Here are some interesting Iceland Facts which were choosen and reseached by kids especially for kids.
Iceland Flag
Population: 332,000 people live on Iceland (2016)
Capital: Reykjavik, which means 'smoky bay', with 184,000 inhabitants.
Name: Island, Nickname: Land of Fire and Ice
Government: Democracy
Language: Icelandic, English (Nordic Languages and German are widely spoken)
Religion: mainly Christians (Evangelical Lutheran Church 74%)
Currency: 1 Islandic Krona (ISK)=100ore
Where is Iceland? - Iceland Map
Iceland lies in the Arctic Region of Northern Europe, 3hrs flight from London/England, 5.5 hrs from New York/USA.
On this map you can see where Iceland is in Northern Europe.
You can click on the plus sign and move with the arrows to the left and make the island bigger, then you see the major cities and if you click satellite on the top right, then you can see the volcanos clearer too.
Iceland is in size about as big as Kentucky/USA and has roughly 5,000km of coastline.
The highest peak on Iceland is the Hvannadalshnukur 2,110m/6922ft. (at Vatnajokull Glacier).
Iceland History
Iceland was founded by the Vikings. The Scandinavians were the first to settle in Iceland in 870.
Iceland Facts Viking boat from Pamela E. Mack at www.clemson.edu
Later Iceland was ruled also by the Norwegians and the Danes. Iceland became independent from the Kingdom of Denmark in 1918 and is a republic since 1944.
Iceland Geography
Iceland Active Volcano, image by robbieboy1 at sxc.hu
Active Volcano
Iceland is covered by ice, glaciers and geysers and has got more than 20 active volcanoes. Grimsvoetn and Hekla are Iceland's most active volcanoes. In 2010, the latest major eruption of on of the island's glaciers took place on the Eyjafjallajokull. The largest volcano is called Vatnajokull and covers 8% of the country.
The country lies on two tectonic plates along which the volcanoes are located: the Eurasian and North American plates. The lava which came from the volcanoes on the plate borders formed the island. The last addition of islands to Iceland was formed in 1963. This island is called Surtsey and is located 30km off the main island.
iceland waterfalls by mwolfe at sxc.hu
Icy waterfalls
There are also many waterfalls, hot springs, mud pools and geothermal vents, where the heat of the earth comes out from the earth surface. The energy of the Iceland volcanoes and vents is used by geothermal power stations and supplies the heating to around 85% of all households.
And did you know that the ice of the glaciers is 1,000m thick! Have a look at the thick icy waterfall in the picture above, which was taken by MWolfe.
Iceland Facts: Iceland Animals
Iceland has got some farmland where you will see many sheep as they are the most common farm animals in Iceland.
Sheep on Iceland by gregi at sxc.hu
Sheep on Iceland
You will also see many seabirds like puffins. Puffins are black and white birds with large orange beaks that breed in large colonies on cliffs.
Puffin at Latrabjarg by gregi at sxc.hu
Puffin bird
Whale Watching is very popular in Iceland too, you will encounter an enormous sea life in Iceland too.
And have you heard of the Iceland horses, known also as Iceland ponies, they are really big and strong. They are so robust they can stay on the fields during wintertime. Here is a cute picture of two Iceland horses by Sigridur Kristinsdottir.
Icelandic horse by siggakr at sxc.hu
Icelandic Horses
Iceland People
Most people in Iceland live in the Southwestern Iceland near the capital Reykjavik which is the northernmost capital in Europe. Here is a picture of the Iceland's capital city Reykjavik.
Rykevik by akiernan at sxc.hu
The Icelanders do not have to pay school fees as all education is free of charge.
One of the most famous persons is Björk, singer and actress, who also played the leading role in 'Dancers in the Dark'. In 2009 Iceland took second place in the European Song Contest with singer Yohanna.
Did you know, that the world's first female president, was an Icelander? Her name is Vigdis Finbogadottir and she was elected in Iceland in 1980.
Interesting Iceland Language Facts
Icelandic is a Nordic language which is similar to Norwegian which was spoken over 1000 years ago.
Most people speak English as a second language in Iceland. There are also many people speaking Danish or Norwegian.
Most Icelanders do not have a family name or surname, they take on their father’s name. So if the father is called Jakob, the daughter is given a first name for example Eva and then the father’s name with an added –sdottir and is then called Jakobsdottir (Jakob’s daughter), so we would call her: Eva Jakobsdottir. For sons they just add –sson: which would make the boy called Adam Jakobsson.
Iceland Food
The Icelandic main dishes contain: lamb, seafood and dairy products.
The bread you will get in Iceland is mostly dark rye bread or rye flat bread, which is very tasty too and you definitely should try the delicious 'Kleina' pastries.
Icelandic Bread from www.icecook.blogspot.com
Reindeer meat is also available in Iceland, but is quite expensive.
Other interesting Island facts regarding typical Icelandic food:
One specialty in Iceland which takes a bit to get used to is "Hakarl" which is rotten shark meat and it smells quite strongly.
Skyr: yogurt like white cheese a bit like low fat cream cheese or quark
Dried fish: usually haddock, cod or catfish
Porrablot: mid winter feast
Lax: salmon
Pickled herring
Typical Icelandic food
Typical Icelandic Dishes
Iceland Attractions: What is great to visit in Iceland
Among the most popular attractions in Iceland and great activities to enjoy are:
Blue Lagoon by SurangaSL/Shutterstock.com
Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik, Iceland
Take a bath at the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa
See the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall which erupt every few minutes
Hike the trails in the Skaftafell National Park
Admire the many geysers and volcanoes
Reykjavik: Visit the Hallgrimskirkja (church) and the National Museum
Spot the Northern Lights between November and March (best when the moon is small!)
Go whale watching. Take a trip from Reykjavik harbot and see the huge humpback whales - only between May to September
Interesting Iceland Facts: Did you know…?
The water of the geysers have a temperature of around 100 Celsius which is 212 Fahrenheit!
Sources for our Iceland Facts:
CIA World Fact Book
Icelandic cooking and recipes
Iheartreykjavik.net
Image credits on Iceland Facts to: clemson.edu and sxc.hu: antoniocrp, peturjos, robbieboy1, siggakr, gregi, mwolfe, akiernan, stefan madder
http://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/iceland-facts.html
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