Atlantica - 01.06.2011, Page 82

80 a t l a n t i c a
IcElaNDa
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 Mada-
gascar, Britain and Cuba are larger single in-
dependent 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 Vat-
najökull, 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 approximately 75 meters per year.
energy: Because of its location on the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a hotbed of
volcanic and geothermal activity: thirty volca-
noes have erupted in the past two centuries,
the last one, Grímsvötn, in spring 2011. The
most famous and active volcano is Hekla.
Natural hot water supplies the majority of
the population with inexpensive, pollution-
free heating.
people: Iceland’s population is about
320,000, about 9 percent of which are foreign-
born. It’s growing 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 ma-
jority, about 75 percent, live in the capital area
of Reykjavík. But Iceland’s population more
than doubles every year thanks to the more
than 550,000 travelers who visit the country
annually.
tiMe: Despite its mid-Atlantic location,
Iceland observes Greenwich Mean Time year-
round.
history: It is believed that the first perma-
nent settler in Iceland was Ingólfur Arnarson, a
Norwegian Viking who settled in A.D. 874 and
named his farm Reykjavík (Smoky Bay) after
the steam rising from the surrounding country-
side. 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. Jóhanna Sigurdar-
dóttir is Iceland’s current PM (2009) and Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson (1996) is serving his fourth
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 geneticists with a key body
of DNA. The language, Icelandic, is close to
that of literature (the Sagas) in the 12th century.
Most people can also speak English, and some
of the Scandinavian languages. Icelanders main-
tain a patronymic 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 85
percent of Icelanders belong.
econoMy: Iceland’s GDP per capita is USD
45,000, similar to Germany and Kuwait. Aside
from fishing and fisheries products, the country’s
other main export is aluminum, while primary
imports include machinery and equipment, pe-
troleum products, food and textiles. 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 other 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. According to The World Economic
Forum, Iceland has the best Gender Equality in
the world. a
Stretching your budget
around Iceland
- Garðabær Kauptúni 3
SELFOSS
HVERAGERÐI
EGILSSTAÐIR
AKUREYRI
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
STYKKISHÓLMUR
BORGARNES
AKRANES
REYKJANESBÆR REYKJAVÍK
MOSFELLSBÆR
Bónus: number one
food discounter
BónuS openIng hourS:
Mon-Thu: 12 p.m-6.30 p.m
Fri: 10 a.m - 7.30 p.m
Sat: 10 a.m - 6 p.m
Sun: 12 p.m - 6 p.m