Iceland

Guide to ICELAND

ICELAND which official name is Republic of Iceland or Iceland, is a country from Europe located at the Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK. ICELAND is divided in 8 region . ICELAND's capital is Reykjavík which is the most populated city with about 113,907 inhabitants.

History of ICELAND

ICELAND's government is constitutional republic; a Republic with a Ceremonial government type, with President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson as head of state and Prime Minister Geir Haarde as head of government.

Other symbols of ICELAND are Icelandic anthem "Lofsöngur (Hymn) Icelandic flag.Icelandic flag is composed by blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) .

ICELAND's history is quite long: Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.

ICELANDs geography

Guide to travel to ICELAND

If you are thinking on traveling to ICELAND, you will have to take in consideration some points like ICELAND's currency, ICELAND's weather, ICELAND's national holiday and ICELAND's transports.

The first thing you need to know for your travels abroad is country's currency. ICELAND`s currency is called króna ( IKr), which is divided in 100 aurar (sg. aur). For your consideration, króna's exchange rate is about 0 per dolar.82.3920029934.

ICELAND's weather is characterized to be temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers. So be sure of choosing the proper date to travel to ICELAND.

You can also consider to visit ICELAND on it's national holiday to get in ICELAND's culture. If you do so, ICELAND's national holiday is called Independence Day, 17 June.

Also, if you like natural wonders, don't forget to visit the highest point of ICELAND: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier). And try also to get to ICELAND's lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mBut if you prefer the city, you must visit ICELAND's tallest structure: ( ).

Don't be afraid to take a flight to ICELAND, with more than 98 airports and 4 airlines, you will get to ICELAND without problems. Once there, you can choose the transport type that better fits your needs. ICELAND has about0 of railways, and also0 of roadways, so is a good place for a car trip.

Icelandic Culture

ICELAND is known by Icelandics as Lydveldid Island or Island in the shortened way. Icelandic, about 301,931 people, are composed by different ethnics: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6%. And they also have different languages: Icelandic.

Another relevant point nowadays it's ICELAND's religion. Icelandics are divided in Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004).

But if want to know more about ICELAND's culture, the best way is by reading the most famous Icelandic novelists' books like Snorri Sturluson, (1179–1241), author of the Younger Edda, Halldór Laxness, (1902–1998), Nobel Prize for Literature (1955) or Sjón, (1962), The Nordic Council's Literature Prize (2005).

Videos of Iceland

See some viedos of Iceland's places and tourism before choosing your vacations destination.

Latest News of Iceland