The ancient Thule of Greek geographers was renamed Iceland ("land of ice") after the colonization of the island by the Vikings. Known for the glaciers, fjords, volcanoes and geysers that beautify its landscape, the country is economically developed and the population enjoys a high standard of living.
Iceland is an island country located in the North Atlantic, between Norway and Greenland. It has a surface area of 102.819km2 and is limited to the north by the Arctic Circle.
physical geography
Iceland has about six thousand kilometers of coastline, with an abundance of fjords (sea penetrations over ancient glacial valleys on the coast). The territory consists of a plateau with an average altitude of 500m. More than 200 volcanoes, used as geothermal sources for domestic heating, and around 100 glaciers cover approximately one-eighth of the territory. The most important volcano is Hekla, with an altitude of 1,491m. Despite the island's high latitude, the climate is not hostile on the west coast, due to the influence of the warm sea current from the Gulf of Mexico. In the rest of the country, the climate is cold. In the months of May and June, the sun illuminates the country during the day and night. The largest of Iceland's rivers is the Thjörsá and there are also a large number of small lakes.
The vegetation is very poor, formed mainly of mosses and lichens. The fauna, with few mammals, is rich in sea birds on the cliffs and features falcons and eagles in the mountains. In rivers and lakes there are salmon and trout. Among the saltwater fish and crustaceans, herring, cod, shrimp and lobster abound.
Population
Half of Icelanders are concentrated in the capital, Reykjavik. The population is characterized by ethnic homogeneity: approximately eighty percent of the inhabitants are of Norwegian descent. The rest are descended from Scots and Irish. The official language is Icelandic, derived from Old Scandinavian from the 9th and 10th centuries. Throughout the 20th century there was a pronounced rural exodus and emigration to Canada and the United States.
Economy
The free market economy prevails, although the intervention of the state sector is important. Due to its latitude, the Icelandic territory is more favorable for livestock than for agriculture. The country is self-sufficient in meat, milk and wool. However, Iceland's main wealth is in fishing and its industrial use: about two-thirds of all the country's exports come from this activity. An important natural resource of Iceland is its energy potential, of hydraulic and geothermal origin. The main industries, in addition to fishing, are cement, aluminum and ferro-silicon. Most banks and financial institutions, as well as the electricity sector, belong to the government. Iceland's standard of living and technological level is similar to that of the advanced countries of Europe.
History
The first human settlements on the island were with Irish hermits, in the beginning of the ninth century of the Christian era. According to medieval historiographic sources, these settlers fled from the Vikings coming from Norway, the which, led by Ingólfr Arnarson, settled in the year 874 in the place where it would later rise Reykjavik. In the year 930, the Icelanders constituted their first national parliament, the Althing, which favored the missionary action of Christians. In the tenth century the entire population had converted to Christianity.
As a result of a civil war between 1262 and 1264, Icelandic nobles accepted Norwegian sovereignty and, later, in 1380, with the union of Denmark and Norway, the government of Iceland came to be exercised by the Danes. During the 400 years that followed, the island experienced constant economic and political decay, due to both the erosion of the best cattle-raising lands and the greed of the Danish rulers. During this period, Christian III, king of Denmark, imposed the Lutheran religion. An iron economic control, with the implantation of the royal commercial monopoly, was established in 1602. With the end of this monopoly, in 1787, Iceland's economic recovery began.
During the 19th century, an independence movement emerged, led by Jón Sigurdhsson. In 1874, Christian IX of Denmark allowed Iceland to have its own constitution, and in 1904 the country managed to form an autonomous national government in Reykjavik. Shortly thereafter, in 1918, Iceland became independent, linked to Denmark only by common monarchy and foreign policy. During the German occupation of Denmark, in World War II, British and American troops established themselves in Iceland, using it as a strategic base. In 1944, Parliament proclaimed the republic and severed all formal ties with Denmark.
Independent Iceland's main problem stemmed from the government's decision to extend its territorial waters from three miles in 1950 to 200 miles in 1975 for fishing. This expansion was a reason for conflict with the United Kingdom and other countries, between the 1950s and 1960s.
According to the 1944 constitution, executive power rests with the president of the republic, elected by popular vote for a period of four years. Legislative power is exercised jointly by the president and the Parliament (Althing), which in 1991 ceased to be bicameral and now has only one chamber, with 63 members.
society and culture
Icelandic government-funded social security is one of the most advanced in the world. Contagious diseases, the leading cause of death in the 19th century, have been completely eradicated. All schools in Iceland, from primary school to university, are free. The majority of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church and other Protestant denominations.
Icelandic writers produced some of the most important sagas of the Middle Ages. Novelist Halldór Laxness received the 1955 Nobel Prize for Literature. Among the main painters of the 20th century are Ásgrimur Jónsson, Jón Stefánsson and Jóhannes S. Kjarval.
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