Iceland is a Nordic European island country that is located in the middle of the North
Atlantic Ocean and Artic Ocean. It sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which allows it to stick above
sea level. Iceland has a population of around 320,000 and an area of 40,000 square miles. This
makes it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The largest city in Iceland is Raykjavik.
It is also the capital. This city makes up two thirds of Iceland’s population. The interior of
Iceland boasts a plateau that consists of many things such as, sand and lava fields, mountains,
glaciers, and glacial rivers. Iceland has a temperate climate and is warmed by the Gulf Stream.
Despite being warmed, Iceland is composed of 63% tundra. Lakes and glaciers cover 14 % and
23% is covered in vegetation.
Geologically speaking, Iceland is a young land. It’s located on the Iceland hot spot and
Mid-Atlantic ridge. Being located on a ridge means that Iceland has many active volcanoes
which include, Hekla,Eldfell, Herðubreið, and Eldjga. Iceland is also home to many geysers such
as the famous geyser Strokkur, which spews every 5-10 minutes. Despite the volcanoes and
geysers, living on a ridge and hot spot has its advantages. Iceland has a large availability of
geothermal power and harnesses hydroelectricity from the rivers and waterfalls. The island
mostly consists of basalt, a rock produced from lava.
The climate of Iceland’s coast is considered subpolar oceanic. Despite being located
close to the Artic, Iceland’s coast doesn’t receive any ice. The island does have various
temperatures though. The southern coast is warmer, and has more wind and rain. The central
highlands are the coolest part of the country of Iceland. Low lying inland areas in the northern
part of Iceland are the most arid. The highest temperature ever recorded in Iceland was 86.9
degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest was -36.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Iceland isn’t very bio diverse because it is so cold. There are somewhere around 1300
species of insects on the island. The animals native to Iceland are, the artic fox, mink, reindeer,
mice, rabbits, and rats. There are also many birds along Iceland’s sea coast such as, kittiwakes,
puffins, skuas, and seagulls. Bats are sometime carried by the wind to Iceland, but can’t breed.
Polar bears also frequently travel to Iceland from Greenland, but never stay. There are however,
many types of domesticated animals such as, sheepdog, horses, cattle, goats, chickens, and
sheep. There is no native species of reptile or amphibian on the island of Iceland. Three quarters
of the island is barren with no vegetation. The plant life that does exist is mainly grassland.
There are forests in Iceland, which usually include Northern Birch, Aspen, Rowan, and Common
Juniper. The island originally was heavily forested, although settlers used extensive amounts of
forest for timber and firewood. Most of the island is now unable to be planted because of the
wind erosion of the top soil.
Iceland uses two major forms of transportation; cars and airplanes. Iceland has one of the
highest car ownership per capita ratings in the world. For every car in Iceland, there is 1.5
inhabitants. Iceland has around 8000 miles of roads. Iceland has no railways. The main method
for international travel is the Keflavík International Airport. It is the busiest and largest airport in
Iceland. There are also 103 registered runways and airfields spread throughout Iceland.
Iceland is run almost completely by renewable resources. Hydropower and geothermal
energy provide eighty percent of the nation’s electricity. The other twenty percent consists of oil
that is used for fishing and transportation. Iceland has filling stations that supply hydrogen fuel to
cars ran by fuel cells.
Most of Island’s music is related to Nordic music. It is made up of many different genres.
Famous Icelandic music includes: Voces Thules, The Sugarcubes, Of Monsters and Men,
Mezzoforte, Bjork, Emiliana Torrini, and Sigur Ros. Iceland’s national anthem is Lofsongur by
Matthias Jochumsson. Traditional Icelandic music is usually religious. Most of their music is
hymns. Iceland’s contemporary music scene consists of groups such as Bang Gang, Quarashi,
and Amiina.
Iceland has a broad set of media mediums. Iceland’s largest television stations are
Sjonvarpio, Stoo 2, and INN. Sjonvarpio is state-run. Stoo 2and INN are privately ran. Many
other smaller television stations do exist. Radio stations are broadcasted through all of Iceland.
The biggest stations are Ras 1, Ras 2, X-ID977, and Bylgjan. The larger newspapers are
Morgunbla and Frettabla. Iceland most popular websites consist of news sites such as Visir and
Mbl.is. Lazy Town, a children’s show created by Magnus Scheving, calls Iceland its home.
Iceland’s famous actors include names such as, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson, Guðrún S. Gísladóttir,
and Anita Briem. Films such as Journey To The Center Of The Earth and Die Another Day were
shot in Iceland.
Iceland brings a meat-lover’s paradise to the table when it comes to cuisine. Most of
Iceland’s cuisine is based upon fish, lamb, and dairy products. They rarely utilize spices or herbs.
The reason Iceland uses so much meat is because of the island’s climate. It’s not favorable for
growing vegetables or fruits. Some traditional Icelandic dishes are, skyr, hakari, cured ram,
singed sheep head, and black pudding. Breakfast in Iceland consists of regular delicacy such as,
coffee, cereal, fruit, and pancakes. Iceland’s main meal though is dinner. Dinner can range from
fish to lamb. Seafood is very important to Iceland. Cod, haddock, herring, halibut, and salmon
are among the most popular consumed fish.