Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althingi, 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. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the United Kingdom
65 00 N, 18 00 W
Arctic Region
total: 103,000 sq km
land: 100,250 sq km
water: 2,750 sq km
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; about the same size as Kentucky
0 km
4,970 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
mean elevation: 557 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull Glacier)
fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite
agricultural land: 18.7%
arable land 1.2%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 17.5%
forest: 0.3%
other: 81% (2011 est.)
NA
earthquakes and volcanic activity
volcanism: Iceland, situated on top of a hotspot, experiences severe volcanic activity; Eyjafjallajokull (elev. 1,666 m) erupted in 2010, sending ash high into the atmosphere and seriously disrupting European air traffic; scientists continue to monitor nearby Katla (elev. 1,512 m), which has a high probability of eruption in the very near future, potentially disrupting air traffic; Grimsvoetn and Hekla are Iceland's most active volcanoes; other historically active volcanoes include Askja, Bardarbunga, Brennisteinsfjoll, Esjufjoll, Hengill, Krafla, Krisuvik, Kverkfjoll, Oraefajokull, Reykjanes, Torfajokull, and Vestmannaeyjar
water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe
335,878 (July 2016 est.)
noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic
homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6%
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 73.8%, Roman Catholic 3.6%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.9%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 2%, The Independent Congregation 1%, other religions 3.9% (includes Pentecostal and Asatru Association), none 5.6%, other or unspecified 7.2% (2015 est.)
0-14 years: 20.4% (male 35,009/female 33,495)
15-24 years: 13.77% (male 23,452/female 22,789)
25-54 years: 39.99% (male 67,878/female 66,428)
55-64 years: 11.75% (male 19,848/female 19,622)
65 years and over: 14.1% (male 22,130/female 25,227) (2016 est.)
total dependency ratio: 51.6%
youth dependency ratio: 30.8%
elderly dependency ratio: 20.8%
potential support ratio: 4.8% (2015 est.)
total: 36.3 years
male: 35.7 years
female: 36.9 years (2016 est.)
1.17% (2016 est.)
13.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
6.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
Iceland is almost entirely urban with half of the population located in and around the capital of Reykjavik; smaller agglomerations are primarily found along the coast in the north and west
urban population: 94.1% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 1.25% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
REYKJAVIK (capital) 184,000 (2014)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
total: 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 1.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 83 years
male: 80.9 years
female: 85.3 years (2016 est.)
2.01 children born/woman (2016 est.)
8.9% of GDP (2014)
3.48 physicians/1,000 population (2012)
3.2 beds/1,000 population (2012)
improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
mproved:
urban: 98.7% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 98.8% of population
unimproved:
urban: 1.3% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 1.2% of population (2015 est.)
NA
NA
NA
23.9% (2014)
7.8% of GDP (2013)
total: 19 years
male: 18 years
female: 20 years (2012)
27 (2011 est.)
total: 9.8%
male: 12.9%
female: 6.6% (2014 est.)
parliamentary republic
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland
local long form: Lydveldid Island
local short form: Island
etymology: Floki VILGERDARSON, an early explorer of the island (9th century), applied the name "land of ice" after spotting a fjord full of drift ice to the north and spending a bitter winter on the island; he eventually settled on the island, however, after he saw how it greened up in the summer and that it was in fact habitable
name: Reykjavik
geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland
1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark; birthday of Jon SIGURDSSON leader of Iceland's 19th Century independence movement)
Independence Day, 17 June (1944)
history: several previous; latest ratified 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944 (at independence)
amendments: proposed by the Althingi; passage requires approval by the Althingi and by the next elected Althingi, and confirmation by the president of the republic; proposed amendments to Article 62 of the constitution – that the Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the state church of Iceland – also require passage by referendum; amended many times, last in 2013 (2016)
civil law system influenced by the Danish model
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Iceland
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 3 to 7 years
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Gudni Thorlacius JOHANNESSON (since 1 August 2016)
head of government: Prime Minister Sigurdur Ingi JOHANNSSON (since 7 April 2016)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (no term limits); election last held on 25 June 2016 (next to be held in June 2020); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition becomes prime minister
election results: Gudni Thorlacius JOHANNESSON elected president; percent of vote - Gudni Thorlacius JOHANNESSON (IP) 39.1%, Halla TOMASDOTTIR (independent) 27.9%, Andri Snaer MAGNASON (independent) 14.3%, Davio ODDSSON (IP) 13.7%, Sturla JONSSON (Sturla JONSSON Party) 3.5%, invalid 1.5%
Bright Future (Bjort framtid) or BF [Ottarr PROPPE]
Independence Party (Sjalfstaedisflokkurinn) or IP [Bjarni BENEDIKTSSON]
Left-Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin-graent frambod) or LGM [Katrin JAKOBSDOTTIR]
Pirate Party (Piratar) or PIP [Birgitta JONSDOTTIR]
Progressive Party (Framsoknarflokkurinn) or PP [Sigmundur David GUNNLAUGSSON]
Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin) or SDA [Arni Pall ARNASON]
description: unicameral Althingi or Parliament (63 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 29 October 2016 (next to be held in 2020)
election results: percent of vote by party - IP 29%, LGM 15.9%, Pirate Party 14.5%, PP 11.5%, Vioreisn 10.5%, BF 7.2%, SDA 5.7%, other 2.3%; seats by party - IP 21, LGM 10, Pirate Party 10, PP 8, Vioreisn 7, BF 4, SDA 3
highest court(s): Supreme Court or Haestirettur (consists of 9 judges)
judge selection and term of office: judges proposed by Ministry of Interior selection committee and appointed by the president; judges appointed for an indefinite period
subordinate courts: 8 district courts; Labor Court
Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Geir Hilmar HAARDE (since 23 February 2015)
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653
FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656
consulate(s) general: New York
chancery: House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert C. BARBER (since 23 January 2015)
embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik
mailing address: US Department of State, 5640 Reykjavik Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-5640
telephone: [354] 595-22-00
FAX: [354] 562-9118
blue with a red cross outlined in white extending 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); the colors represent three of the elements that make up the island: red is for the island's volcanic fires, white recalls the snow and ice fields of the island, and blue is for the surrounding ocean
gyrfalcon; national colors: blue, white, red
name: "Lofsongur" (Song of Praise)
lyrics/music: Matthias JOCHUMSSON/Sveinbjorn SVEINBJORNSSON
note: adopted 1944; also known as "O, Gud vors lands" (O, God of Our Land), the anthem was originally written and performed in 1874
Iceland's Scandinavian-type social-market economy combines a capitalist structure and free-market principles with an extensive welfare system. Except for a brief period during the 2008 crisis, Iceland has achieved high growth, low unemployment, and a rema
Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, particularly within the fields of tourism, software production, and biotechnology. In fall 2013, the Icelandic Government approved a joint application by
Following the privatization of the banking sector in the early 2000s, domestic banks expanded aggressively in foreign markets, and consumers and businesses borrowed heavily in foreign currencies. Worsening global financial conditions throughout 2008 resul
Since the collapse of Iceland's financial sector, government economic priorities have included stabilizing the krona, implementing capital controls, reducing Iceland's high budget deficit, containing inflation, addressing high household debt, restructurin
$16.15 billion (2016 est.)
$15.38 billion (2015 est.)
$14.8 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
$19.44 billion (2015 est.)
4.9% (2016 est.)
4% (2015 est.)
2% (2014 est.)
$48,100 (2016 est.)
$46,200 (2015 est.)
$45,000 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
23.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
23.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
21% of GDP (2014 est.)
household consumption: 49.3%
government consumption: 22.5%
investment in fixed capital: 19.8%
investment in inventories: -0.1%
exports of goods and services: 52.4%
imports of goods and services: -43.9% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 5.9%
industry: 20.4%
services: 73.7% (2016 est.)
potatoes, carrots, green vegetables; mutton, chicken, pork, beef, dairy products; fish
tourism, fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production; geothermal power, hydropower, tourism
1.4% (2016 est.)
195,000 (2016 est.)
agriculture: 4.8%
industry: 22.2%
services: 73% (2008)
2.7% (2016 est.)
4% (2015 est.)
NA%
note: 332,100 families (2011 est.)
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
28 (2006)
25 (2005)
revenues: $10.35 billion
expenditures: $7.911 billion (2016 est.)
53.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
12.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
56.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
67.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
calendar year
1.9% (2016 est.)
1.6% (2015 est.)
5.4% (31 January 2012)
5.75% (31 December 2010)
7.6% (31 December 2016 est.)
7.61% (31 December 2015 est.)
$3.327 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$3.314 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$8.368 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$8.12 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$18.93 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$18.25 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$2.825 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$2.021 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$1.996 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$567 million (2016 est.)
$710 million (2015 est.)
$4.6 billion (2016 est.)
$4.653 billion (2015 est.)
fish and fish products 40%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite (2010 est.)
Netherlands 26.1%, UK 11.6%, Spain 11.5%, Germany 7.4%, France 5.7%, US 5.7%, Norway 4.7% (2015)
$5.024 billion (2016 est.)
$4.924 billion (2015 est.)
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Norway 10.1%, Germany 8.6%, US 7.9%, China 7.9%, Denmark 7.1%, Netherlands 5.9%, Brazil 5.8%, UK 5% (2015)
$4.412 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$5.041 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$27.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$31.04 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$17.19 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$16.72 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$15.44 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$15.59 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Icelandic kronur (ISK) per US dollar -
129.3 (2016 est.)
131.92 (2015 est.)
131.92 (2014 est.)
116.77 (2013 est.)
125.08 (2012 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2016)
18 billion kWh (2014 est.)
17 billion kWh (2014 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
2.8 million kW (2014 est.)
4.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
70.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
25.1% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
16,250 bbl/day (2015 est.)
2,866 bbl/day (2015 est.)
17,550 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 cu m (2014 est.)
0 cu m (2014 est.)
0 cu m (2014 est.)
0 cu m (2014 est.)
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
3.3 million Mt (2013 est.)
total subscriptions: 168,149
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 51 (July 2015 est.)
total: 384,000
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116 (July 2015 est.)
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is modern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations, fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband network
domestic: liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginning in the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in the mobile services segment of the market
international: country code - 354; the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the Faroe Islands, UK, Denmark, and Germany; a planned new section of the Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additional connectivity to Canad (2015)
state-owned public TV broadcaster operates 1 TV channel nationally; several privately owned TV stations broadcast nationally and roughly another half-dozen operate locally; about one-half the households utilize multi-channel cable or satellite TV services (2007)
.is
total: 326,000
percent of population: 98.2% (July 2015 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 5
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 43
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 3,413,950
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 102,356,809 mt-km (2015)
TF (2016)
96 (2013)
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2013)
total: 89
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 26
under 914 m: 60 (2013)
total: 12,890 km
paved/oiled gravel: 4,782 km (excludes urban roads)
unpaved: 8,108 km (2012)
total: 2
by type: passenger/cargo 2
registered in other countries: 19 (Antigua and Barbuda 10, Belize 1, Faroe Islands 4, Finland 1, Gibraltar 1, Norway 2) (2010)
major seaport(s): Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Reykjavik
no regular military forces; Icelandic National Police; Icelandic Coast Guard (2013)
0.13% of GDP (2012)
0.14% of GDP (2011)
0.13% of GDP (2010)
Iceland is the only NATO member that has no standing military force; all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn as of October 2006; defense of Iceland remains a NATO commitment and NATO maintains an air policing presence in Icelandic airspace; Iceland participates in international peacekeeping missions with the civilian-manned Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU)
Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority filed a suit against Iceland, claiming the country violated the Agreement on the European Economic Area in failing to pay minimum compensation to Icesave depositors
stateless persons: 131 (2015)
