History And Geography

History

The Vikings were the first inhabitants that came to the island in 874 AD and settled in the area where Reykjavik is currently located. The island nation came under Norwegian rule in 1262, but soon after came under Danish control in 1397 with the formation of the Kalmar Union that included the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

A new constitution was adapted in 1874 and in 1918, it was officially recognized as a separate state with unlimited sovereignty. Although, the recognition was given under the ‘Act of Union', Iceland continued to function under the Danish monarchy. While the Germans occupied Denmark during World War II, Iceland was occupied first by the British and then by American troops who used it as a strategic air base. Although, Iceland had officially declared itself as a neutral country, it co-operated with allied forces all throughout the war. Based on a popular referendum, the island nation proclaimed its independence on June 17, 1944.

Iceland went on to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 and its strategic location lead to the establishment of an American airbase in 1951. After being admitted to the European Free Trade Association in 1970, the island nation extended its territorial fishing limits from three miles to two hundred nautical miles. This lead to a dispute between Iceland and UK, referred to as the ‘cod wars', which was resolved in 1976 after UK gave official recognition to the new limits. In 1980, the Icelanders created history by electing a woman to the office of the presidency, the first elected female president in the world. The country was affected by recession in the early 1990's but rebounded soon after, with help from European countries.

David Oddsson was again nominated to lead the country in 2003, making him the only person in Europe to hold the term of prime minister for the longest duration. As per the coalition agreement between the two political parties, Foreign Minister Halldor Asgrimsson and Oddsson switched positions in 2004.

Geography

Iceland is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is Europe's second largest island. The island nation is spread over an area of 39,756 square miles. The distance from north to south is about 185 miles and from east to west is around 305 miles. The coastline stretches for some 3,700 miles. It is situated at a distance of 180 miles from Greenland, 495 miles from Scotland, and 590 miles from Norway. In terms of geology, Iceland can be said to be a young country as the formation of its landmass is still going on. The interior's are characterized by high plateaus and mountains where the average height is 1640 feet above sea level and the highest point is Hvannadalshnúkur, which is located at an altitude of 6,950 feet above sea level.

Iceland is home to some of the world's most active volcanoes. Approximately two hundred volcanoes are located on the island, of which about thirty have erupted since the island was occupied for the first time in the ninth century. Based on historical and written records, the average period between two eruptions is five years. More or less every type of volcanic activity can be found on the island and the most common are fissure eruptions. The most recent large eruption occurred in 1783 when the Lakagígar volcano erupted throwing up gases and ashes and poisoning the grasslands and causing tremendous damage in the countryside. The lava flow from the eruption spread over an area of 351 square mile, which is supposed to be the largest known in the world.

Apart from the many glaciers, rivers, and streams, the island nation is home to some of the highest concentrations of hot springs in a given area. Steam holes, sulphuric precipitation, and mud pools characterize most of the geo-thermal geysers lying in the volcanic median zone. The main areas where geothermal activity occurs are located at Hengill near Reykjavík, Grímsvötn in the Vatnajökull glacier, Torfajökull in the east of Hekla, Námafjall near Mývatn, Krísuvík south of Reykjav'k and Kverkfjöll on the north side of Vatnajökull.