Iceland facts

9 Facts You Didn’t Know About Iceland

Iceland Mag General , ,

You might live in Iceland or you might have visited, but you may not know about these 9 interesting facts!

9 Facts You Didn’t Know About Iceland

1.     Almost everyone is named Magnús.

People in Iceland believe language is highly important, and it serves as your identity. The language there has not changed from the beginning of their existence. Many of their family names are Magnus.

2.     Beer was not allowed in the country until 1989.

All alcoholic drinks were banned for political reasons until March 1, 1989, from their struggles for independence from Denmark.

3.     Radiators are filled with water.

About 85% of the energy used in Iceland is from renewable sources. About 66% is from geothermal sources.

4.     There are no mosquitos found in Iceland.

There are no mosquitoes in Iceland due to the high amount of cold.

5.     There are not many trees in Iceland.

If you go to Iceland, you won’t find many trees. This was not always the case, but the Vikings axed down many forests for timber and to get space for the farms. Also, it’s due to the soil there. Since then, the government has made an effort to bring back the forests.

6.     Iceland does not have a railway system.

Typically, you wouldn’t be surprised that a small island nation does not have a railway system. But if you get stuck in a car on the road and you run out of gas, your next thoughts will veer towards other modes of transportation. But here you can’t do that because it doesn’t have a single rail for you to even think of getting a train ride home.

7.     It’s only a step/swim away from North America.

Iceland is only a 30-minute drive away, and you’ll reach an intersection of Europe and North America. In 2000 during the summer, the South of Iceland experienced two dangerous earthquakes, which resulted in North American and Eurasian to shift and the shifting of these tectonic plates ran through Iceland.

8.     Fast food restaurants are few in Iceland.

Before some years back, Iceland only had about three McDonald’s. And then after the financial crisis, the country arranged its economy and got more fast food restaurants, because McDonald’s could not handle the population that had more than 300,000 denizens.

9.     Iceland does not joke with marriage and divorce.

In Iceland, you have to settle and decide with the whole of your heart that you want to get married to your spouse, because it is extremely difficult to get a divorce in the future. They do the whole “till death do us part” properly. If you visit the homes of families in Iceland and look at their family portraits, you’ll get to see a photo of the parents, siblings, aunties, uncles, and all spouses on the photograph.

These are 9 facts you didn’t know about Iceland. We hope you enjoyed them!

Interesting Facts on Iceland

Iceland Mag General , , ,

There are a number of interesting facts on Iceland that you may not know. We have put together some interesting facts on Iceland for tourists and locals alike. Keep reading to learn more!

5 Interesting Facts of Iceland

Viking Ties

The Vikings settled in Iceland in the 800s. When settlement is concerned, Iceland can be said to be a somewhat young country. This country has a great and peculiar cultural background that is not common. The horses in Iceland are said to be descendants of the horses that Vikings used. They were imported from mainland Europe.

Sometimes, we wonder who misnamed both Greenland and Iceland. We want to know the logic behind the misnaming.

Do you that the Vikings named both Iceland and Greenland? Greenland has ice, while Iceland doesn’t have as much ice. The Vikings misnamed them purposely to confuse their enemies.

This was done so that their enemies could head to the ice-covered Greenland when they wanted to attack them, instead of heading to Iceland. 

First Parliament

The first parliament in Europe is said to have happened in Iceland. This occurred in 930 AD. They met at Thingvellir National Park. Today, this place is seen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is because of the great geographical, historical and cultural significance linked to the site. 

Tectonic Plates

The Thingvellir National Park is seen as a UNESCO site, because it is one place that you can see two tectonic plates close to each other visible. Most times, these tectonic plates are under the ground. There are two places that tectonic plates being visible above the ground is possible.

You can see the North American and Eurasian plates minoring from the ground. They are said to move about 2 km away from each other annually.

If you want, you can have fun close to the plates. You can dive or even snorkel in the Lake Thingvallavatn.

Volcanoes

Iceland is one place that is active geographically. This is not far from the fact that it is sited on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In this country, you will see at least 125 volcanic mountains. Only a few are still considered active.

A volcano erupts once every four or so years. This may not have been true in the past few years.

Glaciers

Another part of Iceland has many glaciers. They are covered by the lands that were not formed by earthquakes and magma and earthquakes. This landscape is out of this world.