We took my personal basic trip to Iceland back 2012, hoping to find a Scandinavian country with some cool landscape. And even though I DID select those activities in Iceland, I realized the nation got chock-full of surprises of all types that I’dn’t been wanting.
These distinctive attributes tend to be a large element of exactly what has had myself back into Iceland more than once! (I went to a maximum of three times, in reality.)
While certainly European/Scandinavian in the wild, the united states of Iceland is unique in so many methods I felt its quirkiness earned a complete blog post of their own. From elves and trolls to glaciers and volcanoes, listed here are 20 fun Iceland insights which make it the very cool country that it’s.
Table of Contents
Here’s a very good video clip from Iceland
20 Fun Details About Iceland
1. Viking Links
Iceland is established by Vikings from Norway someday into the 800s. This particular fact helps make Iceland a fairly “young” country in terms of settlement, and in addition contributes to its specific social background. The Icelandic horses in the nation these days is special in the simple fact that they might be direct descendants from ponies the Vikings initial introduced more from mainland Europe.
And a bonus enjoyable reality for you: The Vikings are the ones which offered both Iceland and Greenland their own names, intentionally mis-naming all of them both in order that her foes would ideally check-out ice-covered Greenland in place of soon after them to in which they really established in Iceland.
2. 1st Parliament
Iceland houses the 1st parliament grounds in European countries. Around 930 advertising, one Parliament fulfilled in Iceland as to what are today ?ingvellir State Playground. Your website has actually since already been called a UNESCO World history web site due to its cultural, historic, and geographical significance.
3. Tectonic Dishes
The “geographical importance” part of ?ingvellir being called a UNESCO site is caused by the fact this really is among only TWO areas from inside the world where you could discover a couple of earth’s tectonic dishes fulfilling above the earth’s exterior (another is during Africa). The united states and Eurasian plates jut up out from the surface here in ?ingvellir, moving aside roughly 2 cm each year.
You Can Also go diving/snorkeling between the dishes in nearby ?ingvallavatn Lake.
4. Volcanoes
Because it’s situated on the Mid-Atlantic ridge, Iceland are an incredibly effective country geologically. There are many more than 125 eruptive mountains in the united states, some that are however really active, and another few might easily awaken and turn into energetic because the country improvement and grows.
Iceland experiences a volcanic eruption around when every 4 ages, although the previous number of years have experienced one emergence or maybe more annually (we all remember Eyjafjallajokull, best?). For this reason continuous activity, an effective portion of Iceland is included in lava areas.
5. Hot springs for many
Caused by all of the volcanic task happening beneath Iceland, the country is full of geothermal activity – and hot springs.
Discover a couple popular industrial thermal swimming pools and bathing in Iceland (like the famous azure Lagoon near the airport in addition to Myvatn Nature bathing more north) being man-made but full of 
natural geothermal water. Immediately after which discover the “wild” hot springs that folks swimming in this are available many different kinds from small pools to hot streams.
Plus Iceland, these hot springs and share are employed year-round, also during the winter several months.
6. Eco-Friendly
Iceland is perhaps by far the most environmentally safe country I know of. And also the kicker is, they don’t really have to test quite difficult. Considering that the entire nation is actually “alive” with volcanic task, the nation harnesses hydro and geothermal energy to energy significantly more than 80% of the nation.
Very few fossil fuels become burned up right here (there are even some hydrogen busses driving around Reykjavik!), and most property include heated making use of geothermal water that’s moved upwards from beneath locations and areas.
7. Glaciers
Amazingly, another large portion of Iceland (11percent) is included in glaciers. Glaciers have the effect of carving on everything in Iceland that featuresn’t been formed by magma and earthquakes, producing for a landscape much more special than just about any more country I’ve went to.
8. No Woodlands
Iceland got established by some very severe phenomena: volcanoes and glaciers. The majority of the country had been created out by slow-moving glaciers, chewing in the area and gouging strong valleys engrossed.
But, contrary to everyday opinion, trees manage expand in Iceland. But once the Vikings appeared, they forested the junk out of it, lowering almost all the local tress in the nation. Nowadays, reforestation has been attempted, but you’ll nevertheless absolutely notice the decreased woodlands whenever you check out.
9. No mosquitos
These are points that Iceland try lacking… the united states is actually lacking scary crawlies like snakes and poisonous crawlers. The isle normally free from mosquitos. Experts become baffled by precisely why mosquitos include lacking from Iceland, but we for some reason don’t think anyone misses all of them!
Regrettably, Iceland CAN continue to have biting midges (mud flies), that could sometimes be even worse than mosquitos.
10. Preserved Language
While really near to Danish and Norwegian, the Icelandic code stays entirely special. Terms with quite a few consonants are plentiful, and syllables frequently merely blur collectively.
Unlike other dialects which have changed considerably on the generations, Icelandic continues to be very close to their initial origins. A Bible from very early 1500s (initial one printed in Icelandic, that exist in a folk museum in Skogar) can certainly still be easily review by Icelanders today.
Not unsurprisingly, the Iceland language provides extensive terminology to describe weather condition – like above 150 various ways to describe wind.
