Atlantica - 01.09.2000, Page 91

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Domestic Route Map
Látrabjarg
Facts about Iceland
LAND Iceland is an island of 103,000 km2
(39,756 square miles), with an average
height of 500 m above sea level. Its highest
peak, Hvannadalshnúkur, 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 pop-
ulation with cheap, pollution-free heating.
Rivers, too, are harnessed to provide inex-
pensive hydroelectric power. The electrical
current is 220 volts, 50 Hz.
PEOPLE Out of a population numbering
almost 280,000, 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 unin-
habitable), 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 tradition, i.e. the
custom of using patronymics rather than sur-
names; an Icelander’s Christian name is fol-
lowed by his or her father’s name and the suf-
fix -son or -dóttir, e.g. Gudrún Pétursdóttir
(Gudrún, daughter of Pétur). Members of a
family can therefore have many different “sur-
names,” which sometimes causes confusion to
foreigners!
CHURCH The National Church of
Iceland, to which 90 per cent of the popula-
tion belong, is Evangelical Lutheran. In addi-
tion to the many Lutheran churches in
Reykjavík, there is a Roman Catholic Cathe-
dral at Landakot, with regular Sunday Mass.
TIME In spite of its mid-Atlantic location,
Iceland is on Greenwich Mean Time all year
round.
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 indepen-
dence. In 1918 it regained its independence,
and in 1944 the present republic was found-
ed.The country is governed by the Althingi
(parliament), whose 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. The head
of state plays no part in day-to-day politics.
ECONOMY The economy is heavily
dependent upon fishing. Despite efforts to
diversify, particularly into the travel industry,
seafood exports continue to account for
nearly three quarters of merchandise exports
and approximately half of all foreign ex-
change earnings.Yet less than 10 per cent of
the workforce is involved in fishing and fish
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 been 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 Free Trade Association (EFTA) and
the European Economic Area (EEA).
HEALTH Life expectancy, at 81.3 years for
women and 76.4 for men, is one of the high-
est in the world, and a comprehensive state
health-care system aims to keep it that way.
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