Atlantica - 01.05.2007, Blaðsíða 109

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 2,110 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 of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, south
Iceland, is presently retreating at a rate of approxi-
mately 100 meters per year.
ENERGY: Because of its location on the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a hotbed of volcanic and
geothermal activity: thirty volcanoes have erupted in
the past two centuries. Natural hot water supplies the
majority of the population with inexpensive, pollution-
free heating.
PEOPLE: Iceland’s population is about 308,000,
about six percent of which are foreign-born. It’s grow-
ing at a rate of 2.6 percent per year. Only 2 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. Six percent are foreign-born.
But Iceland’s population more than doubles every year
thanks to the more than 400,000 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, Icelanders founded
Althingi, the legislative body still operating, the world’s
oldest parliament. In 1262, Iceland lost its indepen-
dence to Norway and in 1380 came under Danish
control with Norway. On 17 June 1944, Iceland became
independent of Denmark in a ceremony that took place
at Thingvellir the old site of Althingi, now a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
GOVERNMENT: The country is governed by
Althingi(parliament), which sits in Reykjavík, whose
members are elected every four years. The President
is also elected every four years, but the Prime Minister
is primarily 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 far
away from other countries, which has provided geneti-
cists with a key body of DNA. The language is close to
that of literature (the Sagas) in the 12th century. Most
people can also speak English. Icelanders maintain a pat-
ronymic naming system, which means that someone’s
first name is followed by his or her father’s name
and the suffix “son” or “dóttir.” For example, Kolbrún
Pálsdóttir is Kolbrún, the daughter of Páll.
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: Iceland’s GDP per capita is USD
50,833, placing it in the world´s top five, and growing at
a rate of more than five percent per year. 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 tex-
tiles. Less than one percent of the land is arable (most
is used for grazing) and between one and two percent
of Iceland’s population is engaged in agriculture. Iceland
produces vegetables, meat, fish and dairy, but imports
many foodstuffs. Iceland´s currency is the Icelandic
Króna (ISK).
HEALTH: Life expectancy for women is 82.8 years
and 78.9 for men, one of the highest in the world.
MOVIES
Eragon
Happy Feet
Notes on a Scandal
Children of Men
Blood Diamond
Music and Lyrics
Letters From Iwo Jima
Miss Potter
Hollywoodland
The Holiday
TV SHOWS
Friends: TOW the the Late Thanksgiving
Old Christine: Separation Anxiety
Two and a Half Men: That Special Tug
Malcolm in the Middle: Emancipation
Arrested Development: Forget Me Now
Boston Legal: The Black Widow
How I Met Your Mother: Game Night
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Bring On The Night
CARTOONS
Pet Alien: Stage Fright
Pet Alien: Night of the Cat People
ToddWorld: Colorless Todd
ToddWorld: Invisible Underwear
MUSIC VIDEOS
Selected Music Videos
+ SEVERAL AUDIO SELECTIONS
Pop, rock, alternative, children’s, classical,
country, jazz, and top 40.

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.
DigEplayer SELECTIONS
ONLY AVAILABLE on flights to and from
Minneapolis and Orlando.
108
MAY/JUNE 2007
Eragon
Miss Potter