Iceland is a country in Europe. It is in the north of the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland is 300 kilometers east of Greenland and 1000 kilometers west of Norway. Iceland has an area of 39,769 square miles.

Reykjavík is the capital city of Iceland. Reykjavík is also the most important port in Iceland. Other important towns in Iceland are Akureyri, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjördhur, Keflavík, and Vestmannaeyjar.

Iceland is located on both a geological hot spot, thought to be caused by a mantle plume, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs right through it. This combined location means that the island is extremely geologically active, having many volcanoes, notably Hekla, Eldgjá, and Eldfell.

Iceland has many mountains. It also has many volcanoes. Iceland is considered to be European, but part of it is in North American and part of it is in Europe.

Culture

Iceland is a classless society with a strong literary tradition. Delight in culture has been an inseparable part of the Icelander´s character and identity ever since they wrote the medieval Sagas which rank with the classics of world literature. Activity flourishes in all branches of the creative and performing arts.

Björk is the most famous person in Iceland.]] The people in Iceland are mostly Scandinavian. The language they speak is Icelandic. The language has not changed much in 1,000 years, so Icelanders are still able to read the sagas about the Vikings without many problems.

Almost all people in Iceland are Christian. Most of them are Lutheran.

Population

The original population of Iceland was of Nordic and Celtic origin. This is evident by literary evidence from the settlement period as well as from later scientific studies such as blood type and genetic analysis.

Economy

Iceland is the fifth most productive country in the world based on GDP per capita at purchasing power parity. It is also ranked second on the 2005 United Nations Human Development Index. The economy historically depended heavily on the fishing industry, which still provides almost 40% of export earnings and employs 8% of the work force.

Over 99% of the country's electricity is produced from hydropower and geothermal energy.