Iceland is a examine in contrasts—no different place affords its mixture of geological drama, wild magnificence and intense contrasts in such a compact area. Tucked simply beneath the Arctic Circle, Iceland straddles two tectonic plates; their motion creates a dynamic atmosphere of volcanic forces that sculpt the northern panorama.
Iceland is named the land of fireplace and ice due to its volcanic exercise and glaciers. It’s stuffed with different pure and cultural surprises that captivate guests and locals alike.
Listed here are 50 quick, fascinating information about Iceland’s landscapes, wildlife, individuals and tradition.
Exploring Iceland’s Dramatic Landscapes
- Iceland has greater than 130 volcanoes—at the least 30 are at present energetic.
- The island of Surtsey, off Iceland’s south coast, is likely one of the geologically youngest locations on Earth. It emerged from the ocean in a volcanic eruption between 1963 and 1967. The island has been protected since its beginning, permitting scientists to review the pure colonization of plant and animal life in a pristine volcanic atmosphere. It’s estimated that Surtsey will stay above sea stage till at the least the yr 2100.
- Iceland is named the Land of Fireplace and Ice as a result of, along with its 130 volcanoes, roughly 10% of the island nation is roofed in glacial ice. Iceland has 269 named glaciers of just about all sorts: ice caps, outlet glaciers, mountain glaciers, alpine, piedmont and cirque glaciers, in addition to ice streams.
Vatnajokull glacier
- Iceland’s Vatnajokull glacier is the biggest glacier in Europe, overlaying 8% of Iceland’s landmass.
- Iceland is house to round 45 pure sizzling springs, together with the Geysir, which is the place the English phrase geyser comes from.
Geothermal pool, Hveravellir
- Naturally heated water powers Icelandic lives—heating properties and baths. Iceland has a excessive stage of renewable power manufacturing, with over 80% of its power coming from renewable sources, together with the world’s largest geothermal energy plant, which began operations in 1969. Icelanders use geothermal power to warmth most of their properties and buildings.
Volcanic mountains, Landmannalaugar
- With all that ice and water, it’s not stunning Iceland has greater than 10,000 waterfalls. If touring deep into Iceland’s distant highlands to see glaciers, gorges and dozens of hardly ever seen waterfalls far afield from the normal vacationer route appeals to you, you would possibly get pleasure from Nat Hab’s Iceland & Greenland: A Nordic Discovery itinerary.
Svartifoss
- Iceland is situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the place the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. It’s superb to face over the Silfra rift and witness what you’ve examine in textbooks since grade faculty—and much more so to swim or scuba dive within the rift. I’ve had some fairly superior journey experiences everywhere in the world; diving in the Silfra rift is likely one of the most memorable; you don’t have to be scuba licensed to swim within the rift.
Studlagil basalt canyon
If photographing the drama of Iceland’s stark mountains, lava fields coated in velvet inexperienced moss, glittering black sand seashores, steaming craters, iceberg lagoons, and ice-fed rivers thundering over basalt cliffs in raging waterfalls is in your record, try our Final Iceland Picture Expedition, an in-depth pictures journey through chartered scenic flights, non-public boats and overland journey.
Stokksnes cape, Vestrahorn (Batman Mountain)
Distinctive Wildlife of Iceland
- Iceland’s isolation means a lot of its mammalian species are genetically distinctive, and its location supplies a stopover for a whole lot of migratory marine and avian species. Iceland is house to a number of species of distinctive wildlife, together with the Arctic fox, the Icelandic horse, and the Icelandic sheepdog, the one canine breed indigenous to Iceland.
© Nat Hab Expedition Chief Eddy Savage
- Iceland was constructed on fish and wool. Now, Icelandic sheep run wild in summer time, grazing on the mountains.
- The Icelandic horse is a singular breed that has been remoted on the island for over 1,000 years and has 5 gaits.
Icelandic horses, Skógafoss waterfall
- Horses often have three gaits with out coaching—stroll, trot and canter/gallop, however the Icelandic horse has as much as 5. A genetic variation in Icelandic horses permits for pure lateral motion. The additional gaits that set the Icelandic horse aside are referred to as tölt and flying tempo; they’re pure, and new child foals typically present them proper from the beginning.
© Nat Hab Expedition Chief Eddy Savage
- Most Icelandic horses are five-gaited, which means they possess all 5 gaits, whereas some are thought of four-gaited and lack the flying tempo. 5-gaited Icelandic horses inherit the mutation from each dad and mom. 4-gaited horses, nevertheless, can have three totally different genotypes of this gene.
- Talking of flying, based on Cornell College’s Lab of Ornithology eBird platform, over 400 avian species have been noticed on or round Iceland.
Razorbills (Alca torda) and Atlantic puffins share area in Iceland.
- Iceland is house to greater than 60% of the world’s total Atlantic puffin inhabitants, and is the primary nesting floor for puffins.
- Iceland is house to among the largest colonies of puffins on the planet—the biggest puffin colony is within the Westman Islands, 10 kilometers off of Iceland’s south shore. One-fifth of the world’s complete puffin inhabitants nests there yearly.
Atlantic puffins, photographed by Nat Hab Expedition Chief © Giulia Ciampini
- Fish is the nation’s largest export and one of many largest sectors of Iceland’s financial system. Each contemporary and salt waters on and round Iceland are teeming with fish. From Atlantic Catfish and Cod to Haddock and Halibut, the Gulf Stream carries a wealth of species to Iceland’s shores.
Nat Hab Expedition Chief © Eddy Savage
- Freshwater fish in Iceland’s many lakes and streams embody Atlantic salmon, brown trout and Arctic char.
- The coastal waters off Iceland are top-of-the-line locations on the planet to see whales and dolphins. Kinds of whales and dolphins noticed in Icelandic waters embody: humpback whale, orca, minke whale, blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, bottlenose whale, pilot whale, white-beaked dolphin, white-sided dolphin and harbour porpoise.
A humpback whale breaches playfully. Photographed by Nat Hab Expedition Chief © Lianne Thompson
- Each harbor seals and grey seals are generally seen lounging on rocks or swimming within the coastal waters round Iceland. Harbor seals are the most typical and the least cautious of holiday makers, though grey seals, the one different species to pup on the island, are by no means unusual.
Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
- With a eager eye and a few luck, you might spot harp seals, bearded seals, hooded seals or ringed seals, who often reside within the Arctic, and have been noticed in native waters and on coastal shores. Very hardly ever, walruses are additionally seen on and round Iceland.
- Round 6000-7000 reindeer may be discovered throughout the summer time in Iceland, however solely within the japanese a part of the nation. Reindeer had been imported within the 18th century to construct up a inventory for Icelandic agriculture to make use of in the identical manner as in Lapland.
- Reindeer (Rangifer Tarandus) is a species of deer and the one cervid species by which each sexes develop antlers.
- Excellent news for summer time vacationers to Iceland! As of this writing, there aren’t any mosquitoes in Iceland (however midges are latest settlers within the nation).
For extra on the distinctive terrestrial mammalian fauna, marine life, and effectively over 400 species of birds noticed year-round, try our Know Earlier than You Go Iceland Wildlife Information.
Iceland’s Comfortable Individuals & Artistic Tradition
25. For the reason that introduction of harnessing geothermal power in Iceland, the custom of public bathing has turn into deeply rooted within the native tradition. Not all geothermal swimming pools are appropriate for bathing—many are far too sizzling. The Blue Lagoon is essentially the most well-known sizzling spring, however locals frequent some hundred public swimming pools throughout the nation.
The village of Vik is the southernmost village in Iceland on the ring street round 180 km southeast of Reykjavík.
- Iceland is roughly the dimensions of Kentucky with a inhabitants of almost 400,000, making it the least densely populated nation in Europe with solely 3 individuals per sq. kilometer.
- Icelandic individuals are among the many happiest on the planet based on the World Inhabitants Evaluation. That happiness is attributed to sturdy emotions of social help, generosity and happiness amongst its youth.
- Icelanders have one of many longest life expectations on the planet, with a median life expectancy of 83.1 years.
- Iceland has a low crime fee and is taken into account one of many most secure international locations on the planet.
Regnboga Vegur (Rainbow Street), Seydisfjordur
- It’s one of many most genetically homogeneous populations on the planet.
- Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, is the northernmost capital metropolis on the planet.
- Iceland’s early historical past was recorded by an early Twelfth-century priest in a ten-chapter treatise that describes the island’s Norse settlement, institution of the rule of regulation, fixing of the calendar and early judicial quadrants, discovery and settlement of Greenland and conversion to Christianity.
- Iceland is house to the world’s first parliament, Althing or ‘ting’, which was established in 930 AD. It had legislative and judicial energy however not government energy. The ‘ting’ was based on a union of 36 chieftains. With no king or central government energy, the precise legislative and judicial energy lay with the chiefs.
- Icelanders claimed their independence from Denmark on June seventeenth, 1944.
A small church surrounded by blooming lupin flowers within the Vik village.
- Iceland is amongst just a few international locations on the planet that don’t have any military.
- Iceland has ranked because the most gender-equal nation on the planet for at the least 14 consecutive years based on the World Financial Discussion board’s International Gender Hole Report, and the one nation to have closed greater than 90% of its gender hole, at 91.2%.
- The Icelandic language is one of many oldest languages on the planet and has modified little or no since medieval occasions, maybe even additional again. The language resembles Outdated Norse, and is extensively thought of one of the crucial difficult languages to be taught.
Glaumbær Farm & Museum, historic turf homes
- The Icelandic language has 32 letters, together with the letters ð and þ, which aren’t discovered within the English alphabet.
- Iceland has a robust literary custom, with many well-known Icelandic sagas courting again to the Viking Age settlement. In reality, Icelanders are recognized for his or her love of books, with many households having their very own mini-library. Iceland has the best literacy fee on the planet at 99%.
Glaumbær Farm & Museum
- Iceland has a distinctive Christmas Eve custom of exchanging books and spending the night studying. Iceland has a singular Christmas custom referred to as Jólabókaflóð, which implies “Christmas guide flood.”
- Per capita, Iceland has the best variety of writers on the planet. One in ten individuals in Iceland have printed a guide, and one in 4 individuals work in a artistic discipline.
- Iceland has a thriving music scene, with many internationally acknowledged artists hailing from the nation, together with Björk, Kaelo, Of Monsters And Males, and Sigur Rós.
- Iceland has a thriving movie business, with many worldwide productions filmed within the nation and a wealthy custom of native storytellers. Iceland produces extra movies per capita than another nation on the planet.
Fjord Isafjor
- Icelanders have a practice of giving items on the first day of summer time.
- Iceland has one of many highest ranges of Web utilization on the planet, however till 1986, Iceland solely had one TV channel, and till 1983, there was no TV on Thursdays nor in July.
- Icelanders eat essentially the most Coca-Cola and occasional—in addition to seafood—per capita on the planet.
- The typical Icelander eats simply over 200 kilos of seafood a yr. That’s greater than half a pound of seafood each single day. This consists of conventional fermented shark meat, which is taken into account a delicacy.
Iceland has six main geothermal energy crops
- Iceland has a singular custom of constructing and consuming rye bread, which may be baked underground utilizing geothermal warmth.
- As in different Nordic international locations, Icelanders typically benefit from the style of black salty licorice, particularly paired with chocolate.
- The majority of Icelanders don’t consider in elves, however a big portion of the inhabitants is unwilling to disclaim their existence, and much more individuals respect the traditions, myths, and well-liked beliefs surrounding them.
Greenhouses
Expertise Iceland: Getting ready for Your Journey
Only for enjoyable: Take our Iceland Nature Trivia quiz to place your information to the take a look at, then share it with your loved ones and pals to see who is aware of essentially the most about this small island nation straddling the Arctic Circle!
For extra fascinating information about Iceland and to arrange for a visit to Iceland, try the Iceland & Greenland Know Earlier than You Go web page for wildlife and climate guides, packing lists and extra.
Nat Hab Expedition Chief © Courtroom Whelan
