Europe: Plan your Journey to Europe

Iceland

Iceland is an island country that lies just below the Arctic Circle in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is about 320 kilometres east of Greenland and about 1,050 kilometres west of Norway.

Iceland is sometimes called the Land of Ice and Fire because large glaciers lie next to steaming hot springs, geysers, and volcanoes. The country was named Iceland by an early settler who was upset by seeing the coastal waters choked with ice after an unusually cold and long winter...more Information on Iceland .

Also Read: Special Feature on Background of Iceland

Full country name: Republic of Iceland
Area: 103,000 sq km
Population: 281,000
Capital City: Reykjavik
People: 97% Icelanders
Language: Icelandic, English
Religion: 95% Evangelical Lutheran, 3% other Protestant denominations, 1% Roman Catholic & some followers of Ásatrú, an ancient Norse religion
Government: constitutional republic
Head of State: President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Head of Government: Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson

History of Iceland

Iceland was settled in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, principally by people of Norse origin. In 930 A.D., the ruling chiefs established a republican constitution and an assembly called the Althingi–the oldest parliament in the world. Iceland remained independent until 1262, when it entered into a treaty establishing a union with the Norwegian monarchy. Iceland passed to Denmark in the late 14th century when Norway and Denmark were united under the Danish crown...More on Iceland History.

Overview of Iceland Economy

GDP: US$227.7 billion
GDP per capita: US$27,900
Annual Growth: 2.9%
Inflation: 1.7%
Major Industries: Machinery, textiles, iron & steel, timber and tourism
Major Trading Partners: EU (esp. Germany, Italy & Hungary), US & Switzerland
Member of EU: Yes

Also Read: Special Feature on Economy of Iceland

Political System of Iceland

- Political Condition
- Government
- Foreign Relations
- Defense and Military

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

The vegetation of Iceland is of the arctic European type. Grass and heather are extensive along the southern coast and afford pasturage for sheep and other farm animal. considerable forests likely existed on the island in past history times, but present-day trees, such as birch and spruce, are comparatively scarce. Bilberries and crowberries are the only kinds of fruit that grow on the island. The arctic fox was likely living in Iceland at the time of the first human settlement. Reindeer were introduced about 1770; rodents were brought in on ships.About 100 species of birds inhabit the island; many of these species are aquatic, among them the whistling swan and several kinds of duck. The eider duck is valued for its down. Whales and seals live along the coast, as do cod, haddock, halibut, and herring. Many salmon and trout inhabit Iceland's freshwater rivers and lakes.


Population: The first comprehensive census in Iceland was taken in 1703, at which time 50,358 people were reported...People and Populatiion of Iceland.

Culture: Traditional Icelandic food is not as bad as it sounds: in fact several dishes are actually edible...More about Culture of Iceland.

Education: Literacy in Iceland approaches 100 % of the adult population. Education is free...more on education and Iceland

Religion: The state church of Iceland is the Evangelical Lutheran church, with which more than 93 % of the people...Religion and Iceland

Envoirnment: Iceland, the second largest island in Europe, boils and splutters in the Atlantic Ocean northwest of Scotland, west of Norway and southeast...more on envoirnmental conditions in Iceland

Life and Lifestyle: The population of Iceland is extremely homogeneous, being almost entirely of Scandinavian and Celtic origin..more


Facts for the Traveler

Visas: Western Europeans and citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and at least two dozen other countries do not require visas. Tourist stays are granted for up to three months and can be easily extended at local police stations.
Health risks: hypothermia (Hypothermia is something you want to be aware of if you're trekking in Iceland. It occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it and the core temperature of the body falls. It is frighteningly easy to progress from very cold to dangerously cold due to a combination of wind, wet clothing, fatigue and hunger, even if the air temperature is above freezing. If the weather deteriorates, put on extra layers of warm clothing immediately: a windproof and/or waterproof jacket, plus wool or fleece hat and gloves, are all essential. Have something energy-giving to eat and ensure that everyone in your group is fit, and feeling well and alert. Symptoms of hypothermia are exhaustion, numb skin (particularly toes and fingers), shivering, slurred speech, irrational or violent behaviour, lethargy, stumbling, dizzy spells, muscle cramps and violent bursts of energy. Irrationality may take the form of sufferers claiming they are warm and trying to take off their clothes. To treat mild hypothermia, first get the person out of the wind and/or rain, remove their clothing if it's wet and replace it with dry, warm clothing. Give them hot liquids – not alcohol – and some high-energy, easily digestible food. Do not rub victims: instead, allow them to slowly warm themselves. This should be enough to treat the early stages of hypothermia. The early recognition and treatment of mild hypothermia is the only way to prevent severe hypothermia, which is a critical condition)
Time Zone: GMT/UTC 0
Dialling Code: 354
Electricity: 220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Also Read:Money and Cost Required | Transport System in Iceland

When to Go in Iceland

Every year after 31 August, someone puts on the brakes and Icelandic tourism grinds slowly to a halt. Hotels close, youth hostels and camping grounds shut down and buses stop running. Many late-summer travellers are disappointed to find that all the most popular attractions are practically inaccessible by 15 September, and by 30 September it seems the entire country, save Reykjavík, has gone into hibernation. Although it's safe to predict that the situation will change in coming years, for now it's a good idea to plan your trip with this in mind.

Also Read: Getting Around Iceland | Iceland: Getting There and Away

What to See in Iceland

Major Tourist Attractions in Iceland
- Reykjavik: Reykjavík boasts all the trappings of a modern European city...
- Geysir: Geysir is the original spouting hot spring; all the others around the world are named after it...
- Gullfoss: Iceland's most famous waterfall tumbles 32m (105ft) into a steep-sided canyon...
- Mývatn: Mývatn, in northeast Iceland, is considered one of the natural wonders of the world...

Other Tourist Attractions in Iceland

more...

Cluj-Napoca : Romania Cluj-Napoca (Hungarian: Kolozsvar; German: Klausenburg; Latin: Claudiopolis), the seat of Cluj county, is one of the most important academic, cultural and industrial centers in Romania. Regarded as the historic capital of Transylvania, the city is located in northwestern Romania, and is approximately 480 km (200 miles) northwest of Bucharest in the Somesul Mic [...]
Cultural Activity in Europe Europe has a long tradition of excellence in literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and dance. In the late 20th century Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, and Moscow were particularly famous as cultural centers, but many other cities also supported important museums, musical and theatrical groups, and other cultural institutions. Most European countries had [...]
Religion of Europe In the early 2000s the great majority of Europeans were Christians. The largest single religious group, Roman Catholics, lived mainly in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, southern Germany, and Poland. Another large group was composed of followers of Protestant faiths, concentrated in countries of northern and central Europe such as England, Scotland, [...]
Languages of Europe Europeans speak a wide variety of languages. The principal linguistic groups are the Slavic, which includes Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Slovenian, Macedonian, and Serbo-Croatian; the Germanic, which includes English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic; and the Romance, which includes Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. These languages have [...]
Demography of Europe The distribution of the European population has not been stable over long periods, but has shifted, both through differential birth and death rates and by migration. At the beginning of the Christian era, the most densely populated part of Europe bordered the Mediterranean Sea. At the beginning of the 21st century Europe had [...]
Ethnologyof Europe Europe includes a large number of ethnic groups—persons associated by a common culture, especially language. European nations are generally composed of one dominant group, such as the Germans of Germany and the French of France. Several countries, particularly in south central Europe, have large minorities, and most countries contain smaller groups, such as the [...]
People of Europe Indo-European languages (see The Indo-European Family of Languages, table) predominate in Europe; others spoken include Basque, Maltese, and the languages classified as Finno-Ugric, Samoyedic, Bulgaric, and Turkic. Roman Catholicism is the chief religion of S and W Europe and the southern part of central Europe; Protestantism is dominant in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, [...]
Biodiversity of Europe Having lived side-by-side with agricultural and industrial civilisations for millennia, Europe’s animals and plants have been profoundly affected by the presence and activities of man. With the exception of Scandinavia and northern Russia, few areas of untouched wilderness are today to be found in Europe, except for different natural parks. The main natural vegetation [...]
Physical features of Europe In terms of shape, Europe is a collection of connected peninsulas. The two largest of these are “mainland” Europe and Scandinavia to the north, divided from each other by the Baltic Sea. Three smaller peninsulas—Iberia, Italy and the Balkans—emerge from the southern margin of the mainland into the Mediterranean Sea, which separates [...]
Regions of Europe Europe can be divided into five geographic regions: Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark); the British Isles (United Kingdom and Ireland); W Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Monaco); S Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino, and Vatican City); Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, [...]

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