The history of each country is fascinating and difficult. Iceland Square has been formed for many centuries, despite the fact that it is an island nation. There are a lot of facts about the geography of this country. What did the coins of the Roman Empire on the island do? Are the Vikings involved in the formation of the state? What area is Iceland? More on this and much more.
Country formation
The area of the island of Iceland is now 103 thousand 125 square kilometers. But what happened to the country many centuries ago? For the first time about Iceland, you can find information dated IX century AD. But already in the modern history of the state there is an event that refutes the basic theory of its formation. The fact is that Roman coins were found on the island, which were used in the III century BC. e.
This event can be explained by the fact that the Vikings brought money to the island later, but this is not known exactly now. Perhaps the area of Iceland was explored until the 9th century. This fact is confirmed by the words of the navigator from Greece, who in the IV century BC. e. described a similar territory.
God help
There is a theory that suggests that Irish monks found the island of Iceland. The area they needed was to pray to their gods. First they found the Faroe Islands, which were still deserted and not inhabited, and later, perhaps, reached the “Ice Land”.
There is an assumption that the name Thule became the first name for the current country. The monks got there already at the end of the VIII century, when the Faroe Islands were settled by their relatives, sheep began to be raised there, and active life began.
Data
It is known that the area of the island of Iceland was investigated already in the 9th century. From Norway, Naddod arrived here with the other Vikings. They thought that they could arrange life here, but, having climbed a mountain, they did not find anything suitable. When they left the island, snow fell, and Naddod gave the future state the loud name “Snow Land”.
The next visitor was Gardar Svavarsson. He decided to find out what area is on the island of Iceland, and generally explore the territory. He sailed for a long time, but in winter his team found it difficult to survive, and it was decided to stay in the northern bay. Then they formed a small settlement, which to this day is called Husavik ("Bay of houses").
The next Viking conqueror, Floki Wilgerdarsson, decided to thoroughly deal with what kind of land this is, Iceland. He went around the area in search of the city of Gardar. On the way, he and his people found a fjord and decided to build here. Hindness played a cruel joke with his people, all cattle during the winter died from lack of food. In the spring, Floki examined the fjord, but, finding that it is still covered with ice, gave the island the name Iceland ("Land of Ice").
Already at the end of the 9th century, the settlement of the island began. People organized their state system, and in 1000 formed a faith. Christianity has become their official religion. Icelanders were very educated, so their story remained forever in works of art.
Dependence
It so happened that right up to 1918 the country fought for its independence, and the area of Iceland in the square. km as a state it was impossible to determine. First I had to share with Norway, then fight with Denmark.
By historical coincidence, when the Danish-Norwegian union was annulled, all territories had to move to Sweden. But they forgot about Iceland, and it remained under the rule of Denmark. For a long time, dissatisfied inhabitants of the Land of Ice rebuilt their monastery under the rule of another power. They methodically formed the necessary authorities, their education system and economy.
Exemption
The state entered into a union with Denmark and became independent on December 1, 1918. World War I did not affect the island, but brought a flu pandemic here. In World War II, Iceland tried to maintain neutrality, but the British violated it and entered Reykjavik harbor. In 1944, the island became a fully independent state, exchanging kingdom status for a republic.
basic information
So, we already know what is the area of the island of Iceland. The territory of the state also occupies 103 thousand km². This country is located west of Northern Europe, north of the Atlantic Ocean. It is worth noting that in addition to the main island, there are also several small lands belonging to the state around.
If you do not take into account the fact that glaciers occupy more than 11 thousand square kilometers, the area of Iceland in sq. km will be 92 thousand. By the way, out of the whole territory, only a quarter is suitable for life. In the central part of the island there are volcanoes, fields and glaciers.
Between whom to share the area?
The area of Iceland is divided into Sisla and urban districts. Sisla, in turn, consists of cities and communes. One of the urban districts is Reykjavik. It is located in the first region with the strange name of Hyvudborgarsvaidid. In total there are 8 regions on the island and, accordingly, 8 administrative centers.
Capital
It is known that the entire area of the island of Iceland (in sq. Km) includes not only the islands, but also the peninsula. On one of them is the capital of the state - Reykjavik. It occupies only 275 km² of the Seltjarnarnes peninsula. Here lives more than half of the total population of the country - 202 thousand people. The remaining 119 thousand live in other major cities: Koupavogyur, Habnarfjordur, Akureyri, Husavik, etc.
It is very difficult for tourists on the island to fall asleep in the summer, since there is practically no night here. The sun sets at midnight and begins to rise already at 2-3 o'clock in the morning. But in winter you can see the "white light" only 4 hours a day.
Geographical surprises
Looking at what area of Iceland you understand that this island holds many secrets of geography. It is believed that the Land of Ice is a young state that emerged from volcanoes active in the last 60 million years.
Those who have never heard of or were interested in the country will be surprised that there are almost 30 volcanoes on the island. Moreover, from the moment people populated Iceland, 20 of them have already disturbed the peace of man. It is also interesting that among the many types of volcanoes, almost all are found on the island. When the Laki volcano erupted in the late 1780s, lava covered Iceland’s vast area - more than 570 km².
Another troubled fire-breathing giant erupted twice in the 20th century. By 1963, one of the underwater volcanoes created the island of Iceland - Surtoye. And from another one had to save the inhabitants of a small town in the early 1970s.
Too active
Now the most active volcano is Eyyafyadlayokyudl. His activity began in 2010, on a March night. Then, many already knew about the impending disaster, since they had already observed seismic activity at the end of 2009. A month before the eruption, they were able to detect the movement of the earth's crust. Moreover, in early March, it was possible to record more than three thousand tremors per day.
The glaciers began to melt quickly, so I had to relocate the inhabitants of nearby settlements. The airport also had to close during the eruption. The day before the activation of the volcano, terrible tremors began underground, approaching the surface. The eruption began on March 20 in the evening. Then a fault occurred in one part of the glacier. At first, the cloud rose a kilometer in height, but large volumes of ash were not observed.
Later, several days later, water fell into the crater, which led to an explosion of steam and an increase in the activity of the eruption. Another rupture occurred on the last day of the month, and until April 5, the volcano spewed lava from two cracks 0.3 and 0.5 km long.
Already in mid-April, people had to be resettled again, as the second eruption began. Then the ashes rose 8 kilometers into the air, and the crack was already 2 kilometers in length. A few days later, the ash column rose another 5 km higher, which caused it to enter the stratosphere.
Europe also fell victim to such activity of the fire-breathing giant. April 15, the country canceled more than 5 thousand flights. Denmark and the United Kingdom have closed their airports. In addition to financial losses, many heads of state could not get to Poland for the president’s funeral.
Ice as a business card
Iceland would not be the “Glacial Country”, if not for its main attraction - glaciers. The area of Iceland in thousand km2 gave more than 11% to these natural formations. In addition, glaciers significantly affect the climate, flora and fauna of the island, and, of course, its landscape.
More than 11 thousand square kilometers of Iceland were occupied by these huge "cold mountains". Almost every one of them hid a volcano, thereby endangering the entire population. The fact is that geothermal processes occur inside, leading to floods. If the volcano begins to actively manifest itself, then there is the likelihood of an explosion of ice water, which leads to an eruption.
Most glaciers are located inside the island. The largest of them has an area of more than 8 thousand square meters. km Just in this area is the highest point of the island - 2109 m. All other glaciers are much smaller.
Water open spaces
In addition to ice, the island has liquid water. There are a lot of rivers that formed due to frequent rainfall. Despite the fact that they are quite large, they are not used as a transport route. This is because frequent changes in the tectonic structure lead to a change in the flow and divergence of flows.
There are also beautiful large lakes. The most famous among them are Thingvladavatn and Tourisvatn. The first has an area of 84 square kilometers and the deepest point of 114 meters. Due to the fact that it is a natural body of water, the lake is protected by the National Park. But Tourisvatn is the reservoir of Iceland. Its area is 88 square kilometers. The lake was created by a dam in order to generate electricity. By the way, it is noteworthy that, unlike other reservoirs of the island, Tourisvatn has a bright green color.
Plants
With vegetation in the country is very bad. We know how much Iceland is, we know the number of glaciers on the island. Of the entire territory, only a quarter of the island is covered with greenery. All this is connected with the soil. It is mineral because of glaciers and loess type. But history indicates that more than 1000 years ago, the island was covered by two-thirds of the plants.
Mostly only moss and grass grow from greenery here. Even woody plants, which previously occupied 1% of the entire territory, have now virtually disappeared. Sometimes you can see birch trees twisted due to northerly winds. There are more trees in cities, especially conifers, which are artificially planted by residents.
As you already know, the area of Iceland is 103 thousand square meters. km Imagine, 10% of them are lava fields. 60% is occupied by a rocky placer, which allows only moss and lichens to grow. Therefore, there is practically no place for birch forests and cereal meadows.
Are there any animals?
Everything is interconnected. Flora without fauna, and fauna without flora cannot exist. Due to the scarce vegetation, the species composition of the animal world also suffers. As early as 1000 years ago, only the Arctic fox was found here. Closer to the 19th century, reindeer were forcibly resettled here. Good people also randomly brought rodents such as mice, rats and minks to the island.
Birds are doing better. There are about 80 species. Among them are the swans, ducks and geese that we know. By the way, the most frequent guest in the lake is trout, but in the river you can catch salmon. If you go to the coastal zones, you can even meet seals and a couple of species of whales. But in the feeding grounds there are about 66 species of fish, among which there are countries important for export: halibut, sea bass, cod and shrimp.
More fish
The area of Iceland and its coastal zones dictated the main export product. Naturally, fishing and processing not only gave additional income to the population, but also made the island one of the main exporters. Thanks to fish, 12% of Iceland's population is employed in this industry. And this product makes up 70% of the exported goods.
A popular fish from January to May is cod, then herring captures the championship. Due to the fact that the North Atlantic is suffering from a shortage of this species of fish, there is a demand for capelin and pollock.
Reykjavik became the place where cod processing was established. But Siglufjörur deals with herring. Here it is processed into fish oil and flour. At the end of the last century, Iceland had problems with catching whales, and she agreed to a moratorium. But later, the government allowed moderate whaling.
What to sell and buy?
To keep afloat, each country must export goods that it has in abundance. So, 70% of export, as already mentioned, is fish. The remaining percentage is agricultural products and some minerals. The main "buyers" of the state can be considered Germany and England. The Netherlands, the USA, Spain, etc. also turn to Iceland.
But equipment and oil products, some food products, most often vegetables and fruits, as well as textiles, are brought to the island as imported products. In this direction, “Ice Country” cooperates with the USA and Germany.
Interesting Facts
Despite the area of Iceland, the country is largely a champion. Reykjavik is the northernmost capital in the world. Iceland itself is the largest island born of volcanoes.
There are several other champions in the country, for example, Hekla (volcano) and Vatnajokul (glacier) - these are the largest natural sites in Europe. This also includes the Icelandic waterfall, having a height of 40 meters and a width of 100 meters, it is the most powerful among the European "water cascades".
An interesting story with the names of Icelanders. The inhabitants of the island do not have them at all. At birth, the baby is given a name, and a patronym or matronym is added to the name. If the father’s name is Grim, his son’s surname will be Grimsson (Grim’s son), as happened with the President of Iceland, Olavur Ragnar Grimsson. If a girl were born, her last name would have sounded Grimdottir (daughter of Grim).
But in the country there are those who received the name, there are 10% of them. Usually these are those who moved from another power. Given the law, their last name goes from parents to children. Among these people you can find Icelanders who received a surname on legal grounds.
In the last century, Iceland became a member of the European Economic Area. But in 2015, she refused to join the European Union.
Iceland's area in Europe is only 17th. This fact struck the whole continent after Iceland managed to get into the quarterfinal at Euro 2016 and, despite the crushing score from the hosts of the championship in France, proudly defended the honor of its small and small country.
Tourists note
The area of Iceland and its location led to instability in the climate and clear rules in the state.
If you decide to take a trip to explore the territory, be prepared for the fact that you have to deal with changeable weather. It so happens that in May the snow still has not melted, while the thaw can hold until December. If the inhabitants of the country resigned themselves to such an attitude, then this can turn into troubles for tourists. Therefore, you need to prepare thoroughly for Iceland.
If you didn’t have time to plan your overnight, there are specially equipped tent sites around the country where sleeping with your tent will cost you $ 2-3 per night. If you chose an unauthorized place or decided to keep warm with a bonfire, be prepared for large fines.
There may also be problems with garbage. The mentality of tourists depends on their country. Not all states strictly monitor the cleanliness of the streets, so people who come from such places often forget that they are visiting. Iceland is very attentive not only to those who litter on the streets, but also to those who cut trees and break branches. It is also forbidden to fish if the state has not given you permission to do so.
Traveling by car will also lead to trouble if you decide to turn off the road to another area, which is also prohibited on the island.
In CIS countries, there are usually no direct flights to Reykjavik. Therefore, most likely, you will have to first get to the capitals of Denmark, Sweden, Norway or Finland, and from there it will be easy to fly to Iceland. The ticket price can vary depending on the exchange rate, but on average it is $ 1,000 for a return trip.