Iceland has many geysers, including Geysir, from which the English word is derived, and the famous Strokkur, which erupts every 8–10minutes. After a phase of inactivity, Geysir started erupting again after a series of earthquakes in 2000. Geysir has since grown quieter and does not erupt often. [76] Given that he was writing centuries after the settlement itself, his dates may seem improbably exact. But a very Icelandic sort of evidence confirms his testimony: a volcanic ash cloud. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is responsible for the policies and methods that schools must use, and they issue the National Curriculum Guidelines. However, playschools, primary schools, and lower secondary schools are funded and administered by the municipalities. The government does allow citizens to home educate their children, however, under a very strict set of demands. [195] Students must adhere closely to the government-mandated curriculum, and the parent teaching must acquire a government approved teaching certificate. Iceland was the first country in the world to have a political party formed and led entirely by women. [100] Known as the Women's List or Women's Alliance ( Kvennalistinn), it was founded in 1983 to advance the political, economic, and social needs of women. After participating in its first parliamentary elections, the Women's List helped increase the proportion of female parliamentarians by 15%. [101] It disbanded in 1999, formally merging the next year with the Social Democratic Alliance, although about half of its members joined the Left-Green Movement instead. It did leave a lasting influence on Iceland's politics: every major party has a 40% quota for women, and in 2009 nearly a third of members of parliament were female, compared to the global average of 16%. [102] Following the 2016 and 2021 elections, 48% of members of parliament are female. [103] [104]

Iceland's official governmental goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by the year 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by the year 2040. [132] Main article: Wildlife of Iceland The Arctic fox is the only indigenous land mammal in Iceland and was the only land mammal before the arrival of humans. Icelandic culture has its roots in North Germanic traditions. Icelandic literature is popular, in particular the sagas and eddas that were written during the High and Late Middle Ages. Centuries of isolation have helped to insulate the country's Nordic culture from external influence; a prominent example is the preservation of the Icelandic language, which remains the closest to Old Norse of all modern Nordic languages. [242] See also: Icelandic Reformation, Danish trade monopoly in Iceland, and Móðuharðindin Ósvör, a replica of an old fishing outpost outside Bolungarvík

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Historical Dictionary of the Vikings By Katherine Holman p252 scarecrow press 2003 discusses that both Scottish and Irish slaves were in Iceland Just below the Arctic Circle, situated between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, a remote land emerges from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, dominated by huge glaciers, ashen deserts, and mighty lava structures. Here, along the fault line that crosses the island from north to south, the incessant work of fire and ice traced a route that runs through a world of immeasurable desolation and enthralling beauty, the Icelandic Highlands. Montanus

Sixty-nine municipalities in Iceland govern local matters like schools, transport, and zoning. [117] These are the actual second-level subdivisions of Iceland, as the constituencies have no relevance except in elections and for statistical purposes. Reykjavík is by far the most populous municipality, about four times more populous than Kópavogur, the second one. [68] Iceland: Milestones in Icelandic History". Iceland.vefur.is. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013 . Retrieved 10 February 2010. As you drive around the island, you’ll see waterfalls by the side of the road caused by the melting glacial ice in the interior of the country. Some of the most famous falls are Seljalandsfoss, which you can walk behind, and Skogafoss, both in the southwest. In 1946, the US Defence Force Allied left Iceland. The nation formally became a member of NATO on 30 March 1949, amid domestic controversy and riots. On 5 May 1951, a defence agreement was signed with the United States. American troops returned to Iceland as the Iceland Defence Force and remained throughout the Cold War. The US withdrew the last of its forces on 30 September 2006.

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The highest elevation for Iceland is listed as 2,110m (6,920ft) at Hvannadalshnúkur (64°00′N 16°39′W). English and Danish are compulsory subjects in the school curriculum. English is widely understood and spoken, while basic to moderate knowledge of Danish is common mainly among the older generations. [220] Polish is mostly spoken by the local Polish community (the largest minority of Iceland), and Danish is mostly spoken in a way largely comprehensible to Swedes and Norwegians—it is often referred to as skandinavíska (i.e. Scandinavian) in Iceland. [221] Swedish Viking explorer Garðar Svavarsson was the first to circumnavigate Iceland in 870 and establish that it was an island. [25] He stayed during the winter and built a house in Húsavík. Garðar departed the following summer, but one of his men, Náttfari, decided to stay behind with two slaves. Náttfari settled in what is now known as Náttfaravík, and he and his slaves became the first permanent residents of Iceland to be documented. [26] [27]

The Registers Iceland keeps account of the religious affiliation of every Icelandic citizen. In 2017, Icelanders were divided into religious groups as follows: On 17 June 2010, the parliament passed the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, proposing greater protection of free speech rights and the identity of journalists and whistle-blowers—the strongest journalist protection law in the world. [268] According to a 2011 report by Freedom House, Iceland is one of the highest-ranked countries in press freedom. [269] a b "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2022 . Retrieved 8 September 2022. Compulsory education, or grunnskóli, comprises primary and lower secondary education, which often is conducted at the same institution. Education is mandatory by law for children aged from 6 to 16years. The school year lasts nine months, beginning between 21 August and 1 September, and ending between 31 May and 10 June. The minimum number of school days was once 170, but after a new teachers' wage contract, it increased to 180. Lessons take place five days a week. All public schools have mandatory education in Christianity, although an exemption may be considered by the Minister of Education. [199] Located on a rift between tectonic plates, Iceland's geologic activity includes geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions. [13] [14] The interior consists of a volcanic plateau characterised by 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 high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.The Icelandic Commonwealth lasted until the 13th century when the political system devised by the original settlers proved unable to cope with the increasing power of Icelandic chieftains. [33] The internal struggles and civil strife of the Age of the Sturlungs led to the signing of the Old Covenant in 1262, which ended the Commonwealth and brought Iceland under the Norwegian crown. Possession of Iceland passed from the Kingdom of Norway (872–1397) to the Kalmar Union in 1415, when the kingdoms of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden were united. After the break-up of the union in 1523, it remained a Norwegian dependency, as a part of Denmark–Norway. Iceland is a country born of the Viking Age. For millennia it remained uninhabited by humans, a little volcanic island in the middle of the North Atlantic hanging just below the Arctic Circle. It was only at the end of the 9th century that the first ships began to arrive, containing Norse settlers looking for a new life. By then, the Viking Age was well and truly under way: the Great Heathen Army was sweeping its way through Anglo-Saxon England and Alfred the Great was battling Scandinavian invaders led by – according to later tradition – the sons of Ragnar ‘Hairy-Breeches’. But the story that was unfolding in Iceland was rather less bloody. In fact, it’s possible that the first arrivals to the island weren’t even pagan Norse, but Irish Christians. An Environmentalist Is Iceland's New Prime Minister". The New York Times. November 2017. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022 . Retrieved 30 May 2018. Main article: Sport in Iceland The Iceland men's national handball team (pictured) won the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Handball is considered Iceland's national sport. [282]

a b Evans, Andrew. "Is Iceland Really Green and Greenland Really Icy?", National Geographic (30 June 2016). A great deal of volcanic activity was occurring in the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2020 and into 2021, after nearly 800 years of inactivity. After the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano on 19 March 2021, National Geographic's experts predicted that this "may mark the start of decades of volcanic activity."The eruption was small, leading to a prediction that this volcano was unlikely to threaten "any population centers". [83]Geology o a b "Population by country of citizenship, sex and age (2021)". Statistics Iceland . Retrieved 11 September 2022. If you have a bit more time and fancy a deeper dive into the country, consider venturing further afield. The Westfjords in the northwest is cut off from the ring road and is probably Iceland’s most remote region — only about seven per cent of visitors to the country make it here. You can see Arctic foxes — the country’s only native mammal — and go whale-watching in the deep fjords that extend into the land like tentacles. The Westfjords are a ten-hour drive or a 45-minute plane ride away from Reykjavik’s domestic airport. Around the middle of the 16th century, as part of the Protestant Reformation, King Christian III of Denmark began to impose Lutheranism on all his subjects. Jón Arason, the last Catholic bishop of Hólar, was beheaded in 1550 along with two of his sons. The country subsequently became officially Lutheran, and Lutheranism has since remained the dominant religion.