North Atlantic, close to Arctic Circle.

Icelandic Consulates no longer issue visas. For visa information, contact the Royal Danish Embassy (see Denmark section).

GMT.

103,000 sq km (39,769 sq miles).

294,000 (UN, 2005).

2.85 per sq km.

Reykjavík. Population: 112,554 (2002).

Iceland is a large island in the North Atlantic close to the Arctic Circle and includes islands to the north and south. The landscape is wild, rugged and colourful, with black lava, red sulphur, hot blue geysers, grey and white rivers with waterfalls and green valleys, its coastline richly indented with bays and fjords. The whole of the central highland plateau of the island is a beautiful but barren and uninhabitable moonscape - so much so that the first American astronauts were sent there for pre-mission training. Five-sixths of Iceland is uninhabited, the population being concentrated on the coast, in the valleys and in the plains of the southwest and southeast of the country. More than half the population live in or around Reykjavík, the capital. Iceland is one of the most volcanically active countries in the world. Hekla, in the south of Iceland, is the most famous and magnificent volcano of them all. It has erupted no fewer than 16 times since Iceland was settled, and throughout the Middle Ages was considered by European clergymen as one of the gateways to Hell itself. Another volcano, Snæfellsnes, fired Jules Verne’s imagination to use its crater as the point of entry for his epic tale, Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Iceland’s highest and most extensive glacier is Vatnajökull; at 8500 sq km (3280 sq miles), it is the largest in Europe, although it is now reported to be melting.

Executive power is vested in the President and Government, while legislative authority rests jointly with the President and the 63-member Alþing (Parliament). Both are elected for 4-year terms. The Alþing has recently been reduced from two houses to one.

Republic. Gained full independence from Denmark in 1944. Head of State: President Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson since 1996. Head of Government: Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson since 2004. Recent history: At the General Election in April 1991, the Independence Party (IP) emerged as the largest grouping in the Alþing and formed a coalition administration with the smaller SDP. The ex-Mayor of Reykjavík, David Oddsson, who had successfully taken over the leadership of the IP, was made Prime Minister. Oddsson was re-elected at the 1995 General Election, but a decline in support for the IP later forced him to form a coalition administration with the Progressive Party (PP). At the most recent poll in 2003, Oddsson retained his position as Prime Minister in the coalition Government. However, in 2004, Oddsson handed over premiership to former Foreign Minister Halldor Asgrimsson. Meanwhile, Icelandic foreign policy is dominated by two factors: fishing and relations with Atlantic powers. Iceland is a member of NATO, the Nordic Council and of the Council of Europe. Ties with NATO have been loosening since before the end of the Cold War – in May 1985, the Alþing declared Iceland a ‘nuclear-free zone’ – and this process has accelerated since the reduction of the large NATO base at Keflavik. Iceland has historically eschewed membership of the European Union but, since Sweden, Finland and Denmark have joined up, it is Iceland’s opposition to the EU’s fisheries policy of stock management by quotas that is now the decisive influence. Both main parties strongly oppose the Common Fisheries Policy, so it seems unlikely that Iceland will apply for EU membership in the foreseeable future. On the issue of whaling, Iceland has been among the few objecting to the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) ban: in 1992, the Government withdrew from the IWC. In 2001, it applied to rejoin but, having declared its intention to resume commercial whaling, was only granted observer status.
Executive power is vested in the President and Government, while legislative authority rests jointly with the President and the 63-member Alþing (Parliament). Both are elected for four-year terms. The Alþing has recently been reduced from two houses to one.

The official language is Icelandic, which has remained virtually unchanged since the Vikings settled Iceland in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Icelandic language refuses to accept foreign words, preferring instead to coin new words from ancient Viking roots. The word for computer thus becomes tölva, a hybrid made up of the old words for ‘number’ and ‘prophetess’. English (which is taught in schools) and Danish are widely spoken.

Lutheran, with a Catholic minority.

Visitors will find Iceland is a classless society with a strong literary tradition. Handshaking is the normal form of greeting. An Icelander is called by his first name because his surname is made up of his father’s Christian name plus ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ (eg John, the son of Magnus, would be called John Magnusson, while John’s sister, Mary, would be known as Mary Magnusdóttir). People are addressed as Fru (Mrs) and Herra (Mr). Visitors will often be invited to homes, especially if on business, and normal courtesies should be observed. Icelanders pay careful attention to their appearance and, as for most Western countries, casual wear is widely acceptable although unsuitable for smart and social functions.

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plug fittings are normally two-pin with round section pins 4mm in diameter with centres 2cm apart. Lamp fittings are screw-type. Power is generated by a mix of geothermal and hydroelectric stations.