Map of Iceland Geography Pictures

Map of Iceland Geography Pictures

Map of Iceland Cities Pictures

Map of Iceland Geography Pictures

Republic of Iceland (Icelandic: Lýðveldið Island) or the Land of Ice is an island country in the arctic Atlantic Ocean. Iceland is amid 300 kilometers east of Greenland and 1,000 afar from Norway.

The basic and the better burghal is Reykjavík, with the surrounding areas in the southwestern arena of the country actuality home to two-thirds of the civic population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The autogenous mainly consists of a plateau characterised by beach fields, mountains and glaciers, while abounding arctic rivers breeze to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is broiled by the Gulf Stream and has a abstemious altitude admitting a aerial breadth aloof alfresco the Arctic Circle.

According to Landnámabók, the adjustment of Iceland began in AD 874 back the Norwegian administrator Ingólfur Arnarson became the aboriginal abiding Norwegian face on the island. Others had visited the island beforehand and backward over winter. Over the afterward centuries, bodies of Norse and Gaelic agent acclimatized in Iceland. From 1262 to 1918 it was allotment of the Norwegian and after the Danish monarchies. Until the 20th century, the Icelandic citizenry relied abundantly on fisheries and agriculture. In 1994, the nation became affair to an acceding that accustomed the European Bread-and-butter Area, appropriately acceptance it to alter from fishing to bread-and-butter and cyberbanking services.

Iceland has a chargeless bazaar abridgement with almost low taxes compared to added OECD countries, while advancement a Nordic abundance arrangement accouterment accepted bloom affliction and tertiary apprenticeship for its citizens. In contempo years, Iceland has been one of the wealthiest and best developed nations in the world. In 2010, it was ranked as the 17th best developed country in the apple by the United Nations' Human Development Index, and the fourth best advantageous country per capita. In 2008, political agitation occurred as the nation's cyberbanking arrangement systematically failed.

Icelandic ability is founded aloft the nation's Norse heritage. Best Icelanders are birth of Norse (particularly from Western Norway) and Gaelic settlers. Icelandic, a North Germanic language, is carefully accompanying to Faroese and some West Norwegian dialects. The country's cultural ancestry includes acceptable cuisine, poetry, and the medieval Icelanders' sagas. Currently, Iceland has the aboriginal citizenry amid NATO associates and is the alone one with no continuing army. According to Freedom of the Press, Iceland has the best chargeless columnist in the world.

Geography Area

Iceland is amid in the North Atlantic Ocean, mostly south of the Arctic Circle, which passes through the baby island of Grímsey off Iceland's arctic coast. Iceland lies amid latitudes 63° and 67° N, and longitudes 25° and 13° W.

Though Iceland is nearer to Greenland (North America) than acreage Europe, the island is about included in Europe for cultural reasons. Geologically the island is allotment of both continental plates. The abutting bodies of acreage are Greenland (287 km (178 mi)) and the Faroe Islands (420 km (261 mi)). The abutting ambit to the acreage of Europe is 970 km (603 mi) (to Norway).

Iceland is the world's 18th better island, and Europe's additional better island afterward Great Britain. The basic island is 101,826 km2 (39,315 sq mi) but the absolute country is 103,000 km2 (39,768.5 sq mi) in size, of which 62.7% is tundra. There are thirty accessory islands in Iceland, including the agilely busy island of Grímsey and the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. Lakes and glaciers awning 14.3%; alone 23% is vegetated. The better lakes are Þórisvatn (Reservoir): 83–88 km2 (32.0–34.0 sq mi) and Þingvallavatn: 82 km2 (31.7 sq mi); added important lakes accommodate Lögurinn and Mývatn. Jökulsárlón is the centermost lake, at 248 m (814 ft).

Geologically, Iceland is a allotment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the backbone forth which the amphibian band spreads and forms new amphibian crust. In addition, this allotment of the mid-ocean backbone is amid aloft a crimson alias causing Iceland to be subaerial. Iceland marks the abuttals amid both the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate back it has been created by rifting, and accession through volcanism, forth the Mid-Atlantic Ridge—where the two plates meet.

Many fjords accent its 4,970 km-long coastline, which is additionally area best settlements are situated. The island's interior, the Highlands of Iceland, is a algid and uninhabitable aggregate of beach and mountains. The above towns are the basic of Reykjavík, forth with its afar towns of Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður and Garðabær, Reykjanesbær, area the all-embracing airport is located, and Akureyri, in arctic Iceland. The island of Grímsey aloof south of the Arctic Circle contains the northernmost address of Iceland. Iceland has three civic parks: Vatnajökull Civic Park, Snæfellsjökull Civic Park, and Þingvellir Civic Park.