Atlantica - 01.09.2007, Qupperneq 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 2,110 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. 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, which still functions as the legislative body,
making it the world’s oldest parliament. In 1262,
Iceland lost its independence 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 Celtic
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
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, 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 82 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
54858, 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 83.0 years
and 79.4 for men, one of the highest in the world.
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PRINGLES CHIPS
ISK 100
EUR 1
USD 1
SNACK AND SWEET UPGRADE
NIZZA
Icelandic chocolate bar
ISK 100
EUR 1
USD 1
ALSO AVAILABLE: Icelandic chocolate raisin