Modern world nations iceland

CH.WN.Ice.aFM.Final.q 3/21/03 8.08 AM Page AFGHANISTAN INDIA AUSTRIA IRAN BAHRAIN IRAQ BERMUDA IRELAND BRAZIL ISRAEL CANADA JAPAN CHINA KAZAKHSTAN COSTA RICA KUWAIT CROATIA CUBA EGYPT ENGLAND ETHIOPIA MEXICO NEW ZEALAND NORTH KOREA PAKISTAN RUSSIA REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA SAUDI ARABIA GERMANY SCOTLAND GHANA SOUTH KOREA ICELAND UKRAINE CH.WN.Ice.aFM.Final.q 3/21/03 8.08 AM Page CH.WN.Ice.aFM.Final.q 3/21/03 8.08 AM Page Iceland Roger K Sandness South Dakota State University and Charles F Gritzner South Dakota State University Philadelphia CH.WN.Ice.aFM.Final.q 3/21/03 8.08 AM Page Frontispiece: Flag of Iceland Cover: glacier, Jokulsarton CHELSEA HOUSE PUBLISHERS VP, NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Sally Cheney DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Kim Shinners CREATIVE MANAGER Takeshi Takahashi MANUFACTURING MANAGER Diann Grasse Staff for ICELAND EXECUTIVE EDITOR Lee Marcott PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Megan Emery PICTURE RESEARCHER 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc SERIES DESIGNER Takeshi Takahashi COVER DESIGNER Terry Mallon LAYOUT 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc ©2003 by Chelsea House Publishers, a subsidiary of Haights Cross Communications All rights reserved Printed and bound in the United States of America http://www.chelseahouse.com First Printing Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for ISBN 0-7910-7232-0 CH.WN.Ice.aFM.Final.q 3/21/03 8.08 AM Page Table of Contents Iceland: A Unique Land and People Landscapes of Fire and Ice 15 Iceland Through Time 35 Iceland’s People and Their Way of Life 51 Economy of Iceland 63 Visiting Iceland 75 Iceland Looks Ahead 83 Facts at a Glance History at a Glance Further Reading Index 90 92 95 96 CH.WN.Ice.aFM.Final.q 3/21/03 8.08 AM Page CH.WN.Ice.aFM.Final.q 3/21/03 8.08 AM Page Iceland CH.WN.Ice.C1.Final.q 3/21/03 7.31 AM Page Perched on the northernmost rim of the inhabited world, Iceland is a country of remarkable beauty and starkly contrasting landscapes A fine example is the glacier at Jokulsarton, which lies about 175 miles (280 kilometers) southeast of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik CH.WN.Ice.C1.Final.q 3/21/03 7.31 AM Page Iceland: A Unique Land and People The spring was an extremely cold one Floki climbed a certain high mountain, and north across the mountain range he could see a fjord full of drift ice That’s why they called the country Iceland —BOOK OF SETTLEMENTS (C 1275) B y almost any measure, Iceland is one of the world’s most unique lands It is a remote, far northern island country that holds many mysteries and contradictions Physically, it is a land whose features have been shaped and reshaped by the opposing agents of fire and ice Its first inhabitants were Irish monks who sought seclusion on the island during the eighth century, a little more than 1,200 years ago, making Iceland one of the world’s youngest countries in terms of earliest settlement Even so, the country’s parliament, the Althing (also Althingi, Alping, Alpingi), is believed to be the world’s oldest government body still functioning In CH.WN.Ice.C7.Final.q 3/21/03 7.55 AM Page 88 88 Iceland Iceland is very much part of the modern world With an affluent and well-educated population, Iceland embraces new technologies and has made a smooth transition to an economy based more on services than manufacturing Here, a young technician conducts DNA research at a biomedical firm product (GNP) Nearly all Icelanders — about two-thirds of the total work force — are engaged in service industries A well-educated and hard-working population is Iceland’s chief resource today Certainly the importance of a variety of postindustrial service-based activities will increase Iceland’s economy appears to be on secure footing and should continue to diversify and grow in the foreseeable future Short of some global cataclysm, only a devastating natural catastrophe could change this optimistic forecast CH.WN.Ice.C7.Final.q 3/21/03 7.55 AM Page 89 Iceland Looks Ahead LINKAGES Even though Iceland is remote, it becomes increasingly less isolated With jet aircraft, satellite and fiber optic communications, the Internet and e-mail, Iceland’s location is no longer a major limiting factor to movement People, materials, and information move to and from the island freely Such linkages certainly will continue to improve in the future This will encourage Iceland’s population to be even move closely drawn into the global community LOOKING AHEAD Geographer Erhardt Rostlund once said, “The present is the fruit of the past and contains the seeds of the future.” Iceland’s present has been fashioned by a sturdy people living in a harsh environment Through their tireless work, determination in the face of adversity, and faith in themselves and their land, they have created a way of life that is first-rate by any world standard By these efforts, Icelanders already have planted the seeds of their own future And the results of their harvest almost certainly will be bountiful 89 CH.WN.Ice.zBM.Final.q 3/21/03 7.57 AM Page 90 Facts at a Glance Country name Conventional long form: Republic of Iceland Location North Atlantic Ocean, west of Greenland and northeast of Great Britain and Ireland, roughly 64° to 66° North latitude and 14° to 24° West longitude Geographically, statistically, and politically considered to be a part of Europe Area 39,769 square miles (103,000 square kilometers); slightly smaller than Kentucky and about the size of Virginia Capital Reykjavik (population, 168,000) Climate Maritime temperate; cool and moist, with conditions much warmer than would be expected for its location near the Arctic Circle; temperatures moderated by an arm of the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Drift Land features Natural resources Land use Land is of volcanic origin; mainly rugged plateau surface with scattered low mountains; about 12% of the island covered by glacial ice and permanent snow, with the highest elevation being atop the glacier Vatnajokull (6,952 feet; 2,119 meters); rugged coast, with many fjords and bays Geothermal energy, hydroelectric energy, marine resources, spectacular scenery No direct economic use 74% Pasture 23% Woodland Natural hazards 1% Urban