Facts About Iceland

Facts about England - Tiffany Macbeth

Tiffany loves to travel and learn about the countries of the World.

She visited Iceland and while she was there she found out a lot of interesting facts about Iceland. 

Did you know?

Iceland is the second largest island in Europe after Great Britain. It has a population of just 350,000 people. Iceland is known as the land of ‘Ice and Fire’ because it is covered in ice for much of the year, yet also has volcanoes and hot springs.

The map below shows the main towns of Iceland. 

 

Map of Iceland

The flag of Iceland is made up of a blue background with a red and white cross.

Flag of Iceland

 

What is the Capital City of Iceland?

Reykjavik is the Capital City of Iceland with a population of around 120,000 people.

Reykjavik capital of Iceland

This is a picture of Reykjavik, the most northerly capital city of the World. It is just 2° south of the Arctic Circle. It is home to a third of Iceland’s population. 

Reykjavik, like all of Iceland’s main towns is on the coast and has a harbour. Fishing has traditionally been Iceland’s main source of income but in the last few years tourism has begun to replace fishing as the main source of income.

What is the longest river in Iceland?

River Pjorsa

This is a picture of Pjorsa, the longest river in Iceland measuring 230 km (143 miles). This picture was taken midway between Vik and  Hafnarfjordhur at the point where the river empties into the sea. 

What is the highest mountain in Iceland?

Hvannadalshnjukur

This is a picture of the highest mountain in Iceland, Hvannadalshnjukur measuring 2,110 metres (6922 ft). The peak of the mountain is located on the side of the crater of the Oraefajakull volcano. The Oraefajakull is an ice covered volcano and is the most active volcano in Iceland. 

Eyjafjallajokull

In 2010 the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted sending clouds of volcanic ash into the atmosphere. The ash cloud was so bad that planes were unable to fly in parts of northern Europe for 5 days. 95,000 flights were cancelled, leaving people stranded all over the world.

 

What is Iceland famous for?

Pingvellirpark

The Pingvallavatn lake is the largest natural lake in Iceland. It is located in the rift valley of the Thingvellir National Park. The North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet in the park.

Gulfoss Waterfall in winter

Gulfoss Falls is a spectacular two-tier waterfall and popular tourist attraction in Iceland. When the temperature is very cold parts of the waterfall freeze.

Geyser Iceland

This is a picture of the Great Geysir, a hot spring that erupts every 5 or 6 minutes, shooting a tower of boiling hot water and steam into the air.

What other things are associated with Iceland?

Northern Lights

The Northern Lights – also known as Aurora Borealis – put on a dazzling colourful display of light in the night sky.

Snow and Ice in Iceland

Snow and Ice – Iceland is so named because it is covered in ice and snow for much of the year. North of the Wall scenes from ‘Game of Thrones’ were filmed in Iceland.

Whale

Whales – there are whales in the sea around Iceland.

 

Can you name some famous people from Iceland?

Here are Tiffany’s top twelve famous people from Iceland:

Albert Guomundsson, Baltasar Kormákur, Bjork Guomundsdottir, Bobby Fischer, Eggert Jonsson, Eivør Pálsdóttir, Erik the Red, Jon Pall Sigmarsson, Leif Erikson, Magnus Magnusson, Of Monsters and Men, Sigur Ros

Bjork

 

As you can see Tiffany has discovered a lot of facts about Iceland. She summed up her visit with the following keywords:

Aurora Borealis, fish, Great Geysir, glaciers, harbours, hot springs, ice, lakes, lava fields, Northern Lights, snow, tectonic plates, volcanoes, waterfalls, whales