Image taken on 2009-02-28 08:00:46 by Diego Cupolo.
Archive for January, 2010
21st century viking
Friday, January 29th, 2010Iceland Tourist Guide ? Volume 1 ? General Information
Sunday, January 24th, 2010With the rise of Iceland as a premier tourist destination of the world, there is more and more interest amongst travelers from all over the globe to learn more about this enchanting North Atlantic country situated in the western most part of Europe. Most search engines report a rising number of search queries asking for more information about Iceland – from general facts about Iceland, to its history, culture and of course places of tourist interest.
As an ongoing feature in providing more information for tourists who are interested in Iceland, we shall first look at the general information of Iceland.
Independence
Iceland officially gained independence on 17th June 1944 from Denmark with the repealing of the December 1918 Act of Union. During the 2nd world war since the German troops occupied Denmark, the British troops landed in Iceland in order to stop the Germans from taking over the country. At around the same time people of Iceland demanded more control over their country and thus got official independence on 17th June 1944.
Government
The President of Iceland is Mr. Olafur Ragnar Grimson (since 1 August 1996) and the
Prime Minister is Mr. Geir H. Haarde (since 7 June 2006)
Capital
The capital of Iceland is the charming city of Reykjavík which has all the qualities of a great city but at the same time has an abundance of unspoiled natural beauty.
Population
Iceland has an estimated population of three hundred thousand (300,000) with almost about two hundred thousand people (200,000) living in or near the capital city of Reykjavík. Population density is one of the least in Iceland with only 2 people per square kilometer – 1. 2 persons per square mile. 91 percent of the population live in urban areas whereas 9 percent live in the rural areas.
Religion
About 86% of the people in Iceland follow the Evangelical Lutheran church.
Landscape
Iceland has a total area of about 103,000 km² or 39,756 sq. mi. Most of the island is covered by a large plateau. The coastal areas are quite grassy lowlands allowing the people to live, grow crops and graze sheeps etc. The inland plateau is rugged and barren and about 2500 feet above sea level. A fault line runs across Iceland which gives rise to volcanoes, hot springs, steaming geysers, glaciers, and radiant lava fields.
Weather
The weather in Iceland, contrary to popular belief is quite moderate. The Gulf Stream keeps the ports warm and free of ice throughout the year. Average temperatures range from 12 degrees centigrade in July at Reykjavík and are a bit warmer in the north and east of Iceland. There is not much snow in Reykjavík even during the winters but the north and east sides along with the West Fjords receive a heavier snowfall.
Language
Official language of Iceland is Icelandic but most of the population especially those in their teenage years through to people in their fifties speak fluent English
Currency
The Icelandic monetary unit is the krona (plural kronur) (ISK). The coins come in 5 denominations of 100kr, 50kr, 10kr, 5kr and 1kr. The bank notes come in 4 denominations of 5000kr, 2000kr, 1000kr and 500kr.
Þingwaterfall …
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Image taken on 2009-02-28 11:25:42 by Diego Cupolo.
Famous Cities and Attractions of Iceland
Saturday, January 9th, 2010Iceland is approximately 1O3. 1OO square miles big. That makes it 2. 5 times, the size of Denmark. Iceland has the reputation to be the most sparsely populated country of the European continent with only around 3 persons per square kilometer. The overall population of Iceland is more or less 295,OOO. Most of Iceland is vacant and more than sixty percent of total population lives in and around its capital city of Reykjavik. But this particular stat does not mean that tourism in Iceland is only limited to in and around Reykjavik. The beauty lies in every city and every place of this absolutely breathtaking country.
Iceland offers every attraction that a tourist dreams of seeing. Whether they are active volcanoes, biggest glaciers or hot springs, Iceland has everything for everyone. As told earlier, every city of Iceland deserves to be seen at least once; following are some known and unknown cities and destinations of Iceland.
Reykjavik- no doubt that Reykjavík is an important tourist destination of Iceland. Being the capital city of Iceland, this city of Reykjavík has always been a centre of attraction for tourists and it has got everything for every tourist. Reykjavik is full of surprises which start from beautiful nature, museums, and exhibitions to great viewpoints, awesome nightlife, first class restaurants and international fast food chains, shopping in shopping malls and small boutiques.
Keflavík-this city has its importance because it is called the entrance of Iceland. It is about one hour away from Reykjavik. Most visitors and tourists see it because it is the closest city to the international airport of Iceland.
The town of Hveragerdi- this town is about eight hours far from capital Reykjavik. This town has the overall population of 2100 people. It is also called the green and warm town. The specialty of this city is that the centre of the town is a geothermal area and this whole city is built around that. This is one most important tourist attraction of Hveragerdi
The village of Hnifsdalur- the main attraction of this small village situated in the valley of Skutulsfjordur is the mountain Bakkahyrna. The mountain leans over this tiny yet very beautiful place. This village is called by the name of the edge of that mountain that, if seen from the sea, has the shape as that of an edge of a knife.
Fjord patreksfjordur- these are two different names of a same place. This small city is about 6 hours drive from the capital Reykjavik. This area is Iceland’s most isolated area. But tourists can enjoy some natural beauty in the form of landscapes of fjords, islands, mountains and valleys.
Dalir area- this area is famous for a village called Budardalur. It is one the few, very exceptional villages in Iceland. It is situated along the sea coast but has no harbor. It is not a fishing village also.
The golden circle- this is the mot famous route of Iceland. The golden circle is the name given to a route taken by almost 90 percent of tourists who are on their vehicles. In very less time, travelers can feel the beauty of Thingvellir, the famous geothermal area of Iceland and superb Gullfoss waterfalls.
These were some of the famous cities and attractions of Iceland. But still Iceland has much more to offer and to be told. One important thing is that citizens of Scandinavian countries do not need a passport to enter or visit Iceland. Plus, citizens of around sixty countries do not need to have visa for at least three months of stay in Iceland. These and more similar offers are making Iceland more and more popular on world tourism map.
Fjallið og stuff
Monday, January 4th, 2010
Image taken on 2005-07-01 23:18:23 by Finnur.