Iceland island. Country Iceland: description and interesting facts. History of Iceland, geography of Iceland
Iceland is an island located on the ridge of the North Atlantic global tectonic suture, along which the North American and Eurasian lithospheric plates diverge. The island is composed of thick layers of basalts and other lavas that poured out gradually from the Lower Miocene to the present day, that is, over 20 million years. The thickness of the lava layers reaches 7 km.
The official language is Icelandic, which is related to other Scandinavian languages such as Danish and Swedish, but English is widely spoken and understood. Iceland's population is young and at around 40% aged Iceland also boasts one of the highest birth rates in Europe, giving the country steady population growth over the years.
They were soon followed by the Vikings, led by Ingolfur Arnarson, who built the first permanent Norwegian settlement near Reykjavik. The years that followed the settlement of Iceland are described in the famous Icelandic sagas, which were written mainly in the 13th century.
The total area of Iceland is about 103 thousand sq. km., of which 11.8 thousand sq. km. covered with glaciers. Lakes and glaciers occupy 14.3% of the territory; Only 23% is covered with vegetation. The largest lakes are Thorisvatn (reservoir) (83-88 km) and Thingvadlavatn (82 km). The central part of the island is a desert region of volcanoes, sand and lava fields, highlands and glaciers. Plateaus from 500 to 1000 m in height predominate. Only 1/4 of the territory is suitable for habitation - coastal lowlands and valleys.
In the following centuries, Iceland came under Norwegian rule and then under Danish rule. Iceland is also home to a thriving arts scene and vibrant cultural life, as evidenced by Iceland's many museums and art galleries, as well as the recent opening of the Garpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik - the largest building of its kind in Northern Europe.
Iceland has the most active volcanic area in the world, the largest waterfall and glacier in Europe, the northernmost botanical garden and golf course in the world, the cleanest capital city in the world, the population with the longest life expectancy and the first democratically elected female president in the world , Ms.
The population of Iceland is about 320 thousand people, most of them are Icelanders - descendants of the Scandinavians who settled the country more than 1000 years ago. More than 90% of the total population are urban residents.
Iceland's climate is subarctic, but not as cold as one might imagine. Two Atlantic currents have a great influence on the climate of the island: the warm North Atlantic (a continuation of the Gulf Stream) and the cold North Greenland. The average annual temperature on the southwest coast in Reykjavik is +4 C, the average January temperature is –1 C, July is +11 C. On the northern coast in Akureyri, the average annual temperature is +3 C, in January –2 C and in July +11 C. The difference between the northern and southern coasts is relatively small.
The huge amount of precipitation that falls in these places in the form of rain causes greater inconvenience to local residents than severe frosts. In January, Reykjavik experiences an average of three sunny days (in July, one sunny day per month is the norm). July and August are the warmest months, with the weather generally better in the north and east. The sunniest places are considered to be around Akureyri and Lake Myvatn (in the center of the northern part of the island), and the warmest places are around Egilsstdoir .
Iceland, Not so fast!
Its closest "living relative" is Faroese - both are descended from Old Norse. Elves, trolls and ghosts. Surveys show that despite their obsession with modern technology, 80% of Icelanders believe in the existence of elves. Even today, roads have been rerouted and building plans have been redesigned or abandoned so as not to disturb the cliffs where elves are said to live.
Across the country, strange lava formations were once explained in folk tales as trolls that turned to stone when they were caught out in the open in daylight. But only children in Iceland today believe in trolls, and the once widespread belief in ghosts is in decline, some say because electricity has rung out of the long winter nights.
Iceland is an island of ice and fire, with active volcanoes and giant glaciers everywhere. Although glaciers occupy 11.5% of the island's surface, there is more volcanic activity here than in any other area of comparable size. About a third of all the lava in the world formed since the 16th century was thrown to the surface of the earth in Iceland.
Unlike many people, there are no polar bears in Iceland. Admittedly, every ten years or so a polar bear may arrive as an occasional ice stream tourist from Greenland, but they are not invited to stay. The sand fox is the only native mammal. Reindeer live wild in eastern Iceland, but were only imported in the 18th century. Only a few breeding stocks of animals are found in Iceland. Many of these rare breeds have disappeared elsewhere and are original descendants brought by the Vikings, including the Icelandic horse, cow, sheep and In addition, marine mammals are found in abundance along the coasts, especially minke whales, humpback whales, the fin whale and several species of seals .
Iceland is the westernmost country in Europe and geologically the youngest. The oldest formations here date back only 60 million years, and many large areas were formed much more recently - within the past million years or so. It continues to develop, and new areas are now being formed in the same way that parts of Europe were formed hundreds of millions of years ago.
Some whale watchers claim a 98% success rate. Leif Lucky, discoverer of America Five hundred years before Columbus, the first European step in America: Leif Lucky, born in the west of Iceland, son of Eric the Red. According to the Sagas, Leif wintered in a place he named Winand after the grapes he found there for about a year. A likely location is Newfoundland, where the ruins of a Viking homestead have been excavated. Leif left the New World and another expedition was brought there by Thorfinn Karlsefni and his wife Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir, who explored how New York was worth today and spent three or four years trying to establish a settlement before they abandoned the idea.
Even today you can observe how the earth is born and hardens, how it collapses and disappears under water. Iceland itself is an extremely valuable teaching aid in the study of geological processes.
Layers of lava less than ten thousand years old cover about 10% of the country, and although volcanic activity has subsided, more than 150 volcanoes have erupted in the past 12,000 years. The island was discovered in the 9th century, and since then almost 30 volcanoes have been shown to be active. On average, volcanic eruptions occurred every five years.
While in America they had a son, Snorri Thorfinnsson, the first European born in the New World. Gudrid and Thorfinn left America to live on a farm in northern Iceland, in Glamber, and when she was widowed, she made a pilgrimage on foot to Rome, becoming the first known female transatlantic traveler and certainly the most widely traveled woman, at least. for the next 500 years.
Why are there no trees in Iceland? The fact that they mention this point suggests that the trees have already become smaller. Over the centuries they were chopped up for timber and firewood, while grazing sheep, harsh winters and ash from volcanic eruptions caused erosion that prevented the trees from taking root.
It has been estimated that if Icelandic volcanoes continue to produce lava on the same scale as they currently do, then in less than one million years the amount of lava would be equal in volume to the Icelandic area exposed above sea level today.
When Hekla, Iceland's most famous volcano, which had been dormant for over a hundred years, erupted in 1947, a cloud of ash and steam rose to a height of 30 kilometers in 20 minutes. On November 14, 1963, the Atlantic Ocean began to boil off the southern coast of Iceland, and a plume of black smoke rose from the water. Then explosions quickly followed each other, and nearby fishermen said that they saw high pillars of fire above the waves.
Reforestation work began at the beginning of this century, and although there is still only one proper forest in the country, Iceland today grows more trees per capita than any other nation in the world. Turn your teeth into traditions. Most visitors are full of praise for Iceland's fresh seafood and mouth-watering mountain lamb, but that's only part of the local culinary experience. Traditional food is also served using only available preservation methods when people had to store in winter in the days before refrigerators.
A volcanic eruption took place at the bottom of the sea: during the day, an island began to rise from the sea, just as it had happened millions of years ago. The island continued to grow, fed by the endless flow of lava flowing day after day from the crater.
When the molten lava came into contact with the water, huge clouds of steam rose up. Two weeks later, the length of the island was already about 800 meters, and the height was more than 90 meters. Above the water, this lava island took the shape of a horseshoe crater. The water in this huge cauldron boiled, and hot ashes were continuously thrown out.
Some are delicious, some are different, and it's great to show off to your friends after you've finished it. Among dairy products, a big favorite with visitors is skyr, especially in fresh blueberries in late summer. The delicacies feature some pretty die-hard cuts of meat, including boiled sheep's head, whey-marinated sheep's ovaries, and breadcrumbs. But what really takes the men away from the boys is the rotten shark, cured by funeral, followed by a well-deserved shot of Black Death schnapps.
Beginner tip: If you manage to get past your nose, you're halfway there. Glaciers and volcanoes side by side The contrasting forces of ice and fire exist side by side in Iceland. About 11% of the country's surface is covered by glaciers, and about 30% by lava fields. On average, a volcano erupts every five years, but fortunately it rarely happens where anyone lives. But, rather, like the nature of the Icelanders themselves, there is fire beneath the icy surface.
Even when Iceland's land volcanoes become active, they cause water to move. The Vatnajökull volcano, 2119 meters high, is also a powerful glacier, the largest in the world outside Greenland, the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It covers an area of 8,400 square kilometers and the ice thickness is about 1,070 meters. This volcano has a large number of craters.
The world's youngest country Geologically speaking, Iceland is hardly out of kindergarten, having only just begun to rise from the Atlantic seaboard some 25 million years ago, the product of volcanic eruptions that are still ongoing today. Parts of the country are still so robust that American astronauts chose Iceland as a training ground to prepare for the moon landing.
Iceland in Europe or America? Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a largely undersea boundary where the tectonic plates of the Americas and Eurasia are slowly spreading. A huge rift runs across the country from southwest to northeast, disappearing and resurfacing in turns where the plates go in different directions. So while Iceland is geographically and culturally part of Europe, half of it lies on the American plate and is moving westward at about 1-2 cm per year. At the ancient parliamentary site of Thingvellir, which lies on this rift, you can stand on the edge of America and see all the way to Europe, 10 km away.
When an eruption occurs, some of the ice melts and water rushes down into the low-lying plains of the island, at times with such force that it carries everything in its path towards the sea.
Mountains and volcanoes
Askja (Il. Askja) is an active stratovolcano in the central Icelandic plateau, located above the Oudaudahröin lava plateau in the Vatnajökull National Park. the height of the volcano is 1510 m above sea level.
Speaking to the Vikings The Vikings who settled Iceland in the ninth and tenth centuries brought with them their language, which has remained virtually unchanged since then. Literacy has been widespread since the first sagas were written down in the thirteenth century, and people today can read them without difficulty. Unlike most Western cultures, there are no real dialects, and the best language tends to be spoken in the countryside rather than the big city. One strange feature of the Icelandic language is that it refuses to accept foreign words, but almost always coins new words from ancient Viking roots for even the most complex technological concepts.
During the volcanic eruption that began on March 29, 1875, two large lakes formed in the volcanic caldera with an area of about 45 km.
Eskjuvatn (Il. Tskjuvatn) - with an area of about 11 km and a depth of up to 220 m, it is the deepest lake in Iceland. At first, the field of its formation was warm, but now most of the time it is covered with ice. In the southern part of the lake is the small island of Eyja, formed during the 1926 eruption.
Viti (Il. Viti "hell") is a geothermal lake on the northern shore of Eskjuvatn, with a diameter of about 100 m and a depth of about 7 meters. The water in the lake is milky blue, its temperature ranges from 20 to 27 °C. There is a strong smell of sulfur around the lake, which led to the lake receiving its current name. Its hot springs are popular among tourists. In addition to two large lakes, there are several craters formed as a result of eruptions. Geologically, the mountains around Askja are the result of volcanic activity. The last eruption dates back to 1961.
A Nation of Sons and Daughters Everyone in Iceland comes first, and people are even listed by name in the telephone directory. Most Icelanders still use the old Viking middle names instead of family surnames, with different forms for sons and daughters. For example, a man named Harald Magnusson and his wife Helga Jonsdottir could have a son named Petur, whose last name would be Haraldsson, and a daughter named Ingibjorg Haraldsdottir. Logical enough, the naming system sometimes raises eyebrows at passport control and hotel check-in counters when Icelanders travel abroad.
Hekla is a stratovolcano located in the south of Iceland. Height 1488 meters. It has erupted more than 20 times since 874 and is considered the most active volcano in Iceland. In the Middle Ages, Icelanders called it the “Gateway to Hell.” Studies of volcanic ash deposits indicate that the volcano has been active for at least the last 6,600 years. The last eruption occurred on February 28, 2000. Hekla is part of a volcanic mountain range 40 kilometers long. However, the most active part of this ridge is a 5.5-kilometer-long fissure called Heklugjb, which belongs to the Hekla volcano.
In the era of women's age, an increasing number of children receive matronyms, i.e. identified as their mother's son or daughter rather than their father. Midnight golf and swimming in a snowstorm. Unusual sports attractions have become a must for visitors to Iceland. Action sports are the latest fad, including snowmobiling on glaciers and rafting on some of the most coiffed glacial rivers this side of Hollywood. Once upon a time, a war broke out among the Norwegian Vikings. One group launched boats and ran away. They discovered a green island and settled.
Fearing that their enemies might pursue them, they sent back to Norway that their island was actually an icy land, but this other island - more distant, larger and actually covered in ice - was an inhabited green land. And so the green island became Iceland, and the ice island became Greenland.
Mount Ingolfsfjall is located in the Sisle Arnes district of the Sudurland region, approximately 3 kilometers from the city of Selfoss, on the banks of the Jolfusa River. Geologically, Ingolfsfjall connects to the Grafningsfjall mountain range. On the eastern slope of the mountain, 2 large rivers merge together - the dark-water Sog, which has its sources in Lake Thingvallavatn, and the Hvitau River, with clear light water, originating in the Laundökull glacier.
This story is a fiction, that is, false. Meanwhile, Greenland was not "discovered" until a century or so, when a Norwegian who was sailing to Iceland was blown off course. It was later called the "green land" by Erik the Red, another Norwegian who actually fled Norway and first went to Iceland before settling in Greenland. He wanted to attract more settlers and was apparently good at branding and marketing - "green jobs" for his "green economy", if you will.
For me it was like that. She found that when information is presented as “fact” or non-fiction, people switch their critical analysis brain, whereas when information is presented as fiction, they switch their story brain.
Mount Ingolfsfjall is of volcanic origin, arose during the Ice Age and consists of basalt (at the base - mainly palagonite). The height of the mountain is 551 meters, the top of the mountain is flat. The southern slopes of Ingolfsfjall, covered with silvery rock formations, are under state protection. The mountain got its name from the Icelandic pioneer Ingolf Arnarson, who was also the first to climb to the top of the mountain, set up a winter camp at its foot and, according to legend, was buried on its top.
Kerling (Il. Kerling) is a volcano in Iceland. Curling is located in the northern part of Iceland, on the Tröllaskági peninsula, south of the Joksnadalheidi plateau. The volcano was active 6-7 million years ago. The summit of Curling contains significant amounts of liparitic rock and volcanic ash with a high silicate content. The mountain itself consists mainly of basalt - like most of the mountains of Trölläskägi.
The height of Curling is 1.538 meters; it is the highest mountain on the Tröllaskagi peninsula, where there are more than 1,000 mountains. Kerling is also considered the highest mountain on the north coast of Iceland. The Curlinga volcanic system also includes Mount Sulur, 1,213 meters high, dominating the city of Akureyri. The first to climb to the top of Curling in 1810 was the Norwegian Hans Friesack.
Laki is a shield volcano in the south of Iceland, near the Eldgja Canyon and the town of Kirkubeyarklaustur in Skaftafell National Park. Laki is a chain of more than 110-115 craters up to 818 m high (relative height of lava cones above the basalt cover 80-90 m), stretching for 25 km, centered on the Grimsvötn volcano and including the Eldgja Canyon and the Katla volcano. Laki is located between the Myrdals-Jökull and Vatna-Jökull glaciers, in an area of faults that extend from southwest to northeast.
In 934, a very large eruption occurred in the Laki system, about 19.6 km of lava was ejected. In 1783-1784, a powerful fissure eruption occurred on Laki and the neighboring Grimsvotn volcano with the release of about 15 km of basaltic lava over 8 months. The length of the lava flow that erupted from a 25-kilometer fissure exceeded 130 km, and the area covered by it was 565 km. Clouds of toxic fluorine and sulfur dioxide compounds rose into the air, killing more than 50% of Iceland's livestock; Volcanic ash partially or completely covered pastures across most of the island. Huge masses of ice melted by lava led to large-scale floods. A famine began, resulting in the death of approximately 10 thousand people or 20% of the country's population. This eruption is considered one of the most destructive in the last millennium and the largest lava eruption in historical time. Fine ash erupted by the volcano was present in the second half of 1783 over most of Eurasia. The drop in temperature in the northern hemisphere caused by the eruption led to crop failure and famine in Europe in 1784.
Sulur (Il. Sъlur) is a volcano in Iceland. Sulur is located in the northern part of Iceland, in the Nordurland Øystra region. It is part of the extinct Kerling volcano system located nearby. Sulur has two peaks, the higher reaches 1,213 meters, the smaller - 1,144 meters. The mountain is located southwest of the largest city in Northern Iceland - Akureyri.
The mountain rests on a 500-meter basalt base. Above, Sulur consists mainly of luminous liparite. The mountain range, which includes Kerling and Sulur, includes several more peaks (for example, Litli- and Stori Krummi - the Small Raven and Big Raven mountains). In the lowlands between the mountains, remnants of the glacier are preserved. The Kerling-Sulur volcanic system is actively used by mountain tourism enthusiasts. Hengidl (Il. Hengill) is a volcano in Iceland.
Actually, Hengidl is a volcanic system, which includes 2 volcanoes, one of which is Hengidl itself, and the other is the Hromandutindur volcano. The area of the volcanic system is about 100 km. The volcanic region extends from Selvotúr to the Laundökull glacier, and lies southwest of Lake Thingvallavatn. Hegill is one of the highest mountains in the area of the capital of Iceland - Reykjavik, its height is 803 meters.
The last eruption of Hengidl occurred more than 2,000 years ago. Currently, fields of hardened lava can be seen to the south and north of the volcanoes. Hengidl consists of tuff. This area is volcanically active even today, as evidenced by the numerous hot mineral springs located here and the hot steam escaping onto the earth’s surface.
Currently, the volcano is one of the most important sources of energy in South Iceland. There are power plants in the Hengidl area - Nesjavellir on the western shore of Lake Thingvallavatn, as well as Hedlisheidi. The town of Hveragerdi, famous for its hot springs, is also located here. In the Middle Ages, the area around the volcano was notorious. Here, in numerous caves, dungeons and grottoes, gangs of robbers settled for many years.
According to legends and sagas, in the foothills of Hengidl there also lived a female troll, Yora, who lay in wait for travelers on the high road and devoured them.
Hofsjökull (Il. Hofsjökull) is the third largest glacier in Iceland (after Vatnajökull and Laundjökull), as well as the largest active volcano on the island.
It is located in the central part of the island, in the western part of the Icelandic Plateau and northeast of the Ködlingarfjöll mountain range. It has an area of 923 km and a volume of 208 km. The highest point of the glacier is located at 1765 m above sea level.
An ice dome of regular oval shape (diameter almost 40 km) covers a shield-type volcano. The volcano is located at the junction of the Icelandic rift zones, has a caldera measuring approximately 7 x 11 km under the western part of the glacier, and there are also a number of other volcanic outcrops. Fumarolic activity, concentrated in the middle part of the complex, is the strongest on the island.
The rivers Tjoursau (the longest river in Iceland), Blandau, and Hvitau (a tributary of the Jolfusa River) originate from the glacier.
Eldfell (Il. Eldfell; in the lane Fire Mountain) is a volcano in Iceland. Eldfell Volcano is located on the island of Heimaey in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, south of Iceland proper. It was formed on January 23, 1973 as a result of an eruption on the outskirts of the city of Heimaey. The eruption of Eldfell was a complete surprise for both scientists and local residents. Emissions from the volcano continued until July 1974, after which Eldfell lost activity. New eruptions, according to experts, are unlikely. The height of Eldfell is about 200 meters.
During the eruption of January 23, 1973, the nearby town of Heimaey was practically covered with black volcanic ash, many houses were destroyed. The hot lava flowing into the sea threatened the existence of the fishing and transport port of Heimaey. The entire population of the island (4,227 people) was urgently evacuated by the island's fishing fleet. After the end of the active phase of the eruption and restoration of buildings, the overwhelming majority of local residents returned to the island. Cooled by seawater, the lava flowed into the ocean and gradually solidified, increasing the area of the island. 200 new buildings were built on this new territory.
Éraivajökull (Il. Þrþfajökull) is an ice-covered volcano in the southeastern part of Iceland. It is the largest active volcano on the island; on its northwestern edge is the highest point in the country - Hvannadalshnukur Peak. Geographically, it belongs to the Vatnajökull glacier, which is located in the Skaftafell National Park.
There have been two recorded eruptions of the Eraivajökull volcano in history. In 1362, an explosive volcanic eruption released huge volumes of tephra. The Litla-Hyrar area was destroyed by floods and covered with ash, after which it remained desolate for more than 40 years. The second eruption occurred in August 1727 and was not as strong. The resulting floods caused the death of three people.
Grazers. In addition to active volcanoes, Iceland has many other signs of volcanic activity. For example, there are about seven hundred hot springs, many of which are boiling geysers that are regularly active.
There is a valley of geysers on the island - Haukadalur. It is located a hundred kilometers east of Reykjavik, at the foot of the Langjökull glacier. It is here that the famous Great Geyser is located, which at one time amazed the first settlers of Iceland. This was the first natural hot fountain that Europeans saw. Subsequently, all gushing hot springs began to be named after him.
The three-meter vent of the Great Geyser opens in the middle of a bowl-shaped pool of white calcareous tuff. It is filled with turquoise-colored boiling water, which either splashes out to the bottom of the bowl, then goes back into the hole. Finally, the geyser gathers its strength and throws a powerful jet 40-60 meters high into the sky three times in a row. This “fireworks” lasts ten minutes, and then the water and steam seem to be drawn back into the vent. Recently, the Great Geyser has been erupting less and less. But its neighbor - the Stockr geyser - is still full of energy and punctually delights tourists with its jets, soaring 30-40 meters upward.
Another geyser valley is located at the northern edge of the already mentioned large Vatnajökull glacier, next to the Kverkfjell volcano. In total, Iceland has 250 groups of thermal springs, including 7,000 hot springs - more than anywhere else in the world. This is not surprising - after all, the temperature of the island’s interior is very high. In some places it increases by half a degree with every meter of depth. (For comparison: in Moscow this figure is one hundredth of a degree per meter.)
Iceland waterfalls
Another wonder of Iceland is its waterfalls. Anyone who visits here at least once will never be able to forget their literally jubilant beauty. Among black rocks, green mosses, white snow and blue glaciers, short and turbulent Icelandic rivers fall from lava ledges, giving birth to an amazing variety of shapes and outlines of waterfall streams. These waterfalls are sung in sagas, poems, fairy tales and novels of the Icelanders.
They consider Gullfoss (“Golden Waterfall”) on the Hvitau River, not far from the Great Geyser, the most beautiful of all. Here the river falls in two steps, 20 and 36 meters high, into a narrow gorge 70 meters deep and rushes along it for five kilometers before reaching the plain. On a sunny day, the cloud of spray in the gorge is framed by a bright rainbow, through the arch of which you can come close to the falling wall of water. The picturesqueness of the water jets is especially beneficial due to the contrast of the colors of the shallow white stream (Hvitá in Icelandic - “white”) and the blue-black basalt rocks on which Gullfoss noisily collapses.
And the country's highest waterfall, Hauifoss, located on the neighboring Fossad River, has a height of 130 meters. In one long leap, Fossad flies off the lava plateau and falls into the valley like a snow-white ribbon, expanding downwards.
But the king of all Icelandic waterfalls is undoubtedly the mighty Dettifoss - the most powerful waterfall in Europe. It is located far in the north of the island and is not easy to get to. But a traveler who decides on a difficult and long journey to the icy shores of the Greenland Sea, along which icebergs sometimes float even in summer, will certainly be rewarded for his perseverance.
One of the largest Icelandic rivers with the long name Jökulsau au Fjödlum falls just before entering the plain from a 44-meter ledge with a mighty wall of water, somewhat reminiscent of Niagara. The Icelandic poet compared the elastic, springy streams of Dettifoss to tightly twisted girlish braids. Due to glacial feeding, the color of the water in the waterfall is brownish-brown, which is unusual for Icelandic rivers. A huge mass of water disappears with a roar into a gigantic chasm 30 kilometers long and 100 meters deep. In the summer, when the glaciers melt, two hundred cubic meters of water per second flow through the waterfall! Up and down the river there are five more waterfalls, although smaller than Dettifoss.
Lakes of Iceland
The lakes of Iceland are also amazing. Many of them do not freeze all winter due to the abundance of warm springs at the bottom. Such places are usually inhabited by numerous colonies of birds. The pearl of the island is considered to be Lake Myvatn (“Mosquito Lake”), located in the very north of Iceland, famous for the abundance of trout in its waters and wild ducks on its shores. There are a good ten thousand of the latter here, and all of them have enough food in the warm, non-freezing waters of Lake Mývatn.
But the large lake Thorisvatn at the foot of the Hekla volcano is absolutely lifeless. Its waters, dammed by a frozen lava flow, are poisoned by volcanic gases.
Hekla is Iceland's most popular volcano. Its perfectly regular, gentle cone is clearly visible from Reykjavik, and for the Icelanders it is the same national symbol as Fuji for the Japanese. And just like in Japan, thousands of tourists strive every year to climb to its peak and look into the dark depths of the crater.
Soils and flora
The soils of Iceland are partly mineral, loess type, partly marshy, enriched with mineral material derived from volcanic ash, and partly aeolian, silty and sandy. Less than 1/4 of the country's territory is covered with vegetation (versus 2/3 when the country was settled 1,100 years ago). The vast interior plateaus are almost entirely devoid of vegetation. The vegetation is dominated by mosses and grasses. Until recently, woody plants occupied only 1% of the area. These are mainly birch trees, which usually have twisted trunks due to strong winds. In recent years, significant coniferous plantations have been created in some places.
Animal world
The species composition of Iceland's fauna is poor. At the time the country was settled, there was only one species of land mammal - the arctic fox. At the end of the 18th century. reindeer were introduced. In addition, mice, rats and mink were accidentally introduced to the island. Breeds in Iceland approx. 80 species of birds. Mountain lakes and rivers are home to many swans, ducks and geese, and on the sea coast gulls, terns, etc. are common. Trout lives in the lakes, and salmon lives in the rivers. Two species of seals and some species of whales are found in coastal waters. Here are feeding and spawning areas for fish (up to 66 species). The most important are cod, sea bass, haddock, halibut and shrimp.
Wild and beautiful, it offers some of the most amazing and beautiful scenery on the planet. This is an island of contrasts, where fire meets ice, and ancient traditions collide with the latest technology. A trip to Iceland will give you many new exciting experiences.
Volcanic Iceland island is located in the very north of the Atlantic Ocean, near the Arctic Circle. It was the last European country to be discovered and inhabited by humans. Irish monks are considered the discoverers of this island, but only the brave Vikings created the first settlements here in the ninth century AD. Even now the island has a relatively small population, just over three hundred thousand. Two thirds of the island's population live in Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. It is very popular among tourists.
Born in the flames of a volcano just 24 million years ago, Iceland island relatively young. This young island has the largest concentration of volcanoes in the world. There are more than one hundred and thirty volcanic mountains in an area of only 300 by 500 kilometers.
The island's population lives under constant threat of eruptions and earthquakes. But the ferocity of the island gives its inhabitants something rare and valuable: geothermal energy. This unique natural resource from the depths of the Earth brings the necessary energy for life on this harsh island. In addition, geysers, boiling mud and lakes give new arrivals an unforgettable experience.
Water plays an important role in the life of the island's population. Since its first settlement, its river lakes have been known for their abundance of Atlantic salmon, Arctic char and lake trout. This makes Iceland an ideal fishing destination.
Icelandic waters are one of the best fishing spots in the world. The island's continental shelf, where the warm Gulf Stream meets, and the cold Arctic currents create ideal conditions for cod, haddock and herring.
Every spring and summer, about twenty species of whales come to the shores of Iceland in search of food. This is an ideal opportunity for tourists to see the ocean's most majestic creatures up close.
It is a birdwatcher's paradise, its rocky shores providing an ideal habitat for many seabirds. One of the easily recognizable birds living here is the Atlantic puffin. 
The rocks not only provide a home for animals or provide a beautiful view, but also attract climbers.
An ornithologist who dares to fly over the small but impressive fire island can have an unforgettable experience. This rocky island, rising majestically above the surface of the ocean, provides shelter to tens of thousands of cormorants. 
Iceland has some of the most unique landscapes on the planet, and its volcanic heritage means that parts of the island appear to be literally out of this world. Constant eruptions have left their traces on the island. The very existence of the island is explained by its location on the volcanic zone of the mid-ocean ridge. The island lies on the border of two tectonic plates, so eruptions with lava are often observed here. Iceland's largest recorded eruption occurred in 1783, when a volcano in the south of the island erupted for eight months. Fortunately, such violent eruptions only occur once every few hundred years, so travelers can explore this volcanically active island in relative safety.
If walking through the volcanic terrain has left a traveler a little hot, he can easily cool off in one of Iceland's many lakes, but remember that we are relaxing in the center of a recently active volcano.
Whatever the purpose of your trip, Iceland's wild beauty is sure to impress you.
Iceland has huge reserves of pure and spring water, filtered naturally through volcanic rocks, this water is purified from impurities and bacteria. It is unlikely that travelers will be thirsty; the territory is crossed by many sources of the world's best mineral water.
Iceland has the largest desert in Europe, occupying almost a third of the island. Looking at these deserted expanses, it is hard to believe that when the Vikings arrived on the island, this territory was covered with forest. The first settlers cut down trees for construction and planting sites, they had no idea of the detrimental impact on the ecosystem.
This tiny island on the edge of the inhabited world hides the priceless gifts of nature. Outside the cities, adventure seekers will find a wealth of new, unforgettable experiences. An amazing, unique landscape fraught with danger, an opportunity to observe up close the ongoing struggle, where one or the other wins. This is a place where tourists can enjoy the latest environmental technologies and observe age-old traditions. It's a hiker's paradise, with a seemingly endless supply of unique and stunning views at every turn. You will remember Iceland for the rest of your life.