Global InformationIceland information
Iceland Ísland (Icelandic) | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Anthem: Lofsöngur "Hymn" | |
  Location of Iceland (dark green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Reykjavík 64°08′N 21°56′W / 64.133°N 21.933°W |
| Official language | Icelandic |
| Ethnic groups (2021)[a][1] |
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| Religion (2022)[3] |
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| Demonym(s) |
|
| Government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
• President | Guðni Th. Jóhannesson |
• Prime Minister | Bjarni Benediktsson |
| Legislature | Althing |
| Formation | |
• Settlement | 9th century |
• Commonwealth Founding of the Althing | 930–1262 |
• Union with Norway Signing of the Old Covenant | 1262–1397 |
• Kalmar Union | 1397–1523 |
• Denmark–Norway | 1523–1814 |
• Treaty of Kiel Ceded to Denmark | 14 January 1814 |
• Constitution and limited home rule Minister for Iceland appointed | 5 January 1874 |
• Extended home rule | 1 February 1904 |
• Sovereignty Danish–Icelandic Act of Union | 1 December 1918 |
• Republic | 17 June 1944 |
| Area | |
• Total | 103,125[4] km2 (39,817 sq mi) (106th) |
• Water (%) | 2.07 (as of 2015)[5] |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 376,248 (171st) |
• 2024 census | 399,189[6] |
• Density | 3.66/km2 (9.5/sq mi) (240th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $27.078 billion[7] (152nd) |
• Per capita | $69,833[7] (15th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $30.570 billion[7] (109th) |
• Per capita | $78,836[7] (8th) |
| Gini (2018) |  23.2[8]low |
| HDI (2022) |  0.959[9]very high (3rd) |
| Currency | Icelandic króna (ISK) |
| Time zone | UTC[c] (GMT/WET) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +354 |
| ISO 3166 code | IS |
| Internet TLD | .is |
Iceland (Icelandic: Ísland, pronounced [ˈistlant] ⓘ)[d] is a Nordic island country between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is linked culturally and politically with Europe and is the region's most sparsely populated country.[12] Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the country's roughly 380,000 residents. The official language of the country is Icelandic.
Located on a rift between tectonic plates, Iceland's geologic activity includes geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions.[13][14] The interior consists of a volcanic plateau characterised by 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 high 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 first permanent settler on the island.[15] 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. Following 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 following its dissolution in 1523. The Danish kingdom introduced Lutheranism by force in 1550,[16] and Iceland was formally ceded to Denmark in 1814 by the Treaty of Kiel.
Influenced by ideals of nationalism after the French Revolution, Iceland's struggle for independence took form and culminated in the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union in 1918, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Iceland, sharing through a personal union the incumbent monarch of Denmark. During the occupation of Denmark in World War II, Iceland voted overwhelmingly to become a republic in 1944, thus ending the remaining formal ties with Denmark. Although the Althing was suspended from 1799 to 1845, the island republic nevertheless holds a claim to sustaining one of the longest-running parliaments in the world.
Until the 20th century, Iceland relied largely on subsistence fishing and agriculture. Industrialization of the fisheries and Marshall Plan aid following World War II brought prosperity, and Iceland became one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world. It became a part of the European Economic Area in 1994; this further diversified the economy into sectors such as finance, biotechnology, and manufacturing.
Iceland has a market economy with relatively low taxes, compared to other OECD countries,[17] as well as the highest trade union membership in the world.[18] It maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens.[19] Iceland ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency, and economic freedom. Iceland has the smallest population of any NATO member and is the only one with no standing army, possessing only a lightly armed coast guard.[20]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Population by country of citizenship, sex and age (2021)". Statistics Iceland. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ Constitution of the Republic of Iceland Archived 22 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine: Article 62, Government of Iceland .
- ^ "Populations by religious and life stance organizations 1998–2022". Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Ísland er minna en talið var" (in Icelandic). RÚV. 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Þjóðskrá". www.skra.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic National Registry. 14 January 2024. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Iceland)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Emilía Dagný Sveinbjörnsdóttir (2008). "Hvenær var hætt að skipta á milli sumar- og vetrartíma á Íslandi?" (in Icelandic). Vísindavefurinn. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Tillaga til þingsályktunar um seinkun klukkunnar og bjartari morgna" (in Icelandic). Althing. 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Statistics Iceland". Government. The National Statistical Institute of Iceland. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 1998. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
- ^ Rae, Alison. Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Page 9. 2008. "Iceland is the only part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea-level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly."
- ^ Philippon, Mélody; Von Hagke, Christoph; E. Reber, Jacqueline. Cutting-Edge Analogue Modeling Techniques Applied to Study Earth Systems. Page 99. 2020. "Iceland is the only place on Earth where a mid-ocean ridge is exposed above sea level, atop the extensional plate boundary separating the North American plate and the Eurasian plate."
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
tomassonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jón R. Hjálmarsson (1993). History of Iceland: From the Settlement to the Present Day. Iceland Review.
- ^ "OECD Tax Database". Oecd.org. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
- ^ "Industrial relations". ILOSTAT. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ Ólafsson, Stefán (12 May 2004). "The Icelandic Welfare State and the Conditions of Children". borg.hi.is. Archived from the original on 18 August 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ The Military Balance 2014. The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS). 2014.