Iceland

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Iceland (disambiguation).

Iceland
Ísland (Icelandic)
Anthem: Lofsöngur
"Hymn"
Location of Iceland (dark green)
Capital
and largest city
Reykjavík
64°08′N 21°56′W / 64.133°N 21.933°W / 64.133; -21.933
Official languageIcelandic
Ethnic groups
(2021)[a][1]
Religion
(2022)[2]
  • 25.2% no religion
  • 1.5% Ásatrúarfélagið
  • 0.9% other
Demonym(s)
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President
Halla Tómasdóttir
Bjarni Benediktsson
Birgir Ármannsson
LegislatureAlthing
Formation
9th century
930–1262
• Union with Norway
1262–1397
1397–1523
1523–1814
• Ceded to Denmark
14 January 1814
• Constitution and limited home rule
5 January 1874
• Extended home rule
1 February 1904
• Sovereignty and personal union with Denmark
1 December 1918
• Republic
17 June 1944; 80 years ago (17 June 1944)
Area
• Total
103,125[4] km2 (39,817 sq mi) (106th)
• Water (%)
2.07 (as of 2015)[5]
Population
• 2024 census
399,189[6] (171st)
• Density
3.87/km2 (10.0/sq mi) (242nd)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $27.078 billion[7] (152nd)
• Per capita
Increase $69,833[7] (15th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $30.570 billion[7] (109th)
• Per capita
Increase $78,836[7] (8th)
Gini (2018)Positive decrease 23.2[8]
low inequality
HDI (2022)Steady 0.959[9]
very high (3rd)
CurrencyIcelandic króna (ISK)
Time zoneUTC[c] (GMT/WET)
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy
Drives onright
Calling code+354
ISO 3166 codeIS
Internet TLD.is

Iceland (Icelandic: Ísland, pronounced [ˈistlant] ⓘ)[d] is a Nordic island country between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most sparsely populated country.[12] Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the country's roughly 380,000 residents (excluding nearby towns/suburbs which are separate municipalities). The official language of the country is Icelandic. Iceland is on a rift between tectonic plates, and its geologic activity includes geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions.[13][14] The interior consists of a volcanic plateau with sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a latitude just south of the Arctic Circle. Its latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.

According to the ancient manuscript Landnámabók, the settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD, when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the island's first permanent settler.[15] In the following centuries, Norwegians, and to a lesser extent other Scandinavians, immigrated to Iceland, bringing with them thralls (i.e., slaves or serfs) of Gaelic origin.

The island was governed as an independent commonwealth under the native parliament, the Althing, one of the world's oldest functioning legislative assemblies. After a period of civil strife, Iceland acceded to Norwegian rule in the 13th century. In 1397, Iceland followed Norway's integration into the Kalmar Union along with the kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden, coming under de facto Danish rule upon its dissolution in 1523. The Danish kingdom introduced Lutheranism by force in 1550,[16] and the Treaty of Kiel formally ceded Iceland to Denmark in 1814.

Influenced by ideals of nationalism after the French Revolution, Iceland's struggle for independence took form and culminated in the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union in 1918, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Iceland, sharing through a personal union the incumbent monarch of Denmark. During the occupation of Denmark in World War II, Iceland voted overwhelmingly to become a republic in 1944, ending the remaining formal ties to Denmark. Although the Althing was suspended from 1799 to 1845, Iceland nevertheless has a claim to sustaining one of the world's longest-running parliaments.

Until the 20th century, Iceland relied largely on subsistence fishing and agriculture. Industrialization of the fisheries and Marshall Plan aid after World War II brought prosperity, and Iceland became one of the world's wealthiest and most developed nations. In 1994 it became a part of the European Economic Area, further diversifying its economy into sectors such as finance, biotechnology, and manufacturing.

Iceland has a market economy with relatively low taxes, compared to other OECD countries,[17] as well as the highest trade union membership in the world.[18] It maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education.[19] Iceland ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency, and economic freedom. It has the smallest population of any NATO member and is the only one with no standing army, possessing only a lightly armed coast guard.[20]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Population by country of citizenship, sex and age (2021)". Statistics Iceland. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations by religious and life stance organizations 1998–2022". Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  3. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Iceland Archived 28 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine: Article 62, Government of Iceland.
  4. ^ "Ísland er minna en talið var" (in Icelandic). RÚV. 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Þjóðskrá". www.skra.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic National Registry. 14 January 2024. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Iceland)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ Emilía Dagný Sveinbjörnsdóttir (2008). "Hvenær var hætt að skipta á milli sumar- og vetrartíma á Íslandi?" (in Icelandic). Vísindavefurinn. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Tillaga til þingsályktunar um seinkun klukkunnar og bjartari morgna" (in Icelandic). Althing. 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Statistics Iceland". Government. The National Statistical Institute of Iceland. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 1998. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  13. ^ Rae, Alison. Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Page 9. 2008. "Iceland is the only part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea-level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly."
  14. ^ Philippon, Mélody; Von Hagke, Christoph; E. Reber, Jacqueline. Cutting-Edge Analogue Modeling Techniques Applied to Study Earth Systems. Page 99. 2020. "Iceland is the only place on Earth where a mid-ocean ridge is exposed above sea level, atop the extensional plate boundary separating the North American plate and the Eurasian plate."
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference tomasson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Jón R. Hjálmarsson (1993). History of Iceland: From the Settlement to the Present Day. Iceland Review.
  17. ^ "OECD Tax Database". Oecd.org. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  18. ^ "Industrial relations". ILOSTAT. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  19. ^ Ólafsson, Stefán (12 May 2004). "The Icelandic Welfare State and the Conditions of Children". borg.hi.is. Archived from the original on 18 August 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  20. ^ The Military Balance 2014. The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS). 2014.