Atlantica - 01.12.2006, Page 94

FACTS ABOUT ICELAND
LAND: Iceland is an island of 103,000 square
kilometers (39,756 square miles) and 4,970 kilometers
of coastline, making it the 16th largest island in the
world. Only Madagascar, Britain and Cuba are larger
single independent island states. The country’s highest
peak, Hvannadalshnjúkur, rises 2,119 meters above sea
level. Roughly ten percent of the country is covered in
glaciers, including Vatnajökull, the largest in Europe. But
get here quick before the glaciers melt: Sólheimajökull,
an outlet glacier in the southwestern section of the
Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, is presently retreating at a rate of
approximately 100 meters per year.
ENERGY: Because of its location on the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a hotbed of volcanic and
geothermal activity: thirty post-glacial volcanoes have
erupted in the past two centuries. Natural hot water
supplies the majority of the population with inexpen-
sive, pollution-free heating.
PEOPLE: Iceland’s population is 306,000, about
five percent of which are foreign-born. It’s growing
at a rate of 2.2 percent per year. Only 7 percent of
Icelanders live in rural areas, the rest live in urban
areas, and the majority, about 75 percent, live in the
capital area of Reykjavík. But Iceland’s population more
than doubles every year thanks to the more than
300,000 travelers who visit the country annually.
HISTORY: It is believed that the first permanent
settler in Iceland was Ingólfur Arnarson, a Norwegian
Viking who settled in A.D. 874 and named his home
Reykjavík (“smoky bay”) after the steam rising from
the surrounding countryside. In 930, settlers founded
Althingi, one of the world’s first republican govern-
ments. In 1262, Iceland lost its independence to
Norway and in 1380 came under Danish control with
Norway. The Act of Union in 1918 granted Iceland
sovereign nation status under Denmark, and finally, on
17 June 1944, Iceland became fully independent in a
ceremony that took place at Thingvellir National Park,
now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
GOVERNMENT: The country is governed by
Althingi (parliament), whose members are elected
every four years. The President is also elected every
four years though the Prime Minister is primar-
ily responsible for the day-to-day politics. Geir H.
Haarde is Iceland’s current PM (2006) and Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson (1996) is serving his third term as
president.
LANGUAGE: Icelanders are of Norse and Celt
ancestry, and have lived for more than a millennium in
almost total isolation, which has provided geneticists
with a key body of DNA. The language is virtually iden-
tical to what Vikings spoke in the 12th century, although
most people can also speak English. Icelanders maintain
a patronymic naming system, which means that some-
one’s first name is followed by his or her father’s name
and the suffix “son” or “dóttir.” For example, Gudrún
Pétursdóttir is Gudrún, the daughter of Pétur.
CHURCH: Church and state are not separated
in Iceland. The National Church of Iceland, a Lutheran
body, is the state church to which almost 85 percent
of Icelanders belong. There is, however, one Roman
Catholic cathedral in Reykjavík to serve the just over 2
percent Catholic population.
TIME: Despite its mid-Atlantic location, Iceland
observes Greenwich Mean Time year-round.
ECONOMY: The majority of Iceland’s GDP
comes from fishing, which provides more than half of
the country’s export income and employs a mere four
percent of the workforce. The travel industry accounts
for the second largest income generator. Banking and
IT are the fastest growing sectors. Aside from fishing
and fisheries products, the country’s other main export
is aluminum, while primary imports include machinery
and equipment, petroleum products, and food and
textiles. About one-fifth of the land is arable (most is
used for grazing) and less than five percent of Iceland’s
population is engaged in agriculture. Iceland is nearly
self-sufficient in terms of vegetables, meat, and dairy,
but imports most other foodstuffs.
HEALTH: Life expectancy for women is 82.8 years
and 78.9 for men, the second highest in the world.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2006

HOLLYWOOD MOVIES
TV SHOWS
Malcolm in the Middle: Hal Coaches
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Choices
Angel: Dead End
The Simpsons: Who Shot Mr. Burns pt. 1
Murder One: Chapter 10
Arrested Development: Public Relations
Boston Legal: Shock and Oww
Prison Break: Cute Poison
CARTOONS
The Book of Pooh: Blue Ribbon Bunny/Under the Pig Top
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers: The Carpetsnaggers
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: Rookie of the Year
Pet Alien - Invasion Of The Balloon People
Pet Alien - The Little Monster Ball
ToddWorld - It’s Ok To Lose Your Mittens
ToddWorld - Venus Icecream Trap
Jakers - Pie Filling
Jakers - Salmon Of Knowledge
MUSIC VIDEOS
Selected Music Videos
+ SEVERAL AUDIO SELECTIONS
Pop, rock, alternative, children’s, classical,
country, jazz, and top 40.

ONLY AVAILABLE on flights to and from Orlando
and San Francisco.
The digEplayer is a convenient handheld device
which uses video-on-demand technology to deliver a
spectrum of in-flight entertainment choices. Get your
pick of 8 movies, 4 short subjects, cartoons, music
videos and a range of music from classical to rap.
Unlike traditional in-flight entertainment systems, the
state-of-the-art digEplayer literally puts the choice of
what to watch or listen to in the hands of customers
in the form of a device about the size of a portable
DVD player, but with superior audio and video quality.
The digEplayer is only available on San Francisco and
Orlando flights.
The player may be rented for $15 in Economy class.
We have limited space onboard so please
accept our apologies if we cannot
supply you with a digEplayer.
DigEplayer SELECTIONS
Movies / English Title
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
John Tucker
Superman Returns
Lady in the Water
The Ant Bully
Pirates of the Caribbean 2
You, Me, and Dupree
Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Devil Wears Prada
Like Mike 2: Streetball
Garfield 2
Cars
The Lake House
A Scanner Darkly
The Break-Up
X-Men 3
Just My Luck
Poseidon
American Dreamz
099 ATL606 Icelandair.indd 92 18.10.2006 23:41:59