Country Iceland: description and interesting facts

The subject of our review today is Iceland. Description of the country, interesting facts, attractions - all this in the material below.

general information

Iceland is an island and a state. The area of the territory is 103 thousand square meters. Km, which is home to about 322 thousand people. The capital is the city of Reykjavik, where the third part of the entire population of the country is concentrated, and more than half with the suburbs. The official language is Icelandic, and the currency is Icelandic krona, the rate of which in 2016 was 122 kroons for 1 USD. Iceland is a parliamentary republic headed by a president elected for 4 years. To enter the country, Russian citizens need a passport and a Schengen visa.

Location

Iceland, the country of ice, is located in the northern extremity of the Atlantic Ocean, and there are no more large areas of land up to the North Pole. Its northern part is near the Arctic Circle.

The island is remote from the rest of Europe: from the nearest Faroe Islands by 420 km, from the UK to 860 km, and from the nearest point on the continental coast of Norway by 970 km. An interesting fact is that, despite this, Iceland belongs to European countries, although it is much closer to the North American island of Greenland - by 287 km.

Iceland: interesting facts about the country

The discovery of Iceland dates back to the 8th century by Irish monks, and after them the Normans Nadod and Floki arrived. Following these events, at the end of the 9th century, the island began to be actively populated by Vikings who came from Norway, who for half a century managed to master practically all the land suitable for living and economic development.

In 1264, Iceland was annexed to Norway, and in 1381, it is part of Denmark. Its independence was received only in 1944.

The inhabitants of the island are courageous and proud people, with respect to their historical past and cultural traditions. Especially to the old Icelandic legends - sagas, narrating about the birth strife, exciting events, about elves, gnomes and other mysterious characters, in the existence of which some people still believe.

An interesting fact about the country of Iceland is that there is practically no crime here - there is only one prison, and it contains no more than a dozen people. The police here go without weapons, the army is not at all.

The basis of modern economy is only two industries - aluminum processing and fishing. By the way it will be said that the annual catch volumes of the islanders are second only to Norway from European countries.

Iceland is among the prosperous states. So, the average per capita annual income here is 39 000 $ (according to our ruble standards - here every resident, including a baby, is a millionaire).

Nature

The country Iceland, for all its modest size, is the largest island in the world, having a volcanic origin. The relief of the island is mostly mountainous, the peaks are vents of extinct and active volcanoes. The highest of them is the peak of Hwannadalshnukur (2110 m), located on the south-west coast. The lowest point is very near - this is the lagoon of the glacial lake (0 meters above sea level).

Many of the active volcanoes from time to time declare themselves powerful eruptions. The largest volcano of the island is the famous Hekla (1488 meters), located near the "Great Reykjavik" and scared the locals with its eruption in 2000.

The longest river of the island is the Tjoorsau (237 km). Of other water bodies, glaciers and glacial lakes abound, which are found everywhere and in an incalculable quantity.

Iceland is unique in its variety of natural landscapes. In addition to glaciers, the surface of the country is covered in many places with lava fields. Geysers and hot springs are often found in these areas. On the island there are stony placers covered with thick mosses and lichens, islets of birch forests and meadows of cereal grasses. Waterfalls give special picturesque terrain in different parts of the island. On the west coast its beauty is struck by numerous fjords. National parks have been created to protect the stunning nature of the country.

Climate and typical weather

Iceland is a northern country that does not fully justify its icy name. Wetting its warm currents, especially from the south of the Gulf Stream, do not allow it to become a cold, severe desert.

Winters here are relatively warm, with an average monthly temperature of -1 ° C, which may envy many of the south of Russia. However, in some periods of this season, cold winds are frequent, which together with accumulations of drifting Arctic ice, especially in the southeast, cause sharp temperature drops to -30 ° C. The duration of a day of light is not more than five hours.

Summer here is not hot. The average July temperatures are only +12 ° C. The warmest on the southern coast is up to +20 ° C, with highs up to + 30 ° C. In summer, the whole island is illuminated around the clock by the sun, and here there are white nights characteristic for polar latitudes.

Precipitation over the territory of the island is distributed unevenly. For example, on the west coast, their number varies from 1,300 to 2,000 mm per year, in the northeast their norm is up to 750 mm, and in the mountainous part of the southern regions can have values up to 4000 mm.

The weather here is very volatile, and without exaggeration, we can say that it can change in just a few minutes. It was just warm and sunny, when suddenly the sky clouded, and a cold, dank wind blew. Residents of the country with a joke say to their visitors and tourists: "If suddenly you do not like something in the weather, do not despair, wait half an hour, and it will change."

Reykjavik Attractions

Reykjavik is the main city, the capital of Iceland. Which country can not boast of a huge number of attractions? So Iceland has something to show the tourists. In particular, its main city houses historical and architectural monuments, museums and modern institutions. Among them, tourists are attracted by:

• The temple of Hatlgrimskirka is a cult Lutheran building of the mid-20th century, in the form of a volcanic eruption. Inside is a large organ. In front of the church is a statue of Leif Eriksson Happy.
• The cathedral, which is the main temple, built in the late XVIII century.
• The building of the Althing (parliament) in the style of classicism, erected in the XIX century.
• Pearl, or pearl, looks like a daisy with a blue dome. It is located on a high hill and has a rotating platform to view the panorama of the city. Inside the building there are the Museum of the saga, the winter garden, an artificial geyser, shopping pavilions and restaurants.
• "Kaffi Reykjavik" - this bar is unusual in that it consists of solid ice blocks, and the drinks are certainly served in ice glasses.
• Concert Hall "Harp". Its facades consist of multi-colored glass cells, which with the help of built-in LEDs, impress visitors with the play of colors.

Blue Lagoon

Lagoon is a geothermal source and a resort with all the proper infrastructure. This is perhaps the most famous and visited place for hundreds of thousands of tourists. Lagoon - artificially created reservoir with a constant temperature of 40 ° C. This is the only place on the planet of this kind that is filled with visitors all year round. It is established that bathing in the waters of the lake, rich in minerals, helps to heal from skin diseases.

Valley of Geysers

It originated in the XIII century after a strong earthquake. The main source, called the Great Geysir, throws a stream of very high temperature water up to a height of 70 meters from a depth of more than two thousand meters. The contemplation of this majestic spectacle leaves a strong impression. There are also places for swimming in less hot springs. Residents use the natural heat of geysers to heat their homes.

Seljyalandsfoss waterfall

The waterfall is located in the south of the island and is very popular with tourists. Water rushes from a height of 60 meters. It flows down from the cliffs, which used to be a coastline, but now a picturesque valley has formed on this place. The beauty of the waterfall (in combination with the surrounding landscape) there is no equal. That is why his photographs are placed on calendars and postcards.

Color mountains

In the warm season of the year in the national park Landmannalaugar you can see a striking sight - colorful mountains. The slopes of the mountains are reflected by unusual stripes - brown, yellow, pink, blue, violet, green, white and black. The cause of this phenomenon is associated with the volcanic origin of rocks. The location of the park near Hekla volcano makes it one of the popular tourist centers of the country.

Vatnayöküld National Park

What else can I say about Iceland? Facts about the country, all its attractions simply can not be listed in one article. But still I would like to mention this park. It was created in 2008. Its area is almost 12% of the territory of Iceland, and it is the largest in Europe. The main highlight of the park is the eponymous glacier with an area of up to 8100 sq. Km. Km and an ice thickness of up to 500 meters. Under his armor there are beautiful ice caves, as well as seven active volcanoes.

As entertainments of Vatnayöküdl, tourists can take walks in beautiful places, practice winter sports, but bathing in hot springs, located inside ice caves, is in great demand.

Undoubtedly, this is only a small part of the natural sights of the country of Iceland, on its expanses of tourists there is still a lot of interesting and mysterious.