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The Iceland Portal

Iceland
Ísland
ISO 3166 codeIS
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Iceland (Icelandic: Ísland, pronounced [ˈistlant] ⓘ) is a Nordic island country between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most sparsely populated country. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the country's roughly 380,000 residents (excluding nearby towns/suburbs which are separate municipalities). The official language of the country is Icelandic. Iceland is on a rift between tectonic plates, and its geologic activity includes geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions. The interior consists of a volcanic plateau with sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a latitude just south of the Arctic Circle. Its latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.

According to the ancient manuscript Landnámabók, the settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD, when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the island's first permanent settler. In the following centuries, Norwegians, and to a lesser extent other Scandinavians, immigrated to Iceland, bringing with them thralls (i.e., slaves or serfs) of Gaelic origin.

The island was governed as an independent commonwealth under the native parliament, the Althing, one of the world's oldest functioning legislative assemblies. After a period of civil strife, Iceland acceded to Norwegian rule in the 13th century. In 1397, Iceland followed Norway's integration into the Kalmar Union along with the kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden, coming under de facto Danish rule upon its dissolution in 1523. The Danish kingdom introduced Lutheranism by force in 1550, and the Treaty of Kiel formally ceded Iceland to Denmark in 1814. (Full article...)

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Prime Minister of Iceland Geir H. Haarde speaks with reporters on 27 October 2008.

The Icelandic financial crisis was a major economic and political event in Iceland between 2008 and 2010. It involved the default of all three of the country's major privately owned commercial banks in late 2008, following problems in refinancing their short-term debt and a run on deposits in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Relative to the size of its economy, Iceland's systemic banking collapse was the largest of any country in economic history. The crisis led to a severe recession and the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests.

In the years preceding the crisis, three Icelandic banks, Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir, multiplied in size. This expansion was driven by ready access to credit in international financial markets, in particular money markets. As the 2007–2008 financial crisis unfolded, investors perceived the Icelandic banks to be increasingly risky. Trust in the banks gradually faded, leading to a sharp depreciation of the Icelandic króna in 2008 and increased difficulties for the banks in rolling over their short-term debt. At the end of the second quarter of 2008, Iceland's external debt was 9.553 trillion Icelandic krónur (€50 billion), more than 7 times the GDP of Iceland in 2007. The assets of the three banks totaled 14.437 trillion krónur at the end of the second quarter 2008, equal to more than 11 times the national GDP. Due to the huge size of the Icelandic financial system in comparison with the Icelandic economy, the Central Bank of Iceland was unable to act as a lender of last resort during the crisis, further aggravating the mistrust in the banking system. (Full article...)

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The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station
The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station
Credit: Gretar Ívarsson, edited by Fir0002

The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station services the Capital Region's hot water needs. Virtually all of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable resources.

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News

  • 8 February 2022 Skateboarder Josh Neuman dies in a plane crash in Thingvellir National Park (Guardian)
  • 28 November 2021 Right-left wing coalition continues after an election (Reuters)
  • 9 September 2021: Laugardalshöll in Iceland chosen as the venue for the world tournament in League of Legends (esports)
  • 22 March 2021: Fagradalsfjall (pictured) on the Reykjanes peninsula erupts in a fissure (BBC)
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Vigdís in 1985

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (Icelandic: [ˈvɪɣtis ˈfɪnpɔɣaˌtouʰtɪr̥] ⓘ; born 15 April 1930) is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth president of Iceland from 1980 to 1996. Vigdís is the first woman in the world to be democratically elected as president. Having served as president of Iceland for 16 years, she is the longest-serving elected female head of state in history. She is the first female president in Icelandic history, while later being followed by the current president, Halla Tómasdóttir as the second female president. Vigdís is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and a member of the Club of Madrid. (Full article...)

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When I was a teenager in Iceland people would throw rocks and shout abuse at me because they thought I was weird. I never got that in London no matter what I wore.

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The following are images from various Iceland-related articles on Wikipedia.
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Panorama Blönduós, Iceland
Panorama Blönduós, Iceland
Credit: TommyBee
Blönduós is a small settlement in northwestern Iceland in the county of Austur-Húnavatnssýsla, 245 km from Reykjavík.
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Iceland
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There is an Icelandic version of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Web resources

  • Gateway to Iceland
  • Government Offices of Iceland
  • Icelandic Government Information Center & Icelandic Embassies
  • Visit Iceland – the official Icelandic Tourist Board
  • "Iceland". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
  • Iceland entry at Encyclopædia Britannica
  • Iceland from UCB Libraries GovPubs
  • Wikimedia Atlas of Iceland
  • Iceland travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Wikia has a wiki on this subject at World Wikia: Iceland

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