The idea of an ordinary layman is that Iceland is a country of mysterious elves and geysers, and the people who inhabit this ice island are the descendants of the brave and brave Vikings. Despite the rather harsh climate and the lack of valuable natural resources, Iceland, for many years, is a country with one of the highest living standards in the world.
Many people call Iceland a country of ice and presenting scenes from “Game of Thrones”, they think that it is very, very cold there, but in fact here the average temperature in January is -4 C. In general, this country is fraught with many secrets.
We present you 10 interesting facts about Iceland.
10. Small population
Only 330,000 people inhabit the island. Of course, this is very small, given the fact that this is a fairly vast territory. For example, the area of Iceland is almost identical to the area of South Korea, where more than 50 million people live. These data indicate a very low population density in the country. About 120,000 people live in the capital, Reykjavik, that is, almost half of Iceland.
At the same time, there are twice as many sheep in Iceland as there are people. In particular, according to experts, there are more than 600,000 goals. You can just walk around the island to see with your own eyes a huge number of sheep grazing on these lands.
9. All Icelanders are related to each other
In Iceland, the world around us is literally a family. Most Icelanders are cousins or second cousins to each other. Because of this, it is customary to consult with a geneticist and study the family tree of the person with whom you are going to marry (in order to avoid the creation of closely related unions). Iceland even has mobile apps that let you check it out instantly.
8. Peace-loving country
The crime rate in the country is more than low. On average, one crime is committed every 6 or 8 years and almost always occurs involuntarily or with alcohol or drugs.
In addition, despite the fact that Iceland is a member of NATO, it is one of the few countries in the world where there are no military and, accordingly, military expenses. There is no army in Iceland since 1859. However, there is a defense agreement with the United States, which maintained a military base in the country from 1951 to September 2006.
In addition, Iceland supports expeditionary peacekeeping forces, the coast guard, the police, as well as a special police unit for specific cases.
7. High level of education of the population
This Scandinavian country is a state with one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The degree of education here is about 100%, and the percentage of university students is 96%. In addition, Iceland occupies one of the leading places in the world in the number of book lovers.
Another very important cultural characteristic of Iceland is the powerful music industry, whose prominent representatives are such popular artists as Bjork and Sigur Ros.
6. There are no ants in the country
Iceland is one of the few places in the world where there is not a single ant. There is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon, but it is.
This may be due to the fact that the island is geologically young or cold. Xavier Espadaler Gelabert, a specialist who studied ants for 35 years, claims that this class of insects usually nests on the ground. However, the specialist suggests that Iceland has such icy surfaces that "it does not allow insects to have the necessary time to lay eggs, larvae, and complete the complete biological cycle».
In any case, this is just an assumption, to this day there is no reliable explanation for the absence of ants in Iceland, confirmed by incontrovertible evidence.
5. Love for elves and other mythical creatures
Icelanders are truly adored by these mythological creatures. The cult of elves is so widespread here that a huge number of local residents are convinced that they really exist. A survey among the population showed that up to 54% do not deny the possible existence of elves, and 8% believe that they live among them.
In fact, in this country you can often see small houses built for elves in the gardens of Icelandic houses.
The most popular representatives of Icelandic folklore are the huldufolk, or hidden people, which are often identified with elves. As local legends say, these magical creatures take refuge in the mountains.
Sometimes in Iceland, projects for the construction of some buildings or communications are changed in order not to damage the alleged habitats of the elves, and in 2004 Alcoa Corporation needed to obtain a special certificate confirming that the chosen site for the construction of an aluminum smelting plant is not a huldufolk habitat.
4. Many volcanoes
It is definitely one of the most volcanic countries in the world. In fact, the island is located in the middle of a fault that separates two tectonic plates - the United States and Eurasia. In total, there are about 130 volcanoes on the island, of which 19 are active.
3. The ban on beer and the lack of McDonald's
Although it's hard to believe beer was not legalized in Iceland until 1989 (The Berlin Wall collapsed in the same year). Beer has been freely distributed around the island since March 1 of the same year - since then it was Beer Day, which was usually celebrated very joyfully, with scenes of genuine madness that were broadcast on television.
Today, beer in Iceland accounts for 62% of alcohol consumed. However, for most of the twentieth century, it was considered an anti-patriotic drink associated with Denmark, the country with which Iceland fought for independence.
Interesting fact: On October 31, 2009, the last McDonald's in Iceland closed. The owner of the network decided to leave business in this country due to the loss of value of the Icelandic crown, which collapsed after the 2008 crisis.
In addition, the McDonald's fast food chain ensures that it is not going to return to this country. In addition to Iceland, countries such as Albania, Armenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina also do not have McDonalds in their territories.
2.
Iceland also has something to do with the creation of the cult HBO series.. First of all, it is that the name of the books on the basis of which the “Games of Thrones”, “Song of Ice and Fire” was shot, comes from the so-called Kenningars - poetic constructions replete with sagas and epic poems that are part of the Icelandic literary genre.
George R.R. Martin took names such as “Sword Storm” or “Crow Feast” from the Icelandic Kenningar.
1. In Iceland, a law was in force that allowed the Basques to be killed.
1615 Act Allows Basque Killing in Iceland's West Fjords. The law was promulgated by King Christian IV. As a result, 32 people died (this is the largest massacre in the history of Iceland).
However, on April 22, 2015, a conciliation ceremony was held in Holmavik. They put a plaque on a rock, Icelandic and Gipuzkoan authorities made their speeches, the descendant of the murderers and the descendant of one of the dead embraced and read verses.