Majestic Iceland

TOURIS Facts About Iceland
(Source: Icelandic Tourist Board)

Land
Iceland is an island of almost 40,000 square miles. Iceland's highest peak, Hvannadalshnukur, is 6,500 ft. Iceland has the largest glaciers in Europe - in fact, 11% of the country is covered by glaciers. The coastline is dotted with more than one hundred fjords - and green, fertile valleys extend from them. Iceland also has more than 10,000 waterfalls and countless hot springs.

Energy
Situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a hot spot of geothermal activity. Thirty post-glacial volcanoes have erupted in the past two centuries, and natural hot water supplies much of the population with cheap, pollution-free heating. Rivers, too, are harnessed to provide inexpensive hydroelectric power. The electrical current is 220 volts, 50 Hz.

People and language
Of a population numbering just over 300,000, more than half lives in the Greater Reykjavik Area. The native language is Icelandic but most Icelanders speak fluent English.

History
The first permanent settler of Iceland was Ingolfur Arnarson, a Norwegian Viking who in 874 AD made his home where Reykjavik now stands. In 930 AD, the Viking settlers of Iceland founded one of the world's first republican governments. They established a constitution based on individual freedom, land ownership, and sophisticated inheritance laws. The Old Commonwealth Age, described in the classic Icelandic Sagas, lasted until 1262, when Iceland lost its independence. In 1918 it regained independence and in 1944 the present republic was founded.

Economy
The economy is heavily dependent upon fisheries, which are the nation's greatest resource. 72% of all exports are made up of seafood products. Yet only a small proportion of the workforce is active in this sector (4.4% in fishing and 5.6% in fish processing). About 66% of the workforce is employed in services. Icelanders enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world.

How to get to Iceland:

Icelandair by air
There are daily non-stop flights to Iceland from Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Halifax, London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, the Faroe Islands and more.

Iceland Express by air
There are daily non-stop flight to Iceland from Copenhagen, London and more places are being added.

Other airlines
Other airlines such as SAS and British Airways offer few flights per week during the summer months.

Smyril Line by sea
The Faroe Island's Smyril Line operates a weekly passenger and car ferry service during summer from Bergen in Norway and Hanstholm in Denmark to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Seydisfjordur in east Iceland.

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