Facts about Iceland
The Country
Iceland
is an island of 103.000 km2 (39,756 sq.miles), about one-third larger
than Scotland or Ireland. Its highest peak, Hvannadalshnjúkur, rises to
2.119 m and over 11 per cent of the country is covered by glaciers,
including Vatnajökull, the largest in Europe.
Energy
Situated
on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a hot spot of volcanic and
geothermal activity: 30 post-glacial volcanoes have erupted in the past
two centuries, and natural hot water supplies much of the population
with cheap, pollution-free heating. Rivers, too, are harnessed to
provide inexpensive hydroelectric power.
People
Out
of a population numbering more than 300.000, half live in the capital
Reykjavík and its neighbouring towns in the southwest. Keflavík
International Airport is located about 50 km from the capital. The
highland interior is uninhabited (and uninhabitable), and most centres
of population are situated on the coast.
Language
Iceland
was settled by Nordic people in the 9th century - tradition says that
the first permanent settler was Ingólfur Arnarson, a Norwegian Viking
who made his home where Reykjavík now stands. The Icelanders still
speak the language of the Vikings, although modern Icelandic has
undergone changes of pronunciation and, of course, of vocabulary!
Iceland is alone in upholding another Norse tradtion, i.e. the custom
of using patronymics rather than surnames; and Icelander´s christian
name is followed by his or her father´s name and the suffix -son or
-dóttir, e.g. Guðrún Pétursdóttir (Guðrún, daughter of Pétur). Members
of a family can therefore have many different "surnames", which
sometimes causes confusion to foreigners!
History
In
930, the Icelandic settlers founded one of the world´s first republican
governments; the Old Commonwealth Age, described in the classic
Icelandic Sagas, lasted until 1262, when Iceland lost its independence,
and in 1944 the present republic was founded. The country is governed
by the Althing (parliament), whose 63 members are elected every four
years. four-yearly elections are also held for the presidency;
President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson was elected in June 1996 to succeed
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, and was re-elected in June 2000. The head of
state plays no part in day-to-day politics.
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-puarters of merchandise exports
and approximately half of all foreign exchange earnings. Yet less than
10 per cent of the workforce is involved in fishing and fis 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 financial sector has benn liberalised in
recent years. 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 Fee Trade Association
(EFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEC).
Health
Life
expectancy, at 81.3 years for women and 76.4 for men, is one of the
highest in the world, and a comprehensive state health-care system aims
to keep it that way.
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