Iceland

ICELAND

NAME AND CAPITAL

Name and capital

• Republic of Iceland• Is a Nordic and European island country in

the North Atlantic Ocean

Name and capital

• The capital and the largest city is Reykjavík

YEAR OF ENTRY IN THE EU.

Year of entry in the EU.

• It is a official candidate state

POLITICAL SYSTEM

Political system

• Iceland is a representative democracy and a parliamentary republic.

• The modern parliament, Alþingi, was founded in 1845 as an advisory to the monarch.

Political system

• It is arguably the world's oldest parliamentary democracy

• There are a president of the state• Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson

Political system

• The head of government is the prime minister (currently Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir )

• Together with the cabinet, is responsible for executive government.

TOTAL AREA

Total area

• The country has a total area of:

Area total: 103,000 sq km

Land: 100,250 sq km

Water: 2,750 sq km

POPULATION

Population

• The original population of Iceland was of Nordic and Gaelic origin.

CURRENCY

Currency

• Icelandic króna• The Danish krone was introduced to Iceland in

1874

Currency

• It is said that by joining the EU and adopting the euro, Icelandic trade could increase by 60%

• CHANGE

1 EUR 161.52 ISK

1 ISK 0.0062 EUR

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

Official languages

• Iceland's official written and spoken language is Icelandic.– A North Germanic language descended from Old

Norse.

• English is widely spoken as a secondary language.

• Danish is also widely understood and spoken.

TYPICAL FOOD AND DRINK

Typical food and drink

• Most of Iceland's cuisine is based on fish , lamb , and dairy products

• Þorramatur is a selection of traditional cuisine consisting of many dishes.

TRADITIONS

Traditions

• A significant portion of Icelanders still believe in the existence of elves and ghosts

New Year's Eve

• New Year's Eve is one of the great traditions in Iceland.

• New Year's Eve in Iceland starts at 6.00 pm with the mass at Reykjavík's Cathedral

• After dinner, families with children usually go together to attend a big fire in the neighbourhood.

Christmas

• In Iceland there are 13 "Santas", Yule Lads or Yulemen according to the traditions in Iceland

MUSIC AND ANTHEM

Music and anthem

Music and anthem

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES

Geographical features

• Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean• Latitudes 63° and 67° N , and longitudes 25°

and 13° W .

• that the island is highly geologically active with many volcanoes notably:– Hekla – Eldgjá – Herðubreið– Eldfel

WEATHER

Weather

• The climate of Iceland's coast is subpolar

oceanic.

• Generally speaking, the south coast is warmer,

wetter and windier than the north.

• The lowest temperatures in the northern part

of the island range from around -25 to -30 °C

• Warm summer days can reach 20–25 °C

MORE INFORMATION

Sport

• The main traditional sport in Iceland is Glíma

Literature

• Iceland's best-known classical works of literature are the Icelanders' sagas