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From: alahelma@cc.Helsinki.FI (Antti Lahelma)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic,soc.answers,news.answers
Subject: soc.culture.nordic FAQ, part 5/8 (Iceland)
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Date: 15 Feb 1995 16:32:18 +0200
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Summary: This posting is a part of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
file for the newsgroup soc.culture.nordic. Its purpose is to
introduce new readers to the group, provide some general information
about the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and
Iceland) and to cover some of the topics frequently discussed in
the group.
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu soc.culture.nordic:34972 soc.answers:2556 news.answers:35136
Archive-name: nordic-faq/iceland
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Version: 1.0
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) -file for the newsgroup
S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C
*** PART 5: ICELAND ***
------------------------------
Subject: 5.1 Fact Sheet
Name: Lydveldid Island
Telephone country code: 354
Area: 103,000 km2 / 39,758 sq mi.
(Glaciers: 12.000 km2, lava 11.000 km2, lakes 3.000 km2,
arable land 1.100 km2).
Sea area (within 200 nautical miles of fishery limits): 758.000 km2
Terrain: mostly plateau inerspersed with mountain peaks and icefields;
coast deeply indented by bays and fiords.
Highest mountain: Hvannadalshnukur, 2119 m.
Largest ice cap: Vatnajokull, 8,400 km2.
Natural resources: fish, hydroelectric and geothermal power
Land boundaries: none
Population: 264,922 (1993)
Life expectancy: male: 76.5, female: 81.0 (1993)
Capital: Reykjavik (pop. 101,824) (1993)
Other major towns: Kopavogur: (17,172), Hafnarfjordur (16,787)
Akureyri (14,799) (1993)
Flag: a red Nordic cross outlined in white on a blue background
Type: republic
Head of state: President Vigdis Finnbogadottir
Languages: Icelandic
Currency: krona (Icelandic crown, ISK). 1 USD = 68.38 ISK
(Aug 16th, 1994)
Climate: coolish temperate, warmed by the Gulf stream. Average temp.
in Reykjavik: -2C - 2C in Jan. and 9C - 14C in July.
Religion: Evangelic-Lutheran (96%) (official state-religion)
Exports: Fisheries products: 78,7% Industrial products: 17,6%
Agricultural products: 1,7% Other products: 2,0% (1993)
Cars per 1000 inhabitants (1989): 458
Phones per 1000 inhabitants (1989): 503
TVs per 1000 inhabitants (1988): 306
Doctors per 1000 inhabitants (1989) 2,8
Employment: (1991)
Agriculture............... 5,4%
Fishing................... 5,5%
Fish processing........... 6,0%
Other industry............12.5%
Building industry......... 9.8%
Commerce..................14,6%
Transport & communcations. 6,9%
Finance & insurance....... 8,4%
Public sector.............18,5%
Other.....................12,4%
Total 100,0%
------------------------------
Subject: 5.2 General information
[By: Halldor Arnason>
Iceland is the second largest island in Europe, after Great Britain.
Located in the North Atlantic Ocean immediately south of the Arctic
Circle. It is the westernmost country in Europe. Iceland lies atop the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge in an area of active volcanism. The island was formed
by numerous volcanos, many of which are still active.
Vegetation covers less than one-fifth of Icelands area and only about
1.1% is cultivated. Trees, mainly birch, exist in a few places, along
with some stunted willows. The rest of the country is barren mountains
and deserts. Ice fields cover some 12% and lava beds 11% of
the country. Vatnajokull (Lakes' Glacier) in the southeast is the
largest Ice field in Europe and Odadahraun (Lava of ill deeds) north of
Vatnajokull is the largest lava bed on Earth. Rivers are generally
short and swift. None of them are navigable, but they provide abundant
hydroelectric power. Over 90% of homes are heated by the hot springs
that are found all over the country. The geothermal heat is also used
for greenhouses.
Iceland's population is a homogeneous mixture of Scandinavian and Celtic
origin. Unlike the other Nordic countries there are no dialects to speak
of. The language spoken in Iceland has changed very little since the
island was settled, some 11 centuries ago. It is the only one of the Nordic
languages to keep the complicated inflection system from the Old Norse,
which they all have evolved from.
Iceland is a constitutional republic governed by a general assembly
(Althing). The president is elected every four years by universal
suffrage for all persons over 18 years of age. Icelanders seem to like
their presidents, because a president running for reelection has in
nine times out of ten gone unopposed, and the tenth time won by a
landslide. Real executive power is held by the prime minister and the
cabinet.
------------------------------
Subject: 5.3 History
874 Iceland receives its first inhabitants from Norway (prior to
that, some Celtic colonies had existed in Iceland) as Ingolfir
Arnason arrives in Reykjavik.
930 The Icelandic parliament, "Althing", had its first meeting.
The Althing is the oldest parliamentary system still operating
in Europe.
985 Eirikur (Eric) the Red discovers and settles in Greenland.
1000 Christianity adopted as the new religion. Leif the lucky
discovers North America and names it Vinland.
1120- The old Scandinavian sagas were written down in Iceland. Snorri
1230 Sturluson, a nobleman, historian and poet, writes (or is
believed to have written) the _Prose Edda_ and the
_Heimskringla_
1262 Weakened by internal struggles, Iceland becomes under Norwegian
rule, maintaining, however, a large autonomy. The end of the
age of Sturlungs.
1387 Norway, and with it Iceland, becomes united to Denmark.
1536? Iceland becomes Lutheran. The Bible is translated into Ice-
landic in 1584.
1783-86 The worst volcanic eruptions in the history of Iceland. Grass
was burned from large areas, 3/4 of cattle starved to death
and likewise, 1/4 of Iceland's inhabitants died of starvation.
1786 Reykjavik received trade rights.
1800 The Althing meetings discontinued by the Danish king.
1843 With the awakening of Icelandic nationalism, the Althing is
re-established as a consultative body.
1874 Iceland gets a constitution of its own.
1904 Home rule under Denmark.
1918 Denmark recognizes Iceland as a sovereign state, but Iceland
remains united with Denmark.
1940 Iceland occupied by British troops.
1941 U.S forces take over defence of Iceland.
1944 Iceland declares full independence at Thingvellir.
1946 Iceland joins the United Nations.
1949 Iceland joins the NATO after a long dispute.
1963 An underwater volcanic eruption creates a new island,
baptized Surtsey, on the Icelandic coast.
1973 The volcano Helgafell erupted on the island of Heimaey,
destroying 1/4 of the houses of Vestmanneyjar, one of
Iceland's busiest fishing harbours. The rest was dug out
of the ashes and most people moved back.
1975 Fishery limits extended to 200 miles. "Cod war" with Britain.
1980 Vigdis Finnbogadottir becomes the first woman ever to be
democratically elected President of a Republic. She has been
re-elected in 1984, 1988, and 1992.
1986 Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meeting held in Hofdi house,
Reykjavik
------------------------------
Subject: 5.4 Main tourist attractions
[From: Einar Idridason>
As many people come to Iceland by a plane the first impression that they
get of the country is that it must be barren and covered with lava, as
that is the view they see on their way from Keflavik airport to the Capital.
That is not correct. Iceland has very varied landscape; it is magnificent
in some places while there's nothing special in other places.
Some popular attractions are the day trips from Reykjavik. One of them is
called the "golden circle" which goes from Reykjavik to Thingvellir, from
there to Geysir, Gullfoss and even a small visit in Fludir. From there it
continues to Hveragerdi, finally returning to Reykjavik. Another one is
to visit the "Blue Lagoon" (Blaa lonid) and take a bath in the lagoon.
Other tours are also popular but they take you out to the country and
you can expect to spend some days or even longer on such tours.
Examples of such tours include: (but do not fully cover them :-)
Myvatn, Skaptafell, Landmannalaugar, Husafell, Sprengisandur, Kjolur.
What are those places mentioned in the above text?
Reykjavik City is the capital of Iceland, as you should know if you read
the "fact-sheet" on Iceland :-)
Thingvellir is where the old parliament was located. It is now a national
park with some magnificent views.
Geysir is a hot water spring, and it blows occasionally. Much more
alive is its fellow 'hot-water-spring' named Strokkur. One can allways
count on Strokkur to give some fancy shows if you wait ca. 5-20 minutes
(depends on the weather).
Gullfoss is a "two-storey-high" waterfall about 10km from Geysir. The
view there is magnificent.
Fludir is a small town in the southern part of the country, not very far
from Gullfoss and Geysir, and is famous for it's mushrooms.
Hveragerdi is also a small town in the southern part of the country
about 45km away from Reykjavik. In Hveragerdi there are many greenhouses
powered by the hot water from the earth.
Blaa Lonid (blue lagoon) is a pool of water that is located on the
south-western corner of the country. It is a bluish pool (hence the name)
which contains some stuff that psoriasis-patients find great to rub and
smear on their body. Others find the lake or pool a great place to relax.
The temperature of the lake ranges from warm to hot, and there are places
in the water where no-one should go to as the temperature gets too high
there.
Myvatn is a lake in the northern part of the country. The landscape
around the lake is magnificient, and not only the landscape closest
to the lake but for some distance from it too. At Myvatn there are
several birds and plants that are rarely seen elsewhere in the country.
Skaptafell is an "oasis" at the root of a glacier in the south-eastern part
of the country. Even if it is at the root of a glacier it has a great
views and you will feel the nature. (If you take the time to relax and
feel the nature!)
And how are you supposed to travel in Iceland?
Well, you can take your own car on the ferry from Scotland or Faroe Islands
to Iceland and use it to drive around the country. If you do, please bear
in mind that Iceland has some sensitive plants and that driving outside of
the roads is not nice to the nature. Also please bear in mind to follow all
instructions about a closed road or closed track and don't try to "bypass"
it, even if you are on some "highly-efficient-off-road" vehicle.
Or you could rent a car and drive around the country on it. (If you do,
the same applies to you as for those that bring their own car; be gently
on the land).
Or you could hitch-hike around the country.
Or you could buy a ticket with the busses here. Last time I checked,
one could buy two types of tickets. (Not counting the ticket that takes
you from place A to place B with minimum of hassle). I am talking about
"unlimited use of busses for some limited time" vs. "limited use of busses
for (almost) an unlimited time".
You can buy a ticket that says something like this: "This person can
travel with all busses during the period from XXX to YYY, and need not
pay any more; he has already paid for the trip."
And then there is the "This person can only travel in one direction on
the main-road, but can take as much time to do it as is needed. (Up to
a limit that is, but that limit is pretty high.)"
A question that is sometimes asked is: "What clothes should I take with
me to Iceland?"
Well, I am not sure if you'll belive this but I recommend that you take
the whole "spectrum"; light clothes for the hot and sunny days, clothes
to protect you from light rain and no wind, clothes to protect you from
high wind and heavy rain, and warm clothes to keep you warn those freezing
nights. (Yes, they do occur, especially in the higher parts of the country).
You might get some cultural shocks here in Iceland in regard to food.
But even if you don't like the looks or the names or the smell or
something about some Icelandic food, do try it. Even just one bite of
it. Looks, names, smells can be deceiving.
One of the specialties occasionally offered is called "svid". Svid is a
burned sheep-head, which is boiled and eaten. It tastes good, but you
might be put off by the head looking at you while you're eating it :-)
"Skyr" is a white, milky substance, which looks a bit like jelly, but has a
peculiar taste and no visitor to Iceland shouldn't leave without tasting
skyr first!
Lifrarpylsa is a mixed internals from sheeps and is boiled. It is eaten
either cold or warmed up.
The following part is from Dirk Grutzmacher [D.Grutzmacher@ed.ac.uk>,
compiled of replies to a query posted to the group.
"What to do"
There is a "Lonely Planet" series book on "Iceland, Greenland & Faeroes".
For a complete guide to Iceland I suggest to look into getting this.
Iceland is probably Europes most expensive country. So I imagine you'll
want to camp or go bed'n'breakfast. It's advisable to book B&B before you
go. If you look back a couple of 100 articles in the soc.culture.nordic
newsgroup someone posted about a week back a list of B&B phone numbers.
Go round the whole country. It's not all the same! Take at least one inland
"lowflying" flight. The country from above is really something. Try the
horse riding. An Icelandic horse is like no other horse.
"What not to do"
Tip. Icelanders don't like being tipped.
Don't wear your shoes in their houses. Everyone takes off their shoes as
they enter a house.
If you like a occasional beer to relax ;-) then I suggest you buy a pack
of beer in the Icelandic duty free as you enter the country. Just follow
all the Icelanders as they get of the plane. They ALWAYS buy from duty free.
You'll see why, if you go to a night club and order a beer. Usually 6 pounds
a pint.
Don't wear a jumper and jeans if you want to go out at night on the town.
Icelanders over dress no matter what the occasion. You can spot the tourist
by the jumper'n'jeans.
Some clubs get a bit wild. Be careful. Especially if you chat up local girls.
Iceland is the most hospitable country I've ever been to. They almost seem
nicer to outsiders than they do to each other. Never be afraid to ask any
question of anyone.
Also most younger Icelanders speak English. German also, but this is not as
common. They all know Danish but refuse to speak or even understand it. :-)
Answer 2
There is so much that you can see in Iceland, the nature is just out
of this world. (the NASA used the landscape of Mt. Askja to practice for
the moon voyage in the late sixties)
If you never get sea-sick, you should definetly go to Stykkisholm, which
is a town on the Snaefellsnes peninsula. There you can sail on Breia-
fjord. Not only is it full of many small and beautiful islands, but also
it is much fun to see all the seabirds. In the middle of the trip the crew
will throw down a small trawl, which will bring back many specimens of the
animals that live on the bottom of the sea; crabs, sea-urchins, clams,
scallops, and mussels. If you are daring enough you can try to taste
the scallops and the sea-urchin's eggs, it really dosen't taste as bad
as it sounds.
This is one of many package-trips that BSI (the Icelandic Grayhound bus
system) offers each summer. Some of the worthwhile BSI trips are:
A day trip to Thingvellir which is the spot where the Icelandic parliament
(Althing) was founded. This is also where the North American and the
European crustal plates meet.
The "Blue Lagoon" is a very pretty lagoon formed from excess water from
a hot water plant. In it is white silica clay, which some belive is
a good medicine for psoriasis and eczema. The clay gives the lagoon a
very specilal colour, and the steam gives it a very mystic atmosphere.
In the Blue Lagoon there is a resturant, from the poolside are long tables
into the lagoon, where waiters in swimsuit serve you very good fish. it
is a unique experience.
The Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar) are a group of 15 islands, named after
the irish slaves of the first Norse settler. Only the biggest one, Heimaey
is inhabited. In 1973 all the residents had to be evacuated when a volcanic
eruption destroyed a sizable part of the island. A year later almost all of
the poeple returned to rebuild the town. On the Westman Islands is the
biggest Puffin colony in Europe.
The "Golden Circle" is the most popular tourist attraction. On this tour
you will see the "golden waterfall" (gullfoss) where hundreds of tons
of glacial water cascade down some 32 meters into the 40-70 m. deep river
gorge. Only six km. to the west lies the Geysir geothermal area, with the
great Geysir, known to have erupted water as high as 80 m. in the air.
Today the very active Stokkur erupts every few minutes, some 10-20 m. high.
A great tour for two of the world's most famous natural wonders. The tour
ends with a visit to Thingvellir, and then on to Reykjavik.
The Nothern part of Iceland is very beutiful. from Akureyri (the capital
of the north) you should visit the famous lake Myvatn, the beutiful water-
fall Godafoss and the Krafla area. The Dimmuborgir area (the black catstles)
is spooky. There the stories of the "Huldufolk" really come true. The
huldufolk are small people that live in the rocks of Iceland. The Huldufolk
were created when Adam and Eve were still in Pardise. One day God decided
to pay them a visit. Eve found out that God was on his way, so she started
to wash all her children, but she couldn't finish washing them all, so she
hid them. When God came he asked if the children that she showed him were
all the children that she owned, and Eve said they were. Then God said
that he knew that she was lying, and since she felt that her dirty children
were not good enough to show him, he decided that nobody should be able
to see them, and made them invisible. The Huldufolk can decide if they
want you to see them or not.
A full day tour through the black rock desert to Herubrei, the queen of
Icelandic mountains, and the fertile oasis at its foot, on across the
lunar landscape to the great Volcanic caldera Askja. Askja last erupted
in 1961. The crater Viti (hell) formed by an immense eruption in 1875
which buried parts of the farmland in northeast Iceland in ashes, is now
filled with warm sulphuric water (good for bathing).
Jokulsarlon and Skaftafell national park are very cool places to see.
Jokulsarlon is a glacial lagoon at the edge of Vatnajokull ice tounges,
which is full of magnificent floating icebergs. Skaftafell national park
is a beutiful contrast between the white icecap, the black basaltic sands,
muddy glacial waters and clear brooks in narrow gulches, woodlands and
wide variety of flowering plants is enough to amase anyone.
It is a unique experience to go horseback riding in Iceland. There are
many companies that offer those trips.
Many of the day-trips that I have listed above have to be booked in advance
so it is very good to decide what you are going to do before you come here,
or at least to have a good idea about what you'd like to do.
Answer 3
It depends whether you've seen fjords, glaciers or volcanic scenery before.
A week is not too much time, so you might not want to take the bus right
round the island (what I did in '88, and it was wonderful). My favourite
bits were the eastern fjords (the bus careering round gravel roads on cliff
edges) and the black sands east of Vik on the south coast. Eat sky'r and
a'vaxtagrautur and dried fish (because you won't find them anywhere else
probably), do try and speak Icelandic a bit (there's a good Langenscheidt
dictionary which you ought to be able to buy there), cos the Icelanders
really open up if you try a bit. Go swimming somewhere, just for the
warmth and the smell. The Blue Lagoon is OK, but there are an awful lot
of tourists; same goes for Gullfoss and Geysir and Thingvellir.
The weather will probably be OK; like Argyll but colder. And the YHs
are pretty good...
ACCOMMODADITON IN ICELAND
=========================
SUMMER HOTELS: Various hotels aruond the country operate in summer
only. Many of those are schools in winter with swimming pools and hot
springs nearby. Most have licenced resturantsand bars. Prices
for a single room with shower range from: USD 53 (breakfast not included),
and for a double room with shower from USD 84.50 (breakfast from USD 10)
EDDA HOTELS: The Icelandic tourist bureau operates a chain of seventeen
tourist-class hotels around the country under the name of EDDA hotels.
Both bed and breakfast and sleeping-bag accommodations are offered.
The head office is at Skogarhlid 18, 101 Reykjavik TEL: +345-1-623300
FAX: +345-1-625895. Prices for rooms without bath range from USD 52
for a single to USD 68 for a double, and for rooms with bath from UDS 72
for a single to USD 99 for a double, breakfast costs USD 11 and sleeping-
bag accommodation is from USD 14
FARMHOUSE ACCOMMODATION: Icelandic Farm Holidays is a chain of farms
around Iceland offering travellers accommodation and variety of services.
some activities offered at farms are horseback riding, fishing, hunting
rounding up sheep and swimming. Accommodation is in the farmhouse,
seperate houses or cottages. Travellers can choose from bed and breakfast
or sleeping-bag accommdation. Cottages are usually rented by the week.
For a new brochure or booking, contact a travel agent or Icelandic
Far Holidays, Baendahollin at Hagatorg, 107 Reykjavik,
TEL: +345-1-623640. FAX: +345-1-623644. Prices for bed and breakfast
per person in a double room range from USD 40-70, and for sleeping-bag
accommodation from USD11-22. A cottage for one week costs on average
USD 400-600 for 4 perrsons, and USD 450-670 for 6 persons.
YOUTH AND FAMILY HOSTELS:
There are various youth and family hostels around Iceland and all people
are welcome regardless of age. Almost all hostels have family rooms
(rooms with 2 to 4 beds). A few hostels are open all year, others
operate in summer only. for further information contact the Icelandic
Youth Hostels Association, Sundlaugarvegur 34, 105 Reykjavik
TEL: +345-0138110, FAX: +345-1-679201. Price for accommoadation
is USD 20, for members USD 17, linen extra USD 4, breakfast extra USD 9.
------------------------------
Subject: 5.5 Addresses; Internet and regular mail
INTERNET
--------
* e-mail addresses *
listserver@morgan.ucs.mun.ca (Sugarcubes/Bjork mailing-list)
To subscribe, send mail to that address, with the message body:
subscribe blue-eyed-pop Your Full Name
If you want the mailing-list in a weekly digest form instead of
as individual mails (that's the default), add also the line:
set blue-eyed-pop mail digest
GK-news is an weekly news resume from Icelandic media, edited by Gudbjartur
Kristofesson in Iceland. About 300 Icelanders and Icelandic speaking
foreigners all over the world subscribe to the list.
The GK-news newsletter is distributed on [GK-news@ismennt.is>. To obtain
the newsletter *and* participate in discussions, you'll have to subscribe
to [Island-list@ismennt.is>
In order to subscribe to either of them, send mail to:
gk-news-request@ismennt.is
Or:
island-list-request@ismennt.is
With wish to:
[ baeta / haetta ] on [gk-news> or [Island-list>
(baeta means: add me to the list, haetta means: end my subscription)
* FTP *
* Gopher *
* WWW *
A tourist guide to Iceland
http://www.rfisk.is/english/iceland/rest_of_iceland.html
REGULAR MAIL
------------
Iceland Tourist Information Center
Bankastraeti 2 101,
Reykjavik, 101, Iceland
phone: +354-1-623045; FAX +354-1-624749
Iceland Tourist Board (Iceland)
laekjargata 3, Gimli
101 Reykjavik
phone: +345-1-27488, FAX: +345-1-624749
Iceland Tourist Board (USA)
655 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10017
phone: +1-212-949-2333; FAX +1-212-983-5260
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-END OF PART 5-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-