What Everyone Should Know About Iceland

It's never on the news and not read about in history books. To many, Iceland is just another island. But it is much more than that; it is almost like a little sphere of its own. A world within a world. And no, it is not covered in ice. People live there, go to work and school, and make a life for themselves. What else is there to know, you ask?

Iceland peoples do not have surnames. Yes, which means women do not take their husband's name when they marry. Actually, last names are take from their father's name, and "son" or "dittor"(daughter) is added. For example, Jon named his daughter Frida. Therefore, her full name is Frida Jondittor. For this reason, phonebooks list names alphabetically by first name and everyone is on a first name basis with each other, even the president.

Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and the northernmost capital city in the world. Contrary to popular belief, it is not freezing cold in Iceland. Its average winter time temperature is 31 degrees Fahrenheit due to the Gulf Stream current that causes mild weather. During the winter, the sun rises at 12pm and sets at 3pm. In the summer, the sun rises at 3am and sets at 11pm or even later.

Coca-Cola is consumed more in Iceland than in any other nation and it is the country in which Big Macs are the most expensive in the world. It costs $6.67, compared to the US which pays $3.06 for a Big Mac. This makes sense because all of the food through out Iceland is very expensive, consequently because it is mostly imported.

Iceland has the oldest democracy in the world being 1,000 years old; it rains constantly, and has the highest concentration per capita of Internet connection. Because of its purity, water is pumped directly into homes through pipes without chlorination. Icelanders surprisingly do no have water heaters or furnaces, as hot water and steam is piped into homes and businesses straight from the geysers.

Women play a large role in Iceland, holding two-thirds of Icelandic university degrees. Iceland is pronounced as the world's happiest nation, which correlates with why one-third of time, Icelanders do not show up for work.

For every one million Icelanders (there are only 270,000), 3 are Nobel Piece Prize winners. Evidently, the island nation produces geniuses as statistics show it is the most literate country in the world, with an unbeatable 99.9% literacy rate. Icelandic is the official language, directly related to Old Norwegian from about a century ago.

Greenland would be a better name to suit Iceland, and Iceland to Greenland. It was named this by the Vikings to confuse explorers, making them think Iceland was just a barren ice land and direct them to the arctic "Greenland". Icelandic people live laid-back lives, similar to that of Australians, once again, equaling the status of "the happiest nation". Iceland is never in the limelight, which leads us to think, maybe life is better when it is secluded. They just sit back, relax, and watch the rest of the world squabble. Good idea? Yes.