Iceland, a Nordic island nation, is defined by its dramatic landscape with volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and lava fields. Massive glaciers are protected in Vatnajökull and Snæfellsjökull national parks. Most of the population lives in the capital, Reykjavik, which runs on geothermal power and is home to the National and Saga museums, tracing Iceland’s Viking history .
Iceland has been an extremely popular destination in the last few years, so much so that you may think you already know a lot about this Nordic gem. But today we reveal some more fun Iceland facts that you may not have heard before.
What is Iceland known for? You may have already seen the photos and heard all about the famous Blue Lagoon or gorgeous Diamond Beach. You may have already heard the interesting facts that there are no McDonald's here and that there are more sheep than Icelanders.
But did you know that Iceland is home to the largest glacier in all of Europe? That's Vatnajökull, which covers 8% of Iceland’s landmass. And had you heard that beer was banned for 74 years and that now 1 March marks Beer Day in Iceland?
We asked our colleagues in the Reykjavík office to share some of the weird and wonderful facts about Iceland, and they delivered. Read below and you'll be truly ready for your upcoming trip to Iceland.
Few Facts you would like to know : -
Iceland’s population is only 338,349. The entire country’s population is smaller than Anaheim, CA, Cleveland, OH, or Cardiff in the UK.
At a latitude of 64 degrees north latitude, no other national capital is as close to the Arctic as Reykjavik. Other Nordic capitals such as Helsinki and Oslo come close, though, both of which sit at approximately 60 degrees north latitude.
In summer, Iceland is blessed by nearly 24 hours of daylight, a phenomenon known as the midnight sun. The sun doesn’t fully set during this time. It barely touches the horizon line before rising again.
While the sun doesn’t set during a period in summer, winter is the opposite. During winter solstice in December, the sun rises at 11:30 a.m. and sets at 2:50 p.m.
Iceland remains Europe’s most sparsely populated country, with 80% of the island’s landmass of 439,769 square miles (103,000 square kilometers) completely uninhabited.
Official data shows that 60% of the Icelandic population lives in Reykjavik. The country’s second-largest city, Akureyri, has only 18,000 people, according to a 2019 census.
The average life expectancy in Iceland is 83 years. Could it be the clean air quality? For comparison, life expectancy in the US is 78.8 years, while in the UK and Germany it’s 81, and in Canada it’s 82.
Iceland is home to Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajokull. Glaciers cover 11.1% of the country’s land area. They have a considerable impact on the country’s landscape and weather.
Hvannadalshnukur peak stands at 6,923 feet (2,110 meters) and is located at the southern end of the Vatnajokull glacier.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Iceland was 86.9 F (30.5 C) in the Eastfjords in 1939, while the lowest temperature recorded was -36.4 F (-38 C) in North Iceland in 1918. The average temperature in summer is 57.2 F to 46.4 F (14 C to 8 C), while in winter, it’s around 37.4 F to 28.4 F (3 C to -2 C).
North Iceland’s Dettifoss falls is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, with an incredible average flow of 6,816 cubic feet per second (193 cubic meters per second).
