ICELAND
In 330 BC an explorer named Pytheas sailed
north from Marseilles (France) to discover how far the world would reach
in that direction. He navigated the British Isles and the northern seas
and upon returning home wrote about an island that he called
Thule or Ultima Thule, which either
he had learned about from others or discovered himself. This island was
six days north of Britain and one day removed from "the end of the
world". The island he found is thought to have been Iceland.
Settled by
Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during
the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D.The first geographical document
describing the northern seas was written by an Irish monk named Dicuil,
early in the 9th century. The book was called "De mensura orbis terrae"
and in it he related his interviews with Irish priests, the papas, who
claimed they had sailed north to Thule and lived there from February to
August.Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative
assembly, the Althing, established in 930. 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
island'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
Iceland, the
second largest island in Europe, lies close to the Arctic
Circle. It is about midway between New York and Moscow. Iceland has a
total area of 103,000 square km (39,756 square miles). From north to
south the greatest distance is about 300 km (185 miles), from west to
east about 500 km (305 miles). The coastline is about 6,000 km (3,700
miles) and the shortest distances to other countries are 286 km (180
miles) to Greenland, 795 km (495 miles) to Scotland and 950 km (590
miles) to Norway. Geologically Iceland is a very young country, and the
process of its formation is still going on. Iceland's interior consists
entirely of mountains and high plateaus, devoid of human habitation. Its
average height is 500 m above sea level, the highest point being
Hvannadalshnúkur in the Öræfajökull glacier in Southeast Iceland,
reaching a height of 2.119 m (6,950 feet).
Reykjavik is the capital of
Iceland. It's a
city with just over 100.000 people and is located in Southwest Iceland
by Faxaflói, Iceland's biggest bay. The story of Reykjavik goes as far
back as to the first settler Ingólfur Arnarson who came to Iceland in
874 and build himself a farm in Reykjavik. The name means "an inlet with
smoke" or "Smoky Bay" and that may be one of the reasons he settled
here. He saw steam coming from the ground and
found natural hot springs
that must have been very useful in those days. Nothing much is going on
in Reykjavik until the 16th century
when Reykjavik had become a trading
place and by the time it was established as an independent town in 1876
it had some 170 inhabitants. By 1900 the numbers were almost 6.000 and
55.000 around 1950. It is a modern city where all the houses are heated
by hot water. The staircases of apartment blocks are heated and even the
parking lots and sidewalks in front of many homes and businesses have
hot water flowing through to melt the snow during winter. Also very
noticeable for foreign visitors are the colourful roofs and houses of
the city. It is a cosmopolitan city with very active night life and many
museums and art galleries. Reykjavik will be one of Europe's culture
cities in the year 2000.