Regions in the world with similar climates include the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, and Tierra del Fuego, although these regions are closer to the equator. [235], Iceland is a very secular country; as with other Nordic nations, church attendance is relatively low. As in other Nordic countries, equality between the sexes is very high; Iceland is consistently ranked among the top three countries in the world for women to live in. [81], Another large eruption occurred on 21 May 2011. The north is divided into several smaller districts, each of which has relatively good farmland. Martin Miller blends Icelandic water with its England-distilled gin on the island. Icelandic explorer and endurance athlete Fiann Paul holds the highest number of performance-based Guinness World Records within a single athletic discipline. After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, the Althing replaced the King with a regent and declared that the Icelandic government would take control of its own defence and foreign affairs. According to a 2013 Eurostat report by the European Commission, Iceland spends around 3.11% of its GDP on scientific research and development (R&D), over 1 percentage point higher than the EU average of 2.03%, and has set a target of 4% to reach by 2020. The North Sea region borders some of the strongest economies in Europe. [292] Bridge is also popular, with Iceland participating in several international tournaments. [219] Polish is mostly spoken by the local Polish community (the largest minority of Iceland), and Danish is mostly spoken in a way largely comprehensible to Swedes and Norwegiansit is often referred to as skandinavska (i.e. The vote was 97% to end the union, and 95% in favour of the new republican constitution. Due to the island's climate, fruits and vegetables are not generally a component of traditional dishes, although the use of greenhouses has made them more common in contemporary food. Mainland: United Kingdom: Shetland: 969 2. The Lagoan Isles In the middle of Baffins Pond in the city of Portsmouth, England there are three islands lingering around, unused, doing nothing. Iceland has a universal health care system that is administered by its Ministry of Welfare (Icelandic: Velferarruneyti)[223] and paid for mostly by taxes (85%) and to a lesser extent by service fees (15%). No native or free-living reptiles or amphibians are on the island.[91]. Akin to the Texas-size garbage patch in the Pacific, a massive trash vortex has formed from billion of bits of plastic congregating off North America's Atlantic coast, researchers say. The middle west is divided between fishing and farming and has many places of great natural beauty. [191], On 22 January 2009, Iceland announced its first round of offshore licences for companies wanting to conduct hydrocarbon exploration and production in a region northeast of Iceland, known as the Dreki area. Greenland, the world's largest island, lying in the North Atlantic Ocean. Popular sports include football, track and field, handball and basketball. The modern parliament, Alingi (English: Althing), was founded in 1845 as an advisory body to the Danish monarch. Notable Icelandic music acts include medieval music group Voces Thules, alternative and indie rock acts such as The Sugarcubes, Sley and Of Monsters and Men, jazz fusion band Mezzoforte, pop singers such as Hafds Huld, Emilana Torrini and Bjrk, solo ballad singers like Bubbi Morthens, and post-rock bands such as Amiina and Sigur Rs. The most famous of these include Njls saga, about an epic blood feud, and Grnlendinga saga and Eirks saga, describing the discovery and settlement of Greenland and Vinland (modern Newfoundland). Rudolf Island. Sveinn held the practical position of a president at the time, and later became the country's first official president in 1944. [168] Iceland has 13,034km (8,099mi) of administered roads, of which 4,617km (2,869mi) are paved and 8,338km (5,181mi) are not. [106] The country has a high level of civic participation, with 81.4% voter turnout during the most recent elections,[107] compared to an OECD average of 72%. The oldest sports association in Iceland is the Reykjavk Shooting Association, founded in 1867. Strong beer was banned until 1989, so bjrlki, a mixture of legal, low-alcohol pilsner beer and vodka, became popular. English and Danish are compulsory subjects in the school curriculum. Throughout the 19th century, the country's climate continued to grow colder, resulting in mass emigration to the New World, particularly to the region of Gimli, Manitoba in Canada, which was sometimes referred to as New Iceland. The country subsequently became officially Lutheran, and Lutheranism has since remained the dominant religion. With five distinctive cultural communities (the Native Mi'kmaq, the French Acadians, the Scots, the . Birds, especially seabirds, are an important part of Iceland's animal life. The eight regions are primarily used for statistical purposes. Before the first human settlement, 2540% of the country was covered by forest. A few years later, Iceland became the first country to recognise the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as they broke away from the USSR. The Azores Archipelago is a group of nine islands in the North Atlantic region. Scandinavian) in Iceland.[220]. Rmur are epic tales, usually a cappella, which can be traced back to skaldic poetry, using complex metaphors and elaborate rhyme schemes. Icelandic culture is founded upon the nation's Scandinavian heritage. Iceland is at the juncture of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Many older dishes make use of every part of the sheep, such as sltur, which consists of offal (internal organs and entrails) minced together with blood and served in sheep stomach. [31] Christianity was adopted by consensus around 9991000, although Norse paganism persisted among segments of the population for some years afterward.[32]. For reference, islands in gulfs and seas are included in a separate section. 7. [192] Three exploration licences were awarded but all were subsequently relinquished.[193]. In grammar and vocabulary, it has changed less from Old Norse than the other Nordic languages; Icelandic has preserved more verb and noun inflection, and has to a considerable extent developed new vocabulary based on native roots rather than borrowings from other languages. Following Naddodd, the Swede Garar Svavarsson arrived, and so the island was then called Gararshlmur which means "Garar's Isle". [139] The constitution explicitly prohibits the enactment of noble privileges, titles, and ranks. Hallgrmur Ptursson wrote many Protestant hymns in the 17th century. It serves several international and domestic airline companies. The volcanoes, reaching deep into the unstable interior of the Earth, are explained by the fact that Iceland is located on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. IONA (Islands of the North Atlantic) is an acronym suggested in 1980 by Sir John Biggs-Davison to refer to a loose linkage of the Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey), Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales), Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland), and the Isle of Man, similar to the present day BritishIrish Council. [208] The first census was carried out in 1703 and revealed that the population was then 50,358. Dil Debates. Chinese: Dutch: Eilanden in de Atlantische Oceaan Dutch: lijst van eilanden in de Atlantische Oceaan English: List of islands in the Atlantic Ocean English: list of islands in the Atlantic Ocean Around 19,000 people (6% of the population) held foreign citizenship. Many Polish immigrants were also considering leaving in 2008 as a result of the Icelandic financial crisis.[213]. The IDF was downsized after the end of the Cold War and the U.S. Air Force maintained four to six interceptor aircraft at the Naval Air Station Keflavik until they were withdrawn on 30 September 2006. [94], Commercial whaling is practised intermittently[95][96] along with scientific whale hunts. Mainland: United Kingdom: Orkney: 523 3. For all islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, see, "IONA" redirects here. Islands of the North Sea # Island Country Location/Land Area (km 2) 1. [68] Only scientists researching the growth of new life are allowed to visit the island. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is a mostly underwater mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean that runs from 87N -about 333km south of the North Pole- to subantarctic Bourvet island at 54S. [115] In 1980, Icelanders elected Vigds Finnbogadttir as president, the world's first directly elected female head of state. List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands This article incorporates public domain material from "Nord Island". [254] The best-known rmur poet of the 19th century was Sigurur Breifjr (17981846). [59], After the 2021 parliamentary election, the new government was, just like the previous government, a tri-party coalition of the Independence Party, the Progressive Party, and the Left-Green Movement, headed by Prime Minister Katrn Jakobsdttir.[60]. [26][27], The Norwegian-Norse chieftain Inglfr Arnarson built his homestead in present-day Reykjavk in 874. [243], Iceland is liberal about LGBT rights issues. Lessons take place five days a week. [282] Following up on this, Iceland made its debut at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. [18] It maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens. The glaciers are a reminder of Icelands proximity to the Arctic Circle, which nearly touches its northernmost peninsula. Geothermally heated outdoor pools are widespread, and swimming courses are a mandatory part of the national curriculum. Breakfast usually consists of pancakes, cereal, fruit, and coffee, while lunch may take the form of a smrgsbord. This was expanded in 1904, and Hannes Hafstein served as the first Minister for Iceland in the Danish cabinet. [66], Geologically, Iceland is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a ridge along which the oceanic crust spreads and forms new crust. Iceland is ranked 27th in the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom, lower than in prior years but still among the freest in the world. [188] Iceland is one of the few countries that have filling stations dispensing hydrogen fuel for cars powered by fuel cells. Icelandic Sign Language was officially recognised as a minority language in 2011. It has become a very popular programme for children and adults and is shown in over 100 countries, including the Americas, the UK and Sweden. Keflavk International Airport (KEF)[171] is the largest airport and the main aviation hub for international passenger transport. Inglfr was followed by many other emigrant settlers, largely Scandinavians and their thralls, many of whom were Irish or Scottish. Other political parties with seats in the Althing (Parliament) are the Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin), the People's Party (Flokkur flksins), Iceland's Pirates (Pratar), the Reform Party (Vireisn) and the Centre Party (Miflokkurinn). Also known as: sland, Ldhveldidh sland, Republic of Iceland, Professor of History, University of Iceland, Reykjavk. [108] Although it is a growing problem, obesity is not as prevalent as in other developed countries. This stage of education is governed by the Upper Secondary School Act of 1996.
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