Iceland Flag - Icelandic Flag

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Brief History. Iceland was Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the Iceland's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.

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Country Information

Local name: Island

Capital: Reykjavik

Population: 299,388

Government: constitutional republic

Currency: Icelandic krona (ISK)

Land size: 103,000 sq km

Topography: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

Typical foods:

Major exports: fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite

Information on the People

Official language: Icelandic

Other languages spoken: English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

Religions: Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4%

Literacy rate: 99%

Male/Female Ratio: 1 male(s) to every 1 female

Life expectancy: 80.31 years

Ethnic groups: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6%

Internet users: 225,000

Famous people: Björk

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