Welcome from Iceland!

Iceland is the world’s 18^th largest island, created directly by the volcanic activity along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean abutting the Arctic Ocean to the north and settled between Greenland and the United Kingdom.  It is the only portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Earth’s longest mountain range, that rises above sea level.  It is one of Earth’s northernmost inhabited places.

Iceland is a very young island in geologic terms. Viking explorers began to settle in Iceland in 874 C.E. mainly to seek out new land to farm.  Europe’s least densely populated country, it accounts for .004% of the world’s population occupying 103,125 km² (39,816.7 mi²) of land surface. 

Iceland is popularly known as the land of fire and ice because of the astonishing engagement between its ice and glaciers and its volcanic activity.  Despite its very frigid name, the country is more temperate than polar because of the warming effects of the Gulf Stream ocean current which originates in the Gulf of Mexico and brings warm water (and warmer weather) into the North Atlantic. Because of this contact between the warm Gulf Stream effects and the Arctic climate, Iceland weather can be quite explosive. One could experience four distinct seasons in one day!  

Iceland is a truly wondrous geologic escapade where the native population is among the friendliest in the world. It is where the sun barely sets from May to July and barely shows itself from November to January, yet it is one of the safest places to live on the planet.  Although Iceland’s native population is only just over 345,000 people, you will never feel alone because of its over two million visitors each year!

Welcome to this beginning of Iceland’s cultural hub on Ecology Prime™, the country of The Midnight Sun!  This is Iceland….

Official and National Language: Icelandic 

• Constitutional Second Language: Icelandic Sign Language (became law in 2011).

Unique Iceland Facts: Did You Know…?

• Iceland is located directly on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which separates North America from Eurasia, the Eastern and Western hemispheres.  These two major tectonic plates (which are the land we live on) are moving apart at the rate of 2 cm (.8 inch) a year and will eventually split the country in two halves… in about a billion years.
• Over 85% of Iceland’s energy needs comes from its own renewable energy sources, the vast majority of which is geothermal (produced from Earth’s internal heat).  Virtually 100% of the country’s electricity is provided by geothermal energy (over 90%) and hydroelectric renewable sources.
• Iceland has among the cleanest, safest and best tasting water in the world, with some 95% of its drinking water coming from springs.  It is not treated with any chemicals because it is not necessary.
• Icelandic sheep outnumber the country’s native human population by over 2.3-to-1 with over 800,000 of the unique breed.
• The land surface of Iceland is primarily defined by its 130 volcanoes, 32 of which are currently active, creating its dramatic volcanic landscape of mountain ridges and extensive plateaus of moss-covered lava beds that meet the glacial rivers and ice. 
• Volcano eruptions are seen more as attractions rather than dangers causing people to flee.   Earthquakes are generally minor and very infrequent.

See Iceland’s Active Volcano Locations: Click Here!

• Over 45 natural geothermal hot springs are spread across Iceland, and they are safe to swim in, even amidst freezing temperatures. 
• Swimming pools are very popular in Iceland, which has the highest number of naturally-heated pools per capita in the world. All of them are geothermally heated, and they are used year-round.  In 1940, Iceland passed a law that made swimming lessons mandatory for school students in grades 1 to 10.
• Iceland (which is a land mass) and Greenland (a vast body of ice) were purposely given their names by their Viking explorers trying to keep people away from Iceland which they began to settle in the 9^th century.
• Iceland ranks #1 in the world in protection from habitat loss and of its wildlife species since 2001, according to the Species Habitat Index (SHI).  (Yale University – Environment Performance Index)
• The only native land mammal in Iceland is the Arctic fox.
• One of the most serious environmental problems in Iceland is the loss of vegetation by wind erosion.  Vegetation covers (in many areas only sparsely covers) only about 25% of Iceland’s land mass. (Government of Iceland – Icelandic Flora and Fauna)

About 40% of Iceland was forested prior to human settlement over 1,100 years ago, which was almost completely stripped for its lumber. But in 1908, the Iceland Forest Service was established to help reforest the country by planting new trees.  As a result, Iceland slowly began replanting forests, achieving 2% reforestation today.  Iceland’s goal is for 5% of its land to be covered by forests by 2070 and 12% by 2100.