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Iceland
Last update: Saturday 11th of February 2012
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| Lýðveldið Ísland Republic of Iceland | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Motto: none | |||||
| Anthem: Lofsöngur | |||||
 Location of Iceland (orange) on the European continent (white) | |||||
| Capital (and largest city) |  Reykjavík | ||||
| Official languages | Icelandic (de facto) | ||||
| Government | Constitutional republic | ||||
| - President | Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson | ||||
| - Prime Minister | Geir H. Haarde | ||||
| Independence | from Denmark | ||||
| - Home rule | 1 February 1904 | ||||
| - Sovereignty | 1 December 1918 | ||||
| - Republic | 17 June 1944 | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total | 103,000 km² (107th) 39,770 sq mi | ||||
| - Water (%) | 2.7 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - December 2006 estimate | 307,261 (181st) | ||||
| - December 1980 census | 229,187 | ||||
| - Density | 2.9 /km² (222nd) 7.5 /sq mi | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | ||||
| - Total | $10.531 billion (135th) | ||||
| - Per capita | $35,586 (2005) (5th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2005 estimate | ||||
| - Total | $15.823 billion (90th) | ||||
| - Per capita | $52,764 (3rd) | ||||
| HDI (2004) |  0.960 (high) (2nd) | ||||
| Currency | Icelandic króna (ISK) | ||||
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .is | ||||
| Calling code | +354 | ||||
Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland (Icelandic: Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland; IPA: ) is a country of northwestern Europe, comprising the island of Iceland and its outlying islets in the North Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Norway, the British Isles, and the Faroe Islands. As of December 2006, it had a population of 307,261. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík.
Iceland has a history of habitation since about the year 874 when, according to Landnámabók, the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norwegian settler on the island. Others had visited the island earlier and stayed over winter. Over the next centuries, people of Nordic and Gaelic origin settled in Iceland. Until the twentieth century, the Icelandic population relied on fisheries and agriculture, and was from 1262 to 1944 a part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies.
Today, Iceland is a highly developed country, the world's fifth and second in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and human development respectively. Iceland is a member of the UN, NATO, EEA, and OECD.
As a young airman stationed in Keflavek Iceland I worked nights at the NCO Club and when weather permitted I would walk to the barracks. Many nights i would be overcome by the beauty of the glowing of the auroa borealis. Never in those sightings was I fortunate enough to witness the electric show but probably to my benefit. It may have proved q v
In this video Milton Friedman is interviewed by the Icelandic State Television back in 1984. The interesting parts are the three radical left-wing scholars that criticize his every word - and his responses. One of them is Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the current president of Iceland. Skip to 1:20 to skip the intro, which is in Icelandic.
A resident in Eyrarbakki, south Iceland, was washed into the ocean when a tidal wave hit his car at the pier in the neighboring town of Stokkseyri Friday. A firefighter rescued him ashore. He was helping a friend bringing a boat to land, which was tied to the pier, when the incident occurred.
A gravel mine in the south of Iceland was the site of the discovery of a walrus' penis bone (Os penis) dating back 10,000-12,000 years. Last weekend, veterinarian Sigurdur Sigurdsson handed over the bone to a Thorlákshöfn museum in a ceremony.
Australian Cheezels, Galaxy Minstrels from the UK, Icelandic salty black licorice -- there are some weird snacks out there, so celebrate the diversity of taste (or lack thereof) that is "Global Snacking".