Iceland is an island nation in the North Atlantic, near the Arctic Circle, a land of volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, and waterfalls perched on the boundary between two of the Earth's great tectonic plates. One of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe and the last to be settled, it was founded by Norse settlers more than a thousand years ago and is home to one of the oldest parliaments in the world. Remote, dramatic, and prosperous, it is a place where fire and ice meet.
Iceland was settled around the late ninth century by Norse seafarers, chiefly from Norway, and according to tradition the first permanent settler was Ingolfur Arnarson. In the year 930 the settlers established the Althing, a national assembly on the plain of Thingvellir, making it one of the oldest parliaments in the world. After centuries as a commonwealth, Iceland came under Norwegian and then Danish rule, finally becoming a fully independent republic in 1944.
Iceland sits astride the boundary where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates pull apart, making it one of the most volcanically active places on Earth. Its landscape is starkly beautiful: glaciers and ice caps, fields of lava and black sand, steaming geothermal springs and geysers, and countless waterfalls. Much of the interior is an uninhabitable highland desert, so the population clings to the greener coast. This geothermal energy heats the country's homes and powers much of its economy.
The flag of Iceland is blue with a white-bordered red Nordic cross, sharing the offset cross pattern of the other Nordic nations. The colours are said to reflect the island itself: the blue for the surrounding ocean and the mountains, the white for the snow and ice, and the red for the volcanic fire beneath, capturing the land of fire and ice in a single emblem. The flag was adopted as the country moved toward independence.
Iceland is historically a Lutheran country, with the Evangelical Lutheran Church as the national church to which most Icelanders belong, though, as across the Nordic region, active religious practice is low and the society is largely secular. Iceland is also notable for a modern revival of the old Norse pagan religion, honouring the gods of the Vikings, which has a small but officially recognised following, reflecting a strong interest in the island's medieval heritage.
Icelandic cuisine was shaped by the need to survive in a harsh, isolated land, relying on fish, lamb, and dairy. Fish, fresh and dried, and the meat of free-ranging sheep are central, along with skyr, a thick, protein-rich cultured dairy product eaten for centuries. Traditional preserved foods, such as fermented shark, are famous for their pungency and are now eaten mostly as a test of nerve. Rye bread baked using geothermal heat is a local speciality.
Farming in Iceland is severely limited by the cold climate and volcanic soils, so it focuses on raising hardy sheep, which roam the highlands in summer, and dairy cattle. Crops are few, though geothermal heat allows vegetables and even some fruit to be grown in greenhouses warmed by the Earth. Far more important is the sea: fishing and fish processing have long been the backbone of the Icelandic economy, supplying a major export.
The settlement of Iceland and the founding of the Althing in 930, a remarkably early experiment in representative assembly, are sources of deep national pride. The island's medieval sagas are treasures of world literature. In modern times Iceland gained independence in 1944, suffered a dramatic banking collapse in the global financial crisis of 2008, and drew the world's attention in 2010 when a volcanic eruption sent an ash cloud that grounded air traffic across Europe.
Iceland has a population of only around 390,000 people, among the smallest of any country in Europe, and one of the most homogeneous, descended largely from the original Norse and Celtic settlers and speaking a language that has changed little in a thousand years. The great majority live in the southwest, in and around the capital, Reykjavik, the northernmost capital of a sovereign state. Icelanders enjoy a high standard of living and a strong cultural and literary tradition.
