Iceland was first settled in 874 and has been a sovereign nation since 1918.
The first republic of Iceland was founded at Thingvellir.
Reykjavik means ‘Smoky Bay’.
The population is 358,000 with 228,000 of its citizens living in the capital city of Reykjavik.
The country converted from paganism to Catholicism in the year 1000AD.
The country is volcanically active and all volcanoes have female names.
The tectonic plates in Iceland separate more than an inch each year and are situated under Thingvellir Lake.
There are more than 500 small earthquakes every day.
There is a golf course on top of a lava field and it is rated in the top 100 golf courses in the world.
The Highlands are is uninhabitable.
Highway 1 is around 1000 miles long.
Iceland is 100% green energy.
90% of homes are heated by geothermal energy.
All bar one power plant is public and energy is very inexpensive.
In winter the the streets in the downtown area of Reykjavik are heated in order to melt the ice.
12% of Iceland is covered by glaciers.
There are no snakes, poisonous spiders, mosquitoes and in fact, nothing that damages crops so everything produced is organic.
Sheep are not allowed in the national parks.
Icelandic horses are unique and to keep the breed pure it is forbidden to bring other horses into Iceland. One of the ways in which they are unique is that instead of having 3 gaits, Icelandic horses have an additional 2 natural gaits: the tölt and the flying pace.
Key industries: fish, tourism and aluminium.
Reykjavik is the fifth city to be designated a UNESCO “City of Literature”, joining Edinburgh, Melbourne, Iowa City and Dublin.
Iceland publishes 1500 new books annually.
Benches scattered throughout Reykjavik have QR codes on them which enable you to download a chapter of a book to read whilst sitting at the bench.
Icelandic women gained the vote in 1915.
Iceland took the #1 place on the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) for 10 years running up to 2018.
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was Iceland’s first female Prime Minister from 2009 to 2013 and she was also the world’s first openly lesbian head of government.
Icelandic names must conform to traditional rules.
The national anthem is Lofsöngur and is quite beautiful.
The Icelandic motto is “it will work out”.
Icelandic saying: “If a Norwegian wants to be like an Icelander he has to have at least two beers in his stomach”.
Famous bands/artists: Björk, Sigur Ros and Of Monsters and Men.
Celebrity news: Beyonce and Jay Z went fishing in Thingvellir National Park last year and they gave the guide a $1000 tip for a 2 hour session. Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller have also spent considerable time in Iceland.
