Little Known Facts about Iceland

Iceland is possibly one of the least understood regions of our world. Many people think that Iceland, because of its name, is a cold and barren place. Not so. Although Iceland lies close to the Arctic Circle the warm waters of the Gulf stream travel around the island to warm it. Mild climates are found, year long, in most areas of the country however, 11.5% of the island is covered with glaciers. The largest glacier in the area covers 3,240 square miles.

Seventy percent of Iceland's national export income is derived from fishing or fish products. The Minke whale, native to Iceland, total over 40,000 in surrounding waters. The most common sport in Iceland: swimming in pools - outside heated pools. Out of the 282,000 people that reside in Iceland 1.75 million swim regularly.

With just over 280,000 residents Iceland is the least populated of all European countries. Just over half of those people live in the capital city of Reykjavik. The average life span of the people is 80 years, making Icelanders some of the longest-living humans in the world.

Opposite of most of the world, Iceland lists its residents' phone numbers by their first name. In addition to the name and phone number it also lists address and occupation. About one in three people have a tv set, about one in five people have a cell phone.

Reykjavik is the northernmost capital city anywhere in the world. Reykjavik and other places in Iceland feature a vast array of natural wonders: hot springs, volcanoes, geysers, mountains and wilderness. There are over 200 volcanoes, some still active, positioned in Iceland.

Reykjavik lies at 64 degrees 9' north of the equator, a few degrees south of the Arctic Circle. This means that Iceland experiences 24 hours of daylight during the summer solstice. Care to tee off at midnight? That's just one of the activities that takes place during this wondrous event.

Summers in Iceland mean almost continuous days and nights of sunlight. Winter months feature endless days and nights of darkness. Some days see only three or four hours of sunlight in December and January.

Iceland has a literacy rate of almost one hundred percent. Out of all the citizenry throughout the world Icelanders read more books per capita than any other. As much as they love books they must not have loved dogs quite as much since it was once against the law to have a dog within city limits. But then again, they must like animals somewhat since there are absolutely no endangered species living in Iceland.