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!