Member States · Iceland Fact Sheet

Background

Settled by Norwegians and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries, Iceland boasts the world's oldest parliament, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Limited home rule was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.

Geography

Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK
Geographic coordinates: 65 00 N, 18 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region

Area

Total: 103,000 sq km.
Land: 100,250 sq km.
Water: 2,750 sq km.
Area comparative: slightly smaller than Kentucky.
Land boundaries: 0 km. Coastline: 4,988 km.
Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm. Territorial sea: 12 nm. Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers. Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, ice fields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords. Elevation extremes: Highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m
Natural resources: fish, hydropower, geothermal power, and diatomite.

Land use

Arable land: 0%.
Permanent crops: 0%. Permanent pastures: 23%.
Forests and woodland: 1%. Other: 76% (1993 est.).
Irrigated land: NA sq km.

People

Population: 276,365 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23% (male 33,119; female 31,222). 15-64 years: 65% (male 90,599; female 88,982). 65 years and over: 12% (male 14,555; female 17,888) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.57% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 14.86 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.87 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Icelander(s).
Adjective: Icelandic. Ethnic groups: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norwegians and Celts.
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 91%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic, none (1997). Languages: Icelandic.

Country name

Conventional long form: Republic of Iceland. Conventional short form: Iceland. Local long form: Lyoveldio Island. Data code: IC. Government type: constitutional republic. Capital: Reykjavik. Independence: 17 June 1944 (from Denmark). National holiday: Anniversary of the Establishment of the Republic, 17 June (1944).

Flag description

Blue with a red cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy

Overview: Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system, low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. The economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 12% of the work force. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant hydrothermal and geothermal power), Iceland's economy is vulnerable to changing world fish prices. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to drops in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. The center-right government plans to continue its policies of reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. Growth is likely to slow in 2000, to a still respectable 3.5%.

Labor force:

131,000 (1999). By occupation: manufacturing 12.9%, fishing and fish processing 11.8%, construction 10.7%, other services 59.5%, agriculture 5.1% (1999). Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1999 est.).
Currency: 1 Icelandic krona (IKr) = 100 aurar.

Communications

Telephones: 162,310 (1997). Mobile cellular: 65,746 (1997). Telephone system: adequate domestic service - Domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links. International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), short-wave 1 (1998). Radios: 260,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997). Televisions: 98,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (1999).

Transportation

Railways: 0 km. Highways: Total: 12,689 km. Paved: 3,439 km. Unpaved: 9,250 km (1998 est.). Ports and harbors: Akureyri, Hornafjordur, Isafjordhur, Keflavik, Raufarhofn, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur, Straumsvik, Vestmannaeyjar. Airports: 86 (1999 est.) 12 with paved and 74 unpaved runways.

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