
Icelandic parents living abroad. 19,000 people (6% of the
population) held foreign citizenship. Polish people make up the far
largest minority nationality (see table on the right for more
details), and still form the bulk of the foreign workforce.
About
8,000 Poles now live in Iceland, 1,500 of them in Reyðarfjörður
where they make up 75 percent of the workforce who
are building the Fjarðarál aluminium plant. The recent surge
in immigration has been credited to a
labour shortage because of the booming
economy at the time, while restrictions on the movement of people
from the
Eastern European countries
that joined the EU / European Economic Area in 2004 have been
lifted.
Large-scale construction projects in the
east of Iceland (see Kárahnjúkar Hydropower
Project
) have also brought in many people whose stay is
expected to be temporary.
The
Icelandic financial
crisis threatens to push many immigrants—mostly those from
Poland—back home.
The southwest corner of Iceland is the most densely populated
region. It is also the location of the capital Reykjavík, the
northernmost capital in the world.
The largest towns outside the greater
Reykjavík area are Akureyri and Reykjanesbær, although the latter is relatively close to the
capital.
Greenland was first settled by some 500 Icelanders under the
leadership of
Erik the Red in the late
10th century. The total population reached a high point of perhaps
5,000 and developed independent institutions before disappearing by
1500. From Greenland the Norsemen launched expeditions to settle in
Vinland, but these attempts to colonize the
North America were soon abandoned in
the face of hostility from the indigenous peoples. Immigration to
the United States and Canada began in the 1870s. Today, Canada has
over 88,000 people of
Icelandic
descent. There are more than 40,000 Americans of
Icelandic descent according to the 2000
U.S. census.
10 most populous towns in Iceland
List of ten most populous towns in Iceland. The population census
is 1 October, 2009.
Language
Iceland's official written and spoken language is
Icelandic, a
North Germanic language descended
from
Old Norse. It has changed less from
Old Norse than the other Nordic languages, has preserved more verb
and noun
inflection, and has to a
considerable extent developed new vocabulary based on native roots
rather than borrowings from other languages. It is the only living
language to retain the
runic letter
Þ. The closest living language to Icelandic is
Faroese. In education, the use of
Icelandic Sign Language for
Iceland's deaf community is
regulated by the
National
Curriculum Guide.
English is widely spoken as a secondary language.
Danish is also widely understood and spoken.
Studying both languages is a mandatory part of the compulsory
school curriculum. Other commonly spoken languages are
German,
Norwegian and
Swedish. Danish is mostly spoken in a way
largely comprehensible to Swedes and Norwegians—it is often
referred to as "Scandinavian" in Iceland.
Rather than using family names as is the custom in all mainland
European nations, the Icelanders use
patronymics. The patronymic follows the person's
given name, e.g.
Ólafur Jónsson ("Ólafur, Jón's son") or
Katrín Karlsdóttir ("Katrín, Karl's daughter"). It is for
this reason that the Icelandic telephone directory is listed
alphabetically by first name rather than surname.
Religion
Icelanders enjoy freedom of religion under the
constitution, though the
National Church of Iceland, a
Lutheran body, is the
state church. The
National Registry keeps account of the religious affiliation of
every Icelandic citizen. In 2005, Icelanders were divided into
religious groups as follows:
- 80.7% members of the National Church of Iceland.
- 6.2% members of unregistered religious organisations or with no
specified religious affiliation.
- 4.9% members of the Free Lutheran Churches of Reykjavík and
Hafnarfjörður.
- 2.8% not members of any religious group.
- 2.5% members of the Roman Catholic Church, which has a Diocese of Reykjavík (see also
Bishop of
Reykjavík ).
The remaining 2.9% includes around 20-25 other
Christian denominations while around 1% belong
to non-Christian religious organisations. The largest non-Christian
denomination is
Ásatrúarfélagið, a
neopagan group.
Religious attendance is relatively low, as in the other Nordic
countries. The above statistics represent administrative membership
of religious organisations which does not necessarily closely
reflect the belief demographics of the population of Iceland.
According to Froese (2001), 23% of those in Iceland are either
atheist or agnostic.
Economy and Infrastructure
Iceland was the seventh most productive country in the world by
List of
countries by GDP per capita (US$54,858), and the fifth most
productive by
GDP at
purchasing power parity ($40,112).
Except for its abundant hydroelectric and
geothermal power, Iceland lacks natural
resources; historically its economy depended heavily on the fishing
industry, which still provides almost 40% of export earnings and
employs 8% of the work force. The economy is vulnerable to
declining fish stocks and drops in world prices for its main
material exports: fish and fish products, aluminium, and
ferrosilicon.
Whaling in Iceland has been historically
significant. Although the Icelandic economy still relies heavily on
fishing, its importance is diminishing as the travel industry and
other service, technology and various other industries grow.
Although Iceland is a highly developed country, it is still one of
the most newly industrialised in Europe. Until the 20th century, it
was among the poorest countries in Western Europe. The strong
economic growth that Iceland has experienced in recent decades has
only just allowed for the modernisation of infrastructure . Many
political parties remain opposed to EU membership, primarily due to
Icelanders' concern about losing control over their natural
resources.
Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and
service industries in the last decade, including software
production, biotechnology, and financial services. Despite the
decision to resume commercial whale hunting in 2006, the tourism
sector is expanding, with the recent trends in
ecotourism and whale-watching. Iceland's
agriculture industry consists mainly of potatoes, green vegetables
(in greenhouses), mutton and dairy products.
The financial centre
is Borgartún
in Reykjavík, hosting a large number of companies
and three investment banks. Iceland's
stock market, the
Iceland Stock Exchange (ISE), was
established in 1985. The three investments banks collapsed in
October 2008 taking down the entire financial sector, stock market,
and currency with it.
The national currency of Iceland is the Icelandic króna (ISK). An
extensive poll, released on 11 September, 2007, by Capacent Gallup
showed that 53% of respondents were in favour of adopting the
euro, 37% opposed and 10% undecided.
Iceland ranked 5th in the
Index of Economic Freedom 2006 and
14th in 2008. Iceland has a
flat tax
system. The main personal income tax rate is a flat 22.75 percent
and combined with municipal taxes the total tax rate is not more
than 35.72%, and there are many deductions. The
corporate tax rate is a flat 18 percent, one
of the lowest in the world. Other taxes include a
value-added tax and a net
wealth tax. (The wealth tax was eliminated in
2006.) Employment regulations are relatively flexible. Property
rights are strong and Iceland is one of the few countries where
they are applied to
fishery
management. Taxpayers pay various subsidies to each other,
similar to European countries with welfare state, but the spending
is less than in most European countries. Despite low tax rates,
overall taxation and consumption is still much higher than
countries such as Ireland. According to OECD, agricultural support
is the highest among OECD countries and an impediment to structural
change. Also, health care and education spending have relatively
poor return by OECD measures. OECD
Economic survey of Iceland
2008 highlighted Iceland's challenges in currency and
macroeconomic policy. There was a
currency crisis that started in the spring
of 2008 and on 6 October trading in Iceland's banks was suspended
as the government battled to save the economy.
Iceland was ranked
first in
the United Nations'
Human
Development Index report for 2007/2008. Icelanders are the
fourteenth longest-living nation with a
life expectancy at birth of 80.67 years. The
Gini
coefficient ranks Iceland as one of the most egalitarian
countries in the world.
2008–2009 economic crisis
Iceland has been hit especially hard by the ongoing
late 2000s recession, because of the
failure of its banking system and a subsequent economic crisis.
Before the crash of the three largest banks in Iceland,
Glitnir,
Landsbanki
and
Kaupthing, their combined debt
exceeded approximately six times the nation's gross domestic
product of
€14 billion ($19 billion). In
October 2008, the Icelandic parliament passed emergency legislation
to minimize the impact of the
financial
crisis. The Financial Supervisory Authority of Iceland used
permission granted by the emergency legislation to take over the
domestic operations of the three largest banks. Icelandic
officials, including central bank governor
Davíð Oddsson, stated that the state
did not intend to take over any of the banks' foreign debts or
assets. Instead, new banks were established around the domestic
operations of the banks, and the old banks will be run into
bankruptcy. The Icelandic economic crisis has been a matter of
great concern in international media.
On 28
October 2008, the Icelandic government raised interest rates to
18%, (as of July 2009, it is 12%) a move which was forced in part
by the terms of acquiring a loan from the IMF
.
After the rate hike, trading on the Icelandic króna finally resumed
on the open market, with valuation at around 250 ISK per Euro, less
than one-third the value of the 1:70 exchange rate during most of
2008, and a significant drop from the 1:150 exchange ratio of the
week before. Iceland has appealed to Nordic countries for an
additional €4 billion in aid to avert the continuing crisis.
On 26 January 2009, the coalition government collapsed due to the
public dissent over the handling of the financial crisis. A new
left-wing government was formed a week later and immediately set
about removing Central Bank governor
Davíð Oddsson and his aides from the
bank through changes in law. Oddsson was removed on 26 February,
2009.
Transportation
[[File:Route1(iceland).png|thumb|
The
Ring Road of Iceland and some towns it passes
through:
1.Reykjavík, 2.Borgarnes
, 3.Blönduós
, 4.Akureyri,5.Egilsstaðir
, 6.Höfn
, 7.Selfoss
.]]
The
social structure of Iceland is
very dependent upon the personal car. Icelanders have one of the
highest levels of car ownership per capita: 656,7 cars per 1000
inhabitants in 2008 (www.statice.is) or on average one car per
inhabitant older than 17 years. Most Icelanders travel by car to
work, school or other activities.
The main mode of transport in Iceland is road. Iceland has
13,034 km of administered roads, of which 4,617 km are
paved and 8,338 km are not. The ring road was completed in
1974 and the last communities were connected to the road system
only a few years previously and there were only short stretches of
roads paved before that date. Today, roads are being improved
throughout the country and freeways are being built in and around
Reykjavík. A great number of roads remain unpaved to this day,
mostly little used rural roads. The road speed limits are
50 km/h (30 mph) in towns, 80 km/h (50 mph) on
gravel country roads and 90 km/h (56 mph) is the limit on
hard-surfaced roads. Iceland currently has no railways.
Route 1 or the Ring Road
(Icelandic:
Þjóðvegur 1 or
Hringvegur) is a main
road in Iceland that runs around the island and connects all
inhabited parts (the interior of the island is uninhabited). The
road is 1,337 km long (830 miles).
It has one lane in
each direction, except near larger towns and cities and in the
Hvalfjörður
Tunnel
where it has more lanes. Most smaller
bridges on it are single lane and made of wood and/or steel. Most
of the road's length is paved with asphalt, in the east 5 km
(3.1 miles) of road are currently being moved and are gravel but
will be paved soon (as of 29 September, 2008).
The main
hub for international transport is Keflavík
International Airport
, which serves Reykjavík and the country in
general. It is 48 km (30 mi) to the west of
Reykjavík.
Domestic flights, flights to Greenland and
the Faroe Islands and business flights operate mostly out of
Reykjavík
Airport
, which lies in the city centre. Most general
aviation traffic is also in Reykjavík. There are 103 registered
airports and airfields in Iceland; most of them are unpaved and
located in rural areas.
The biggest airport in Iceland is Keflavík
International Airport and the biggest airfield is Geitamelur, a
four-runway field around 100 km (62 mi) east of
Reykjavík, dedicated exclusively to gliding.
Energy
Renewable sources provide
practically all of Iceland's electricity and over 70% of the
nation's total energy, with most of the remainder from imported oil
used in transportation and in the fishing fleet. Iceland expects to
be energy-independent by 2050.
Iceland's largest geothermal power plant is
located in Nesjavellir
, while the Kárahnjúkar dam will be the country's largest hydroelectric power
plant.
Icelanders emit 10.0 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gases
per capita, which is higher than many European nations. This is due
to the wide use of personal transport and a large fishing fleet.
Iceland is one of the few countries that have filling stations
dispensing hydrogen fuel for cars powered by
fuel cells. It is also one of a few countries
currently capable of producing hydrogen in adequate quantities at a
reasonable cost, because of Iceland's plentiful renewable sources
of energy.
Iceland has never produced oil or gas. On January 22, 2009 Iceland
announced its first round of
offshore
licensing to companies looking to explore for hydrocarbons in a
region northeast of Iceland, known as the
Dreki area.
Education and science
The
Ministry of Education, Science and
Culture
is responsible for the policies and methods that
schools must use, and they issue the National Curriculum
Guidelines. However, the playschools and the primary and
lower secondary schools are funded and administered by the
municipalities.
Nursery school or
leikskóli,
is non-compulsory education for children younger than six years,
and is the first step in the education system. The current
legislation concerning playschools was passed in 1994. They are
also responsible for ensuring that the curriculum is suitable so as
to make the transition into compulsory education as easy as
possible.
Compulsory education, or
grunnskóli, comprises primary and
lower secondary education, which often is conducted at the same
institution. Education is mandatory by law for children aged from 6
to 16 years. The school year lasts nine months, and begins between
21 August and 1 September, ending between 31 May and 10 June. The
minimum number of school days was once 170, but after a new
teachers' wage contract, it increased to 180. Lessons take place
five days a week. The
Programme for
International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD,
currently ranks the Icelandic secondary education as the 27th in
the world, significantly below the OECD average.
Upper secondary education or
framhaldsskóli follows lower
secondary education. These schools are also known as
gymnasia in English. It is not
compulsory, but everyone who has had a compulsory education has the
right to upper secondary education. This stage of education is
governed by the Upper Secondary School Act of 1996. All schools in
Iceland are mixed sex schools.
The largest seat of higher education is the University of Iceland,
which has its main campus in central Reykjavík.
Other schools
offering university-level instruction include Reykjavík
University
, University of
Akureyri and Bifrost
University.
By 1999, 82.3% of Icelanders had access to a computer. Iceland also
had 1,007 mobile phone subscriptions per 1,000 people in 2006, the
16th highest in the world.
Iceland is home to the
European Mars Analog
Research Station.
Culture
Icelandic culture has its roots in Norse traditions.
Icelandic literature is popular, in
particular the
sagas and
eddas which were written during the
High and
Late
Middle Ages.
Icelanders place relatively great importance
on independence and self-sufficiency; in a European
Commission
public opinion analysis over 85% of Icelanders
found independence to be "very important" contrasted with the EU25
average of 53%, and 47% for the Norwegians, and 49% for the
Danes.
Some traditional beliefs remain today; for example, some Icelanders
either believe in
elves or are
unwilling to rule out their existence. Iceland ranks first on the
Human Development Index, and
was recently ranked the fourth happiest country in the world.
Iceland is progressive in terms of lesbian, gay bisexual and
transgendered (
LGBT) matters. In 1996,
Parliament passed legislation to create
registered partnerships for same-sex
couples, covering nearly all the rights and benefits of marriage.
In 2006, by unanimous vote of Parliament, further legislation was
passed, granting same-sex couples the same rights as different-sex
couples in adoption, parenting and assisted insemination
treatment.
Literature
Iceland's best-known classical works of literature are the
Icelanders' sagas, prose epics set in
Iceland's age of settlement.
The most famous of these include
Njáls saga, about an epic
blood feud, and Grœnlendinga
saga and Eiríks
saga, describing the discovery and settlement of Greenland
and Vinland (modern Newfoundland
). Egils
saga,
Laxdæla
saga,
Grettis saga,
Gísla saga and
Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu are
also notable and popular
Icelanders'
sagas.
A translation of the Bible was published in the 16th century.
Important compositions since the 15th to the 19th century include
sacred verse, most famously the
Passion
Hymns of
Hallgrímur
Pétursson, and
rímur,
rhyming epic poems. Originating in the 14th century,
rímur
were popular into the 19th century, when the development of new
literary forms was provoked by the influential,
National-Romantic writer
Jónas Hallgrímsson. In recent
times, Iceland has produced many great writers, the best-known of
which is arguably
Halldór
Laxness who received the
Nobel Prize for Literature in
1955.
Steinn Steinarr was an
influential modernist poet.
Art
The distinctive rendition of the Icelandic landscape by its
painters can be linked to nationalism and the movement to
home rule and
independence, which was very active in this period.
Contemporary Icelandic painting is typically
traced to the work of Þórarinn Þorláksson,
who, following formal training in art in the 1890s in Copenhagen
, returned to Iceland to paint and exhibit works
from 1900 to his death in 1924, almost exclusively portraying the
Icelandic landscape. Several other Icelandic men and women
artists learned in Denmark Academy at that time, including
Ásgrímur Jónsson, who
together with Þórarinn created a distinctive portrayal of Iceland's
landscape in a romantic naturalistic style. Other landscape artists
quickly followed in the footsteps of Þórarinn and Ásgrímur. These
included
Jóhannes
Kjarval and
Júlíana Sveinsdóttir.
Kjarval in particular is noted for the distinct techniques in the
application of paint that he developed in a concerted effort to
render the characteristic
volcanic
rock that dominates the Icelandic environment.
Einar Hákonarson is an
expressionistic and figurative painter who by some is considered to
have brought the figure back into Icelandic painting. In the 1980s
many Icelandic artists worked with the subject of the new painting
in their work.
In the recent years artistic practice has multiplied, and the
Icelandic art scene has become a setting for many large scale
projects and exhibitions. The artist run gallery space Kling og
Bang, members of which later ran the studio complex and exhibition
venue Klink og Bank has been a significant portion of the trend of
self organised spaces, exhibitions and projects.
The Living Art
Museum, Reykjavík Municipal Art Museum and the National
Gallery of Iceland
are the larger, more established institutions,
curating shows and festivals.
Icelandic architecture draws
from
Scandinavian influences. The
scarcity of native trees resulted in traditional houses being
covered by
grass and
turf.
Music
Icelandic music is related to
Nordic
music, and includes vibrant
Electronic music,
folk and
pop traditions,
including medieval music group
Voces
Thules, alternative rock band
The
Sugarcubes, singers
Björk and
Emiliana Torrini; and
Sigur Rós. The
national anthem of Iceland is "
Lofsöngur", written by
Matthías Jochumsson, with music by
Sveinbjörn
Sveinbjörnsson.
Traditional Icelandic music is strongly religious.
Hallgrímur Pétursson wrote
many Protestant hymns in the 17th century. Icelandic music was
modernised in the 19th century, when Magnús Stephensen brought pipe
organs, which were followed by harmoniums
Other vital traditions of Icelandic music are epic alliterative and
rhyming ballads called
rímur. Rímur are
epic tales, usually
a cappella, which can
be traced back to
skaldic poetry,
using complex metaphors and elaborate rhyme schemes. The best known
rímur poet of the 19th century was
Sigurður Breiðfjörð
(1798–1846). A modern revitalization of the tradition began in 1929
with the formation of the organization
Iðunn.
Icelandic contemporary music consists of a big group of bands,
ranging from
pop-rock groups such as
Bang Gang,
Quarashi and
Amiina to solo
ballad singers like
Bubbi Morthens,
Megas and
Björgvin Halldórsson.
Independent music is also very
strong in Iceland, with bands such as
múm,
Sigur Rós and solo artists
Emiliana Torrini and
Mugison being fairly well-known outside
Iceland.
Many Icelandic artists and bands have had great success
internationally, most notably
Björk and
Sigur Rós but also
Quarashi,
Hera,
Ampop,
Mínus and
múm.
The main music festival is arguably
Iceland Airwaves, an annual event on the
Icelandic music scene, where Icelandic bands along with foreign
ones occupy the clubs of Reykjavík for a week.
Media
Iceland's largest television stations are the state-run
Sjónvarpið and the privately owned
Stöð 2,
Skjár einn and
ÍNN.
Smaller stations exist, many of them local. Radio is broadcast
throughout the country, including some parts of the interior. The
main radio stations are
Rás 1,
Rás 2 and
Bylgjan. The
daily newspapers are
Morgunblaðið and
Fréttablaðið. The most popular
websites are the news sites
Vísir and
Mbl.is.
Iceland is home to television network
Nick Jr.'s
LazyTown (Icelandic:
Latibær), a
children's television programme created by
Magnús Scheving. It has become a very
popular programme for children and adults and is shown in over 100
countries, including the UK, the Americas and Sweden.
The LazyTown
studios are located in Garðabær.
Actress
Anita Briem, known for her
performance in
Showtime's
The Tudors, is Icelandic. Briem starred in
the 2008 film
Journey to the
Center of the Earth, which shot scenes in Iceland.
Cuisine
Iceland liver sausage
Most national Icelandic foods are based around fish, lamb and dairy
products.
Þorramatur is a national
food consisting of many dishes and is usually consumed around the
month of
Þorri.
Traditional dishes include
skyr, cured ram
scrota, cured shark, singed sheep heads and
black pudding.
The modern Icelandic diet is very diverse, and includes cuisines
from all over the world. As in other Western societies, fast food
restaurants are widespread.
Sport
Sport is an important part of the Icelandic culture. The main
traditional sport in Iceland is
Glíma, a form of wrestling thought to have
originated in medieval times.
Popular sports are football, track and field, handball and
basketball.
Handball is often referred to as a national
sport, Iceland's team
is one of the top-ranked teams in the world and Icelandic women are
surprisingly good at football relative to the size of the country,
the national team ranked 19th by FIFA
.
Iceland has excellent conditions for ice and rock climbing,
although mountain climbing and hiking is preferred by the general
public. Iceland is also a world class destination for alpine ski
touring and
Telemark skiing with the
Troll Peninsula in Northern Iceland being the center of activity.
Iceland also has the most
Strongman
competition wins.
The oldest sport association in Iceland is the Reykjavík Shooting
Association, founded 1867. Rifle shooting became very popular in
the 19th century and was heavily encouraged by politicians and
others pushing for Icelandic independence. Shooting remains popular
and all types of shooting with small arms is practiced in the
country.
See also
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links
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