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Iceland (Icelandic, Ísland), island republic, in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 300 km (about 185 mi) east of Greenland and about 1,000 km (about 620 mi) west of Norway. The country's extreme dimensions are about 305 km (about 190 mi) from north to south and about 485 km (about 300 mi) from east to west. Iceland has an area of 103,000 sq km (39,800 sq mi).

Volcanic in origin, Iceland consists predominantly of uninhabitable lava tablelands with mountainous outcroppings; the lowlands, situated mainly along the southwestern coast, occupy about 25 percent of the total area. The bulk of the Icelandic population lives along the coast, particularly in the southwest.

Elevations in the uplands average between about 610 and 915 m (about 2,000 and
3,000 ft). Hvannadalshnúkur (2,119 m/6,952 ft), in the southeast, is the highest
summit. Nearly 15 percent of the surface of the island is covered by snowfields
and glaciers. Vatnajökull, a glacier in the southeast, has an area of 8,456 sq km
(3,265 sq mi). The island has more than 120 glaciers and numerous small lakes
and swift-flowing rivers.

Iceland is remarkable for the number of its volcanoes, craters, and thermal springs and for the frequency of its earthquakes. More than 100 volcanoes, including at least 25 that have erupted in historic times, are situated on the island. Noteworthy among the volcanoes are Hekla (1,491 m/4,892 ft), which has erupted many times, including in 1766, 1947, and 1980, and nearby Laki, with about 100 separate craters. Vast lava fields have been created by volcanoes, and many eruptions have caused widespread devastation. In 1783, when the only known eruption of Laki occurred, molten lava, volcanic ashes and gases, and torrential floods resulting from melting ice and snow led to the deaths of more than 9,000 people, ruined large tracts of arable land, and destroyed about 80 percent of the livestock on the island. In 1963 an ocean-floor volcano erupted off the southwestern coast of Iceland, creating Surtsey Island. In 1973 a volcano on Heimaey Island became active, forcing the evacuation of the island's main town, Vestmannaeyjar.

Thermal springs are common in Iceland. Particularly numerous in the volcanic areas, the springs occur as geysers, as boiling mud lakes, and in various other forms. Geysir, generally regarded as the most spectacular, erupts at irregular intervals (usually from 5 to 36 hr), ejecting a column of boiling water up to about 60 m (about 200 ft) in height. Most homes and industrial establishments in the Reykjavík area are heated by water piped from nearby hot springs.

Climate
Iceland has a relatively mild and equable climate, despite its high altitude and its proximity to the Arctic. Because of oceanic influences, notably the North Atlantic Drift (a continuation of the Gulf Stream), climatic conditions are moderate in all sections of the island. The mean annual temperature at Reykjavík is about 5° C (about 41° F), with a range from -1° C (31° F) in January to 11° C (52° F) in July. In the northwestern, northern, and eastern coastal regions, subject to the effects of polar currents and drifting ice, temperatures are generally lower. Windstorms of considerable violence are characteristic during much of the winter season. Annual precipitation ranges between about 1,270 and 2,030 mm (about 50 and 80 in) along the southern coast, and is only about 510 mm (about 20 in) along the northern coast. The southern slopes of some of Iceland's interior mountains receive up to about 4,570 mm (about 180 in) of moisture per year.

Plants and Animals
The vegetation of Iceland is of the arctic European type. Grass and heather are abundant along the southern coast and afford pasturage for sheep and other livestock. Extensive forests probably existed on the island in prehistoric times, but present-day trees, such as birch and spruce, are relatively scarce. Bilberries and crowberries are the only kinds of fruit that grow on the island. The arctic fox was probably living in Iceland at the time of the first human settlement. Reindeer were introduced about 1770; rodents were brought in on ships. Neither reptiles nor frogs and toads are found. About 100 species of birds inhabit the island; many of these species are aquatic, among them the whistling swan and several kinds of duck. The eider duck is valued for its down. Whales and seals live along the coast, as do cod, haddock, halibut, and herring. Many salmon and trout inhabit Iceland's freshwater rivers and lakes.

Population
The population of Iceland is extremely homogeneous, being almost entirely of Scandinavian and Celtic origin. Beginning in the 1940s a large-scale movement to the coastal towns and villages has occurred. Some 92 percent of the people now live in cities and towns. The population of Iceland (2001 estimate) is 277,906. The overall population density is 2.7 persons per sq km (7 per sq mi).

Political Divisions and Principal Cities
Iceland is divided into eight regions, each with its own
administrative center. Reykjavík (population, 1998 estimate,
108,351) is the capital and chief port. Other towns are
Akureyri (15,102), on the northern coast; Kópavogur
(21,370), Hafnarfjörður (18,600), and Keflavík (7,637),
on the western coast near Reykjavík; and Vestmannaeyjar
(4,640), on the tiny island of Heimaey off the southern coast.

Religion and Language
The state church of Iceland is the Evangelical Lutheran church, with which more than 93 percent of the people are affiliated. Complete religious freedom exists, however. Free Lutherans and Roman Catholics make up a small minority. The language is Icelandic, which has remained closer to the Old Norse of Iceland's original Viking settlers than to the other Scandinavian languages. See Icelandic Language; Icelandic Literature.

Education
Literacy in Iceland approaches 100 percent of the adult population. Education is free through the university level and is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16. In the 1995 school year 29,221 pupils were enrolled in primary schools, 30,253 students attended secondary and vocational schools, and 7386 were enrolled in higher institutions. The leading institution of higher education is the University of Iceland (1911), in Reykjavík. The country also has a technical college and colleges of agriculture and music as well as teacher-training schools.

The principal libraries of Iceland are the University Library, the National Library, and the City Library, all located in Reykjavík. The capital is also the site of the Museum of Natural History; the National Museum, containing a major collection of Icelandic antiquities; and an art gallery housing the work of the Icelandic sculptor Einar Jónsson.

History
Some Irish monks may have reached Iceland before AD 800, but it remained largely unsettled until about 870. Norwegian Viking Ingólfur Arnarson is traditionally considered the first permanent settler; he established his farm at Reykjavík, now the capital. During the next 60 years, other settlers flocked to the island from the Scandinavian countries and the British Isles. In 930 a central organization for the whole island was superimposed on the already existent regional polities in the form of a general legislature called the Althing.

"Iceland," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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