5 Facts of Iceland

The capital of Iceland is Reykjavík

Iceland is one of the few countries left in the world that can offer its visitors the modern community that we have adapted too, while still letting each person stare into the beautiful unknown of unspoiled nature. Some of the most amazing scenery lies in this northern country and it holds an experience that has to be seen to be believed. Many of us know some of what Iceland has to offer, but here are five things that may surprise you.

5 Facts You Might Not Know

1

The concept of a given last name is different here then the rest of the world. A persons last name consist of their father first name plus son if their male or dottir if their female. This changes many things, such as the names in a phone book are alphabetical by first name, women keep their last name after marriage, and referring to someone as Mr. and Mrs. is not a practice they use.

2

Clean water is something that the world strives for, but Iceland gets clean water much easier. The rainfall is vast and the water is so clean and pure it is pumped to the city without any need for treatment. Chlorination is simply not used.

3

The climate in Iceland is surprisingly more mild then many of the northern states in the U.S, averaging 31 degrees F or 1 degree C during the middle of winter. This climate also gives Iceland some of the greenest lands in the northern world, but very little of this beautiful green land is in the form of trees.

4

Iceland also has some of the most unique nights and days due to the fact of its location just south of the Arctic Circle. During the warmer months it never gets darker than twilight. Two days are especially unique; one is December 21, which only has 4 hours of daylight. The other day, June 21, has only three hours of darkness.

5

War is a non factor in Iceland and the country has no Navy or Army, but is protected by a coast guard. This may contribute to the fact that Icelanders are ranked as the most happy of the European citizens.