Evgeny Melnik

Composes music, poetry, prose. He reads and writes a lot: about art, football, rock and nu-jazz. Crazy about Dada, Iceland and Mamlei prose.

Iceland is one of the most mysterious places on earth. This is the place where the rights of elves are legalized in the constitution, and the postmen and policemen play football better than the guys who can spend 250,000 euros on champagne in one night.

You might now want to learn more about the Land of Ice and Fire, or maybe even start saving your salary so that you can someday go to this mysterious island. And you will have to save a lot, since the prices in the country of sheep and puffins are among the highest in Europe.

Anthony Doudt/Flickr.com

Products and prices

Iceland is known for its high food prices. A liter of milk here costs a little less than a euro, a kilogram of potatoes - 1 euro, bread - 2 euros. At the same time, meat prices are fantastic. For example, one kilogram of pork is sold for 14 euros, chicken - for 17 euros. But this is not the worst.

If you want to boo with some fair-haired lady in a restaurant, then you should take out a loan, because for a three-course dinner you can easily shell out more than a hundred euros! But there is an alternative - go to the local fast food and eat for "some" 15-20 euros.

/~helmar/Flickr.com

But for the souls, exhausted by Narzan, it is better to stay at home. Icelanders are known for their ability to get drunk. At the same time in the morning they go to work as if nothing had happened. But your head may start to hurt after you get acquainted with the cost of "fire water" in Iceland.

For a bottle of ordinary wine, you will have to pay about 15-18 euros, beer - 2-4 euros. The stronger the drink, the more expensive it is. So a bottle of chatter can cost more than a bottle of good but light French wine.

When simplicity is better than theft

Vegetables in Iceland are also very expensive, as they are grown in greenhouses. Vegetable shops are just on the street, only there are no sellers in them. Prices are written on the plates, and there are scales and boxes for money nearby. Yes, yes, people themselves come, weigh, put money in a box, take change and move on. This is not easy to believe, so it is better to go to Iceland and see for yourself.

The doors in the houses here are also not locked, but this is not the most unusual thing. It is interesting that a complete stranger can enter a lonely house lost in the mountains, and they will immediately give him water, feed and put him to bed. At the same time, if you are a prominent man, and there is only one defenseless woman in the house, the alignment and attitude will not change in any way - it has been verified from our own experience.

Freedom of views

Freedom of opinion on certain taboo topics is legendary in Iceland.

For example, it is well known that one of the prime ministers of Iceland, Johanna Sigurdardottir, was known as the first person in history to rule the government in the status of an open bisexual. Such a free attitude to orientation is not surprising, because it is absorbed with mother's milk.

How? There are many geos in the country thermal springs which are visited not only by tourists, but also by locals. It is necessary to take a shower before visiting them.

Shriram Rajagopalan/Flickr.com

There are showers in Iceland, although they are located in public places, while most of them do not have doors and walls. And the fact that it is customary for Icelanders to ask the name of a partner only after sex, and even then not always, is probably known to many.

Nation of multi-machine

In Russia, the concept of "multi-station" is usually associated with a life-tormented person who spins at several jobs to feed his family. Oddly enough, the Icelanders also have something similar.

Here, people do not order designers for themselves and make repairs exclusively by themselves. Every second Icelander considers himself a great artist, a creative person. For this reason, many things, which sometimes include tailoring, furniture selection, home improvement, they do exclusively with their own hands.

But that's not all. In Iceland, a comic musician can become a prominent politician, a barber's son can become a president, and CEO bank - a fisherman. The world-famous commentator Gudmundur Benediktsson is not even a professional commentator, since his main place of work was the Reykjavik football club, where he served as an assistant coach.

And the hairdresser's son, President Olafur Grimsson, has been in office for 20 years. At the end of the fourth term, he wanted to resign from his duties, but the citizens did not let him in.

Iceland and its music

Music in Iceland is not only self-sufficient, but also influential in the context of world culture.

In 1997, the now cult band Sigur Ros appeared here. Their music is called "magic", "heavenly", "divine". They play a mixture of ambient, post-rock and minimalism. The band's leader Jónsi Birgisson is known for his ethereal falsetto, as well as being openly homosexual and playing the electric guitar with a bow. At the same time, of all the participants, only he alone has the appropriate education.

Icelandic compositions are often used as soundtracks. If the titles of the films "Vanilla Sky", "The Immortals: War of the Worlds", "Penelope", "Slumdog Millionaire" tell you something, then it's time to listen to the Hoppipolla track.

Iceland is a land of amazing proportions

Gary Lineker (the legendary English football player) admired the fact that in Iceland more volcanoes than professional football players.

There are actually more volcanoes - 126 versus 120. There really are a lot of "more than people" things here, so it's not surprising that people master many different professions. For example, there are more sheep than homo sapiens - 420,000 versus 332,500.

But there are even more charming puffin birds in Iceland, of which there are as many as 4 million!

David Reid/Flickr.com

On the other hand, there are absolutely no ants on the island, and scientists do not know why.

About conservatism

From an outside perspective, Iceland may seem like an extremely liberal country. Doors in the houses are not closed here. As a long-awaited guest, they accept any person from the street. There is no army in the country, almost no police either. Products stand on the street without any sellers. Being naked in a public place is commonplace, and sexual orientation does not have conservative social labels. But in fact, Iceland is one of the most conservative countries in the world.

Getting a residence permit here is extremely difficult. Moreover, Icelanders are so meticulous that they even have a special language commission. For what? If a foreign word is introduced into the language, then the commission creates a local equivalent for it. For this reason, the Icelandic language is perhaps the only one that has almost no archaic forms, words with an emasculated meaning, and other relic phenomena.

In what language did the Skalds write the Elder Edda 1,000 years ago, in the same language they read it now. Iceland is very zealous about everything national, here literally everything is shrouded in traditions. Each encyclopedia says that the local parliament (Althing) is considered the oldest in Europe - it is 1,000 years old. Icelanders also wanted to join the EU, but changed their minds.

In general, if you decide to splash in the geysers, and admire northern lights- fill your suitcases with Icelandic crowns and go on a trip! True, in this country it is better to use credit cards, since it is not customary to pay in cash here.

Interested in how waiters and other service personnel live without a tip? Yes, they live great! Leaving a tip in Iceland is considered an insult.

For most of us, Iceland is associated with the singer Björk, who was born in this distant land, as well as with the Vikings and snow. But in Iceland, it turns out, there is amazing nature with geysers, volcanoes, glaciers and waterfalls. The nature of Iceland is a source of inspiration for many photographers and artists. No matter when you visit Iceland (summer or winter), Icelanders will always welcome you very hospitably.

Geography of Iceland

Iceland is located northwest of Great Britain in the northern part Atlantic Ocean, where it meets the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is an island. The total territory of Iceland is, together with all the islands, 103,000 sq. km.

14.3% of Iceland's territory is occupied by lakes and glaciers. Only 23% of the territory of Iceland has vegetation that corresponds to the geographical location of this state. The largest lakes in Iceland are Þingvallavatn, Lagarfljót and Mývatn.

Iceland has several volcanoes, some of which are active. Now the most famous Icelandic volcano is Eyjafjallajokull, due to the eruption of which in 2010 air traffic was paralyzed throughout Europe.

The most high peak Iceland - the peak of Hvannadalshnukur, whose height reaches 2109 meters.

Capital

The capital of Iceland is Reykjavik, which is now home to more than 125 thousand people. Historians believe that a human settlement on the territory of modern Reykjavik existed already in the 9th century.

Official language

In Iceland, the official language is Icelandic, which is a Scandinavian language.

Religion

More than 77% of Icelanders are Lutherans (Protestants) belonging to the Church of Iceland. About 10% of the inhabitants of Iceland are Catholics.

State structure

According to the constitution, Iceland is a parliamentary republic, headed by the President, who is elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of 4 years.

Legislative power belongs to the unicameral Parliament - Althingi, consisting of 63 deputies.

Main political parties in Iceland - the Social Democratic Alliance, the Independence Party, the Left-Green Movement and the Progressive Party.

Climate and weather

The climate in Iceland is subarctic maritime, the same as, for example, in Alaska. The warm Gulf Stream has a decisive influence on the Icelandic climate. On south coast Iceland's climate is noticeably milder than on the north coast. The average annual air temperature in Iceland is +5C, and the average annual rainfall is 779 mm.

The highest average air temperature in Iceland is observed in July and August - +14C.

average temperature air in Reykjavik:

• January - 0С
• February - +0.5C
• March - +1.5C
• April - +4C
• May - +7C
• June - +10С
• July - +11.5C
• August - +11C
• september - +8С
• october - +5С
• November - +2C
• December - 0C

Sea in Iceland

In the north, Iceland is washed by the Greenland Sea, in the northwest the Danish Strait separates this country from Greenland, and in the east is the Norwegian Sea.

Rivers and lakes

About 14.3% of Iceland is occupied by glaciers and lakes. The largest lakes are Þingvallavatn, Lagarfljót and Mývatn.

There are many rivers in Iceland, most of them originate in glaciers. Among the longest Icelandic rivers are Tjoursau (230 km) in the south of the country and Jökulsau au Fjödlum in the northeast.

There are a lot of salmon in Icelandic rivers, and trout in lakes.

Story

Iceland was settled by the Norwegian Vikings in the 9th century. The first settlement on the site of modern Reykjavik was founded in 874 by Ingolf Arnason.

In 1262, Iceland fell under the rule of Norway. Around the middle of the 16th century, Lutheranism began to spread in Iceland. Subsequently, this country became completely Lutheran.

In 1814 Spain became part of Denmark. In the middle of the 19th century, a movement developed in Iceland that fought for the independence of this country (by peaceful means). As a result, in 1918 Denmark recognized the independence of Iceland. Thus the Kingdom of Iceland was proclaimed, having a union with Denmark. In June 1944, Iceland was recognized as an independent republic.

In 1946, Iceland was admitted to the UN, and in 1949 it became a member of the NATO military bloc.

Culture of Iceland

The origins of Icelandic culture go back to Norwegian traditions. This is due to the fact that it was the Norwegian Vikings who first settled Iceland.

In Iceland, some Viking traditions are still preserved. So, at the end of January, Icelanders celebrate Men's Day (Bóndadagur). On this day, Icelandic men used to jump around their house while singing songs loudly. In this way they tried to appease the harsh January weather. Now, few Icelanders jump around their house on Men's Day, but on this day, women give them various gifts and flowers.

At the end of February, Iceland celebrates Women's Day (Konudagur). On this day, Icelandic men bring coffee to their women in bed in the morning and give them flowers.

Icelandic Cuisine

The main products of Icelandic cuisine are fish, meat, vegetables, dairy products, and cheese. We advise tourists in Iceland to try the following traditional local dishes:

• Hangikjöt - smoked lamb;
• Harðfiskur - dried fish;
• Saltkjöt - salted lamb;
• Bjúgu - smoked sausage;
• Þorramatur - marinated meat or fish (including shark meat);
• Lax is a salmon dish.

Skyr, a traditional Icelandic soft drink made from sour milk, resembles yogurt.

As for alcoholic drinks in Iceland, the inhabitants of this country prefer beer and local potato vodka with cumin Brennivín.

Landmarks of Iceland

Even though Iceland is a very small country, it has a lot interesting places for tourists. The top ten Icelandic attractions in our opinion include the following:

Cities and resorts

The largest Icelandic cities are Hafnarfjordur, Akureyri, Kopavogur, and, of course, Reykjavik.

Iceland has a lot of geysers and lakes that have medicinal properties. Therefore, it is not surprising that this country has several geothermal resorts. The most famous of them is located on the Blue Lagoon Lake.

Souvenirs/Shopping

I haven't updated this section for a long time. But we have already discussed with you Look who is interested before the trip, and we will continue about Iceland. So …

1. Iceland is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, with about 320 thousand people living here, and before the Second World War the country's population was only 50 thousand.

2. Since everyone in Iceland knows each other, when parting or divorcing a couple always tries to maintain a good relationship. Cases when an ex-boyfriend does not communicate with an ex-girlfriend or ex-spouses do not talk to each other are extremely rare, because in any case, they have almost all friends and acquaintances in common.

3. Instead of surnames in Iceland - patronymics, that is, an analogue of our patronymic. The particle “sleep” (that is, son) or “dottir” (if it is a daughter) is added to the name of the father, for example, Silia Palmarsdottir, that is, Silia Palmars daughter, is added.

4. In the event that the father for some reason does not recognize the child, the son or daughter receives a matronym as a surname, that is, the same patronymic, but by the name of the mother.

5. Since everyone in Reykjavik knows each other, the doors of houses here are often not locked, car keys are left in cars, and children in strollers are left unattended at the entrance to a cafe, bar or shop.

6. In Reykjavik, it is considered normal to go to the nearest grocery store in pajamas.

7. Residents of Reykjavik almost always pay for purchases with bank cards, even if they order coffee at a bar. Cash is not accepted here.

8. Icelanders are sure that blowing your nose is unhealthy, so in winter everyone here sniffs, that is, sorry, they draw snot into themselves.

9. But spitting, on the contrary, is not considered indecent, even girls spit on the street and in public places without any problems.

10. In fact, winter in Iceland is not as cold as we used to think, the temperature here rarely drops below -6 degrees.

11. But in winter it is dark in Iceland, on December 21 - on the shortest day of the year, dawn comes at 10.30, and the sun sets already at 16.00. In the summer, long nights are replaced by long days, compared to which the white nights in St. Petersburg are simply nothing, in June in Iceland the sun sets for only a couple of hours.

12. The lack of sunlight in winter is compensated to some extent by the northern lights, you can see it all the time, so after a couple of weeks you no longer pay attention to it.

13. Since the sun does not shine in Iceland in winter, all the inhabitants of the country, in order to avoid rickets and other unpleasant diseases, take fish oil without fail, but not in liquid form, but in tasteless capsules.

14. Almost all Icelanders have profiles on Facebook, according to the latest data, Iceland is an active country in the social network.

15. Even if a resident of Iceland for some reason does not have a profile on Facebook, he can still be easily found on the network. All residents of the country voluntarily register on the ja.is website, where they indicate their first and last name, phone number, address and place on the map where their house is located.

16. In Iceland, if a person is well disposed towards you, he demonstrates this by touching you every now and then.

17. There are an order of magnitude more blondes in Iceland than brunettes, so local residents like to dye their hair a darker shade.

18. In order to spend the night with an Icelandic girl, long courtship is not required, most Icelandic women are, as they say, easy going, including why Italians and Spaniards love to come to Reykjavik so much.

19. Icelanders are very tolerant, a gay parade is regularly held in Reykjavik, homosexual marriages have been allowed here since 2010, and the percentage of bisexuals in the country is very high.

20. The most popular professions in Iceland are artist, musician or designer. Every second bartender or waiter tries to get an education in a creative specialty, and at the same time plays in some kind of rock or folk band.

21. For the reason described above, no one uses the services of designers, for example, in order to come up with the design of an apartment or a wedding dress. The inhabitants of Iceland are sure that each of them is an artist himself, therefore they prefer to invent the interior of the apartment and the design of the dress on their own.

22. Repairs in apartments are also done mainly with their own hands, without hiring workers.

23. Icelanders are crazy about Eurovision, they take the competition of young performers very seriously here, and during the live broadcast the whole country is watching what is happening on TV.

24. There are no McDonald's restaurants in Iceland, the latter closed in 2008 during the crisis.

25. The most popular names in Iceland: male - Jon and female - Guvrun. Also, ancient mythological names are still common, for example, aðalsteinn, which means "main stone".

26. Icelanders, like Russians, like to use in everyday life not full, but abbreviated versions of names, so David in the diminutive Icelandic version will be Dabby, Guvrun - Gunna, Stefan - Steppi, Jon - Nonnie, etc.

27. The language of Iceland has not changed much over the past 1000 years, so there are letters in it that have disappeared from English, plus the inhabitants of the country can read the old Viking sagas in the original without any problems.

28. The local population generally loves to read, today, according to some sources, Icelanders are the most reading people in the world.

29. The price of wine in Iceland is often determined not by the year of its production or quality, but by the strength. Thus, an expensive but light French wine can cost many times less than a 15-degree chatter.

30. Not in Iceland armed forces, their functions are performed to some extent by the Coast Guard.

31. The police in Iceland do not carry weapons, they are not given pistols.

32. Residents of Reykjavik for the most part terribly park, they can throw the car right across the street. The presence of tow trucks and fines for parking in the wrong place do little to help.

33. Icelanders try to use only renewable energy sources, gas and gasoline are used here only to fuel cars and boats, and this is because electric cars have not taken root in the country.

34. You don’t need to pay for water in restaurants and cafes, it is still poured from a water tap. This is water from local thermal springs, and therefore it is absolutely drinkable.

35. Hot tap water in Iceland smells like rotten eggs. The fact is that it also enters the water supply system directly from hot thermal springs, and they are rich in hydrogen sulfide.

36. Taking hot thermal baths is a popular option for evening leisure in Reykjavik, the cost of visiting with a subscription is about 5 euros.

37. In the houses of Iceland, as in Russia, there is a central heating system, which distinguishes the country from Italy or France, where you have to pay for each inclusion of the heater.

38. Until the seventies of the twentieth century, Icelandic law allowed the inhabitants of the country to kill Turks with impunity. This is because in the past, Turkish pirates often plundered Icelandic ships and coastal villages.

39. To this day, Icelandic law allows the inhabitants of the country to kill polar bears for food.

40. In Iceland, licorice is very popular, it is added to any dishes, plus chocolates with licorice filling are produced here.

41. A national dish Iceland - haukarl - rotten meat of the Greenland shark cut into small pieces. If you do not chew it and just swallow it, it is still quite edible, but if you chew the meat, you will feel the “magic” taste of urea. The fact is that the Greenland shark does not have a urinary tract and its meat contains poisonous ammonia. In order for the meat to be eaten, it is left to rot for three months underground or in the basement. The creators of The Simpsons sneered at the taste of this dish, among other things, in one of the episodes of the animated series.

42. In Iceland, they eat mainly fish, while all dishes are poured over the top with mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, after which the real taste of fish may not be recognized.

43. Most Icelanders have very bad teeth, while Iceland is one of the main sugar-consuming countries, and Coca-Cola is also very popular here.

44. Most Icelanders still believe in elves and trolls, which leads to difficulties in building a house or road. Before construction begins, local “witches” are consulted here to see if it is possible to move this or that stone, or whether an elf lives under it. Sometimes, in order not to “offend” the elf and move the stone, the Icelanders have to perform magical rites, for example, keep the stone in honey for some time.

45. 2148 people in Iceland adhere to the pagan teachings of the Ásatrú Association, which is based on the revival of Icelandic and Norwegian pagan beliefs. This religion is officially accepted, and its ministers can perform a wedding ceremony, which is equivalent to the traditional registration of marriage.

46. ​​In addition to the well-known Santa Claus in Iceland, there are 15 more Santa Clauses different types, by and large they are all elves, in which the locals believe.

47. Every major store in Reykjavik has a playground.

48. All Icelanders wear lopapeysa - a knitted jacket made of sheep's wool with a characteristic national pattern. We can say that this is the very example of a national costume that has not disappeared over time.

49. Icelanders are proud to have the oldest undisbanded parliament in the world, it is called Alþingi and was founded in 930.

50. Residents of Iceland are very trusting, when applying for a job, they do not ask a foreigner for recommendations from a previous job, but simply take the newcomer's word for it.

51. In the Icelandic Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, the so-called "necropants" made from the skin of the lower body of a dead man are on display. To get them, the Icelandic sorcerer had to obtain the consent of a person during his lifetime, and after death, dig up the body from the grave and tear off the skin in one piece. Then the ritual demanded to steal a coin from the widow and put the necropants in the scrotum along with a special sign drawn on a piece of paper. It was believed that wearing such pants would allow you to get rich quickly.

52. Every citizen of Iceland has access to the Íslendingabók website, a genealogical database containing information on family ties of all Icelanders since the 18th century. The task of compiling such a database could be solved thanks to the not very large population of the state (just over 300 thousand) and the fact that Iceland throughout its history was weakly influenced by both emigration and immigration. Many young people use this site to check if their new lover is a cousin or cousin to rule out the possibility of incest. Another popular use of the site is to check the degree of relationship with famous personalities. For example, every Icelander can find out how many generations he is related to Björk.

53. The most famous representatives of Icelandic folklore are the Huldufolk, or hidden people, who are often identified with elves. These creatures are believed to hide in the mountains, although some Icelanders build small houses for them in their gardens and even small churches to convert the elves to Christianity. Sometimes in Iceland, building or utility plans are changed to avoid disturbing the supposed habitats of the elves, and in 2004 Alcoa even had to get a certificate from a government expert that the site chosen for the construction of an aluminum smelter was free from hidden people. Polls show that the number of Icelanders who admit or are sure of its existence is greater than those who doubt or completely deny the elves.

54. Iceland is predominantly coastal and people travel around the country mainly along the coast. Historically, Icelanders refer to the northwest edge of the island as west, the northeast edge as north, the east edge as east, and the Reykjavík area as south. Therefore, linguistic incidents are possible: heading from the northwestern outskirts towards the northeastern outskirts, the Icelander says that he is going “to the north”, although in fact he is moving east, and heading from the southwestern outskirts towards Reykjavik, i.e. in fact north, the Icelander says he is going "south".

55. Prior to the 1990s, there was a law in Iceland whereby a foreigner wishing to acquire Icelandic citizenship had to adopt an Icelandic name or change his own according to the traditions of the Icelandic language. But there were exceptions for celebrities. When the Soviet conductor and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazi emigrated to Iceland, the country's government added a new one to the official list of permitted names - "Vladimir Ashkenazy".

56. In the Scandinavian countries, dishes from rotten or fermented fish are common. For example, the Icelandic dish hakarl is made from rotten shark meat, and the Swedish surströmming is made from sour herring.

57. Most of the inhabitants of Iceland do not have a surname familiar to us, but are designated by their first and patronymic names. For example, Magnus Karlsson is Magnus, Karl's son, and Anna Karlsdottir is Anna, Karl's daughter.

59. The countries of Scandinavia (Norway and Iceland) have the highest birth rate in Europe among the indigenous, and not the alien population. The Scandinavians initially relied on improving the quality of life of the child, and not on increasing the number of births.

60. The Detifoss waterfall, located in Iceland, is considered the most powerful waterfall in Europe: it dumps about 500 m³ of water per second. Spray from it is visible at a distance of a kilometer, and in sunny weather, the waterfall is certainly decorated with a rainbow.

62. For a long time, negotiations between representatives of the Scandinavian countries were conducted in “Scandinavian” (in Swedish, Norwegian or Danish), but in recent years, the Scandinavian languages ​​have been more often replaced by English at the request of the representatives of Finland and Iceland

63. The largest glacier in Europe, Vatna-Yokul (“glacier that provides water”, 8.5 thousand square kilometers, which is equal to the area of ​​\u200b\u200ball glaciers of the European subcontinent) is located in the southeast of the country.

64. According to European Union statistics, more than 25% of the energy consumed by Scandinavians comes from renewable sources. For comparison, we note that for other European countries this figure is, on average, only six percent.

65. According to experts, health care is financed most of all by Iceland, Germany and Norway - more than 9% of the state budget.

66 Reykjavik is the northernmost metropolis in the world (64 N), founded in 874. Reykjavik got its name from the eruption of geothermal vapors from geothermal springs, and literally it means "Smoky Bay".

67. The widest "boiling" river in the world is Deidartunguver north of Reykjavik. The water consumption in these cascades of boiling water, gushing from hot springs, is 225 liters. per second.

68. The longest-lived creature on Earth was found off the coast of Iceland. They turned out to be a clam. Scientists counted the number of rings on its shell and found that the age of the creature is 405-410 years.

69. The territory of Iceland covers 103,300 square meters. km, of which glaciers cover 11,000 sq. km, and lakes - 2,700 sq. km. The country is rich in forests, extending over an area of ​​about

1,511 sq. km. The largest lake in the country is called Dingvallavatn, and the highest peak is Hvannadalshnukur.70. More than 300,000 people live in the country, of which about 150,000 live in the capital. Part of the population settled along the coastal regions. Many interior regions of the country are not suitable for living. The average life expectancy of Icelanders is 80 years.

71. As there are many volcanoes in Iceland, 30 of which have erupted in the last two hundred years, they are used to generate geothermal energy. The rivers flowing through the country provide it with hydroelectric energy. Since there are many rivers with hot water, the country receives heating that does not pollute the environment.

72. The Scandinavians settled in Iceland at the beginning of the 9th century. The founder of the capital is the Norwegian Viking Ingólfur Arnarson. Thus, people here use the Viking language, which has been perfected by many civilizations. The inhabitants of the island bear the names of the father, not the surnames. Consequently, members of the same family have different surnames, which can confuse foreigners.

73. Icelanders are enjoying the heritage of antiquity, having made some modern changes to them. They live in perfect harmony. There are many artists in the country who are specialists in the art of singing and composing.

74. At different times of the year, many colorful festivals are held here, and thematic exhibitions are often organized. The country has a great culinary tradition, where seafood delicacies occupy an important place.75. Iceland is one of the first countries in the world to have a republican government. Now the country is governed by a parliament called Althing (Althing), it consists of 63 members. These members are elected every four years. The head of state has no influence on the politics of the country.

76. The country's economy is heavily dependent on fishing. Most people in the country work in the fishing industry and other related businesses. The current government is focusing on the tourism industry, in addition, the second largest industry, close in importance to the fishing industry, is the export industry. The main part of the country's income comes from the export of seafood.

77. Iceland is a recognized member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).78. Many activities on the island attract more and more tourists. These include whale watching, bird watching, hiking, horseback riding, skiing, bicycle rides, fishing, kayaking and excursions to glaciers.

79. Less than one percent of the world's population will be able to pronounce the word Eyyafyatlayukutl. This is the most famous Icelandic volcano. Of the several thousand people surveyed, only 0.005% managed to pronounce this word.

80. Since July 1, 2010 striptease has been banned in Iceland. To date, this is the only European country where this type of dance is prohibited.81. Despite the strong physical condition of the majority of the population, the most common sport in the country is chess. In 1931, the parliament was dissolved for the holidays due to the arrival of the famous Russian chess player Alexei Alekhin.

82. Today, more than 11% of Iceland is covered by glaciers. The parliament in Iceland has been operating since the tenth century, namely from 930, and is considered the oldest working parliament in the world. It operates even today.

83. Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, the northernmost capital of planet Earth. Back in the ninth century, the first settler of the island built a farm on the site of the capital, from which the country began to grow in all directions. His name was Ingolf Arnarson. Translated from the ancient Celtic language, Reykjavik is read as “Smoking Bay”.84. In 1963 new island Surtsey appeared in the ocean off the southern coast of Iceland as a result of a volcanic eruption.

86. Iceland is the most big Island volcanic origin.

87. Scandinavians settled in Iceland at the beginning of the 9th century. The first settler is the Norwegian Viking Ingólfur Arnarsson.

88. Iceland publishes 4 times as many books per capita as the US.

89. Iceland has a special phallological museum that displays 150 penises from more than 40 species of mammals, as well as a collection of related items. So far, there is no human phallus in the exposition, but the curator of the museum has already secured consent to receive this exhibit after the death of one eighty-year-old farmer, who is still in the “sexual” ranks.

90. The central part of the island in winter is so harsh and so similar to the lunar landscape that NASA worked out with its astronauts an exit to the surface of the moon in Central Iceland.

91. Vigdis Finnbogadottir is the first female president in Europe and the second in the world. Icelanders are very proud of this fact. She was elected in 1980 and served four terms as president until 1996.

92. Country area 7 times more area Moscow region.

93. Cod is depicted on the 1 ISK coin, herring is depicted on 10 kroner, crab is depicted on 50 kroner, and sea bass is depicted on 100 kroner. The Icelandic currency is called isk for short.

94. There are no trees in Iceland. Rather, there are individual trees and artificial plantings, but there are no dense forests. The first Icelandic settlers are to blame for this. When the field was exhausted, they burned a new piece of forest and sowed barley on it. Gradually, the forests on the island disappeared, and today soil erosion is one of the main problems of the country.

95. Icelanders are very proud of their language, and in every possible way oppose the pernicious, as it seems to them, influence on Icelandic of other languages. There is even a special language commission, the main purpose of which is to protect Icelandic from the penetration of foreign words. When a foreign concept or definition comes into use in a country, the commission specially invents or finds an Icelandic equivalent for it.

96. There are few cats in Iceland.

97. There are no railways in Iceland. It is preferable to travel on the usual roads of Iceland in a 4x4 jeep. Optimally - on a superjeep with huge, more than a meter, wheels.

The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

Iceland is a small and distant country located in the west of Northern Europe in the North Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps Iceland will not be included in the top thirty countries where most people would like to go on vacation, because few people remember it at all. But recently, thanks to the Euro 2016 championship, the whole world has learned about this small country.

Europe not only learned about Iceland, but fell in love with this unique country, where only 330 thousand people live, and the Icelandic footballers turned out to play so selflessly and unitedly that they literally swept away the almost invincible England. Now everyone loves the Icelandic team, which plays in such a way that it captures the spirit, loves what they do and especially their fans. The video, where, after the victory in the 1/8 finals, the entire sector of fans repeated the Icelandic applause after the players, captivated all football fans.

Here are 19 facts that make Iceland even more remarkable and unique.

(Total 19 photos)

Such a unity of the team and fans would be the envy of many football teams.

The main Icelandic celebrity, singer Björk, has 410,000 followers on Instagram (80,000 more than the population of Iceland).

Icelanders meet and chat in hot pools. Nowhere else.

Iceland does not have a standing army. According to Forbes, the country ranks first in the world for peacefulness.

There are no mosquitoes. That is, no, it doesn't exist.

Dog cold in Iceland is a myth. The average temperature of the winter months does not fall below minus 4 degrees Celsius.

There can't be a Lokomotiv club in Iceland because there isn't railways.

There are no McDonald's restaurants in Iceland. The latter closed back in 2008 at the height of the crisis.

Until 1989, beer was considered illegal in Iceland.

Striptease clubs have been banned since 2010.

Icelandic police do not carry weapons, because there is practically no crime in the country.

The Euro 2016 match Hungary - Iceland was watched on TV by 98% of the country's population.

In Iceland's top league, the shortest season is from May to September.

On April 24, 1996, in the game against Estonia, Arnor Gudjohnsen was replaced by his son Eidur. This is the first time in football history that a father and son have played in the same international match.

Hannes Haldersson, the main goalkeeper of the national team, three years ago made a living directing. In particular, he produced a clip for the representatives of Iceland at Eurovision 2012.

Gudmundur Benediktsson, the most emotional commentator, who until a couple of days ago was the coach of Reykjavik, is married to the granddaughter of Albert Gudmundsson, Iceland's first professional football player. He managed to play for Milan and Arsenal, and then became the Minister of Finance of Iceland.

Team captain Aron Gunnarsson only started playing football at the age of 15. Prior to that, he was a promising handball player and played three matches in the adult Icelandic championship.

The subject of our review today will be Iceland. country description, Interesting Facts, attractions - all this in the material below.

general information

Iceland is an island and a state. is 103 thousand square meters. km, where about 322 thousand people live. The capital is the city of Reykjavik, where one third of the total population of the country is concentrated, and with the suburbs - more than half. official language is the Icelandic, and the currency is the Icelandic krone, which in 2016 was 122 kroons per 1 USD. Iceland is a parliamentary republic headed by a president elected for 4 years. To enter the country, Russian citizens need a passport and a Schengen visa.

Location

Iceland - the country of ice - is located at the northern tip of the Atlantic Ocean, there are no more large areas of land up to the North Pole. Her Northern part located near the Arctic Circle.

The island is remote from the rest of Europe: from the nearest Faroe Islands at 420 km, from the island of Great Britain at 860 km, and from the nearest point on the continental coast of Norway at 970 km. An interesting fact is that, despite this, Iceland belongs to European countries, although it is much closer to the North American island of Greenland - 287 km.

Iceland: interesting facts about the country

The discovery of Iceland dates back to the end of the 8th century by Irish monks, and after them the Normans Nadod and Floki got here. Following these events, at the end of the 9th century, the active settlement of the island by the Vikings began - immigrants from Norway, who for half a century managed to master almost all the lands suitable for habitation and economic development.

In 1264, Iceland was annexed to Norway, and in 1381, it became part of Denmark. The country gained its independence only in 1944.

The inhabitants of the island are a courageous and proud people, respecting their historical past and cultural traditions. In particular, to the old Icelandic legends - sagas, telling about tribal strife, exciting events, about elves, gnomes and other mysterious characters, in whose existence some residents still believe.

Iceland is that there is practically no crime here - there is only one prison, and no more than a dozen people are kept in it. The police here go without weapons, but there is no army at all.

basis modern economy make up only two industries - aluminum processing and fishing. By the way, it will be said that the islanders are inferior in annual catch volumes from European countries only Norway.

Iceland is one of the wealthiest countries. Thus, the average per capita annual income here is $39,000 (according to our ruble standards, every resident here, including a baby, is a millionaire).

Nature

The country of Iceland, for all its modest size, is the world's largest island of volcanic origin. The relief of the island is predominantly mountainous, the peaks are the vents of extinct and active volcanoes. The highest of them is the Hvannadalshnukur peak (2110 m), located in the south west coast. The most low point is located very close - it is a lagoon of a glacial lake (0 meters above sea level).

Many of the active volcanoes from time to time declare themselves with powerful eruptions. The largest volcano of the island is considered to be the famous Hekla (1488 meters), located not far from the “Great Reykjavik” and frightened the locals with its eruption in 2000.

The longest river of the island is the Tjoursau (237 km). Of other water bodies, glaciers abound and glacial lakes found ubiquitously and in innumerable quantities.

Iceland is unique in its diversity of natural landscapes. In addition to glaciers, the surface of the country in many places is covered with lava fields. Geysers and hot springs are often found in these areas. Rocky placers covered with dense mosses and lichens, islands of birch forests and meadows of grassy herbs are widespread throughout the island. Waterfalls give special picturesqueness to the area in various parts of the island. On the west coast, numerous fjords amaze with their beauty. National parks have been created to protect the stunning nature in the country.

Climate and typical weather

Iceland is a northern country that doesn't quite live up to its icy name. Washing it, especially from the south, the Gulf Stream, do not allow it to become a cold, harsh desert.

Winters here are relatively warm, with an average monthly temperature of -1 °C, which can be the envy of many more southerly located territories of Russia. However, during some periods of this season, cold winds are frequent, which, together with accumulations of drifting Arctic ice, especially in the southeast, cause sharp drops in temperature to -30 ° C. Daylight hours are no more than five hours.

Summer is not hot here. Average temperatures in July are only +12 °C. It is warmest on the south coast - up to +20 °C, with highs up to + 30 °C. In summer, the entire island is illuminated by the sun around the clock, and there are white nights characteristic of the polar latitudes.

Precipitation is unevenly distributed across the island. For example, on the west coast their number ranges from 1300 to 2000 mm per year, on the northeast their norm is up to 750 mm, and in the mountainous part southern regions can have values ​​up to 4000 mm.

The weather here is very changeable, and without exaggeration we can say that it can change in just a few minutes. It had just been warm and sunny, when suddenly the sky was overcast, and a cold, dank wind blew. Residents of the country jokingly tell their visiting guests and tourists: “If suddenly you didn’t like something in the weather, then don’t despair, wait half an hour and it will change.”

Attractions Reykjavik

Reykjavik - main city, the capital of Iceland. What country can not boast of a huge number of attractions? So Iceland has something to show tourists. In particular, its main city houses historical and architectural monuments, museums and modern institutions. Among them, the attention of tourists is attracted by:

• Temple of Hallgrimskirkja is a cult Lutheran building of the mid-20th century, in the form of a volcanic eruption. Inside is a large organ. In front of the church is a statue of the Happy.
• The Cathedral, which is the main temple, built at the end of the XVIII century.
• The building of the Althingi (Parliament) in the style of classicism, erected in the 19th century.
• Perlan, or pearl, looks like a camomile with a blue dome. It is located on a high hill and has a rotating platform for viewing the panorama of the city. Inside the building are the Saga Museum, a winter garden, an artificial geyser, shopping pavilions and restaurants.
• Kaffi Reykjavik - this bar is unusual in that it consists of solid blocks of ice, and drinks are always served in ice glasses.
• Concert Hall "Kharpa" Its façades are made up of multicolored glass cells, which, with the help of built-in LEDs, impress visitors with a play of colors.

Blue Lagoon

The lagoon is a geothermal spring and resort with all the proper infrastructure. This is perhaps the most famous and visited place for hundreds of thousands of tourists. A lagoon is an artificially created body of water with a constant temperature of 40 °C. This is the only place of its kind on the planet that is filled with visitors. all year round. It has been found that bathing in the mineral-rich waters of the lake helps to heal skin diseases.

Valley of Geysers

It arose in the XIII century after a strong earthquake. The main source, called the Great Geysir, throws out a jet of water very high temperature to a height of up to 70 meters from a depth of more than two thousand meters. The contemplation of this majestic spectacle leaves a strong impression. There are also places for bathing in less hot springs. Residents use the natural heat of geysers to heat their homes.

Seljalandsfoss waterfall

The waterfall is located in the south of the island and is very popular with tourists. Water falls from a height of 60 meters. She runs down the rocks that used to be coastline, but now a picturesque valley has formed on this place. The beauty of the waterfall (combined with the surrounding landscape) has no equal. That is why his photographs are placed on calendars and postcards.

colored mountains

During the warm season in national park Landmannalaugar you can see a striking sight - colorful mountains. The slopes of the mountains shine with unusual stripes - brown, yellow, pink, blue, purple, green, white and black. The reason for this phenomenon is associated with the volcanic origin of rocks. The location of the park near the Hekla volcano makes it one of the most popular tourist centers countries.

Vatnajökull National Park

What else can you tell about Iceland? Facts about the country, all its sights simply cannot be listed in one article. But still I would like to mention this park. It was created in 2008. It covers almost 12% of Iceland and is the largest in Europe. The main highlight of the park is the eponymous glacier with an area of ​​​​up to 8100 square meters. km and ice thickness up to 500 meters. Under its shell, there are beautiful ice caves, as well as seven active volcanoes.

As an entertainment, Vatnajökull tourists can take walks along beautiful places, engage in winter sports, but bathing in hot springs located inside ice caves is in special demand.

Undoubtedly, this is only a small part of the natural attractions of the country of Iceland; many more interesting and mysterious things await tourists in its open spaces.