Iceland
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lydveldid Island local short form: Island |
| Gevernment type | constitutional republic |
| Capital |
name: Reykjavik
geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) |
| Currency | Icelandic krona (ISK) |
| Internet country code | .is |
| Ports and terminals | Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Hornafjordhur, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur |
| Agriculture products | potatoes, green vegetables; mutton, dairy products; fish |
| Industries | fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production; geothermal power, tourism |
| Geography |
| Location | Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK |
| Coordinates | 65 00 N, 18 00 W |
| Continent | Arctic Region |
| Area |
total: 103,000 sq km
land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km |
| Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 4,970 km |
| Climate | temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers |
| Terrain | mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords |
| Natural resources | fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes and volcanic activity |
| People |
| Population | 299,388 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6% |
| Religions | Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004) |
| Languages | Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken |
