Iceland, an island about the size of Kentucky, lies in the north Atlantic Ocean east of Greenland and just touches the Arctic Circle. It is one of the most volcanic regions in the world. More than 13% is covered by snowfields and glaciers, and most of the people live in the 7% of the island that is made up of fertile coastland. The Gulf Stream keeps Iceland's climate milder than one would expect from an island near the Arctic Circle.
Country lead by President: Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (2004)
Prime Minister: Geir H. Haarde (2006)
Population
299,388 (growth rate: 0.9%); birth rate: 13.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 3.3/1000; life expectancy: 80.3; density per sq mi: 8
Land Area
38,707 sq mi (100,251 sq km); total area: 39,769 sq mi (103,000 sq km)
Monetary unit
Icelandic króna Language
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
Ethnicity homogeneous mixture of Norse/Celtic descendants 94%, population of foreign origin 6%
Religion Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004)
Transportation Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 13,004 km; paved: 4,331 km; unpaved: 8,673 km (2004). Ports and harbors: Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Hornafjordhur, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur. Airports: 98 (2004 est.).
