1. In Iceland,
prohibition of alcoholic beverages came into effect in 1915.
2. Prohibition was
partially lifted for wines in 1922, because Spain and Portugal refused to
import Icelandic salted cod unless Iceland imported Iberian red wine.
3. Beer remained
illegal in Iceland until 1989.
4. In 1956 boxing
was banned here. In 2002 amateur boxing was allowed under strict conditions,
but professional boxing is forbidden until this day.
5. Geothermal
fields cover up to 20% of the country’s electricity needs.
6. Icelandic horses
display two additional gaits as compared to all other breeds.
7. In Iceland, if
something is sold at a sale price for six consecutive weeks, that discounted
price becomes the new regular price and it cannot be advertised as the sale
price any more.
8. Selling panties,
boxers, thongs, and jock straps with the Icelandic flag on them is forbidden
here.
9. In Iceland it is
illegal to sell or advertise products of foreign origin with an image of the
Icelandic flag.
10. In 2010 Iceland
banned strip clubs.
11. Iceland does not
have army, navy or air force, only the coast guard. If an Icelander wants to
serve in the military, they can join the Norwegian army according to an
agreement between the two countries.
12. Military
manpower available: 75337 (2010 est.).
13. Consumption of
Coca-Cola per capita here is higher than in any other country.
14. Icelandic state
has a monopoly on the sale of alcohol.
15. The sale of food
items containing more than 2 grams of trans fat for every 100 grams is
forbidden.
16. The majority of
Icelanders don’t have surnames.
17. A family name
can be inherited (mostly from foreign parents), but since 1925 it is illegal to
adopt new family names.
18. Women do not
take their husbands’ names, because usually there is no such name to take.
19. Icelandic
telephone directories list Icelanders by first name alphabetically. To reduce
the huge amount of ambiguity, directories also list people’s professions.
20. Second names of
Icelanders are names of their parents plus the word ‘son’ for men and
‘daughter’ for women. The second name of a man whose father’s name is Jón would
be Jónsson (son of Jón). The second name of Jón’s daughter would not be the
same, but Jónsdóttir (daughter of Jón).
21. Icelandic second
name may be derived from a parent’s middle name, not the first name.
Occasionally also the mother’s name is used.
22. Icelanders
formally address others exclusively by their first names, even their prime
minister.
23. By 1 January
2011 the population of Iceland was only 318,452.
24. Reykjavík is the
only city in Iceland and its capital city. Its name means Bay of Smokes. Other
centers of population are small-sized villages.
25. If Icelandic
parents give their child a name that has not been previously used in Iceland,
that name has to be approved by the Icelandic Naming Committee.
26. The mosquitoes
are not found in Iceland and Faroe Islands, the only countries in the world
where they do not exist.
27. Christianity was
adopted by Icelanders in 1000.
28. The last Roman
Catholic bishop in Iceland was beheaded in 1550.
29. Between 1625 and
1683 twenty one Icelanders were burned alive for their supposed practicing
magic.
30. Evangelical
Lutheran Church is the state church of Iceland.
31. Icelanders can
understand texts written in their language over 800 years ago.
32. Iceland is not a
very cold country. The average temperatures for January is -0.4°C.
33. Because of the
mild climate, Iceland is very green. Icelanders like to say that Iceland should
be named Greenland and Greenland should be named Iceland.
34. Iceland is home
of one of the world’s oldest democracies. The Althing, Icelandic parliament,
was established in 930.
35. In 2010, 97.6%
of Icelandic population had Internet connection.
36. 60% of Icelandic
population live in Reykjavík.
37. The country has
the highest rate of cinema attendance per capita in the world.
38. The smell of
Hákarl (fermented shark), traditional Icelandic food, is so strong and
particular, that it may cause you to vomit.
39. Iceland was the
first country in the world to have a democratically elected female head of
state.
40. Not a single
runestone has been found in Iceland until today.
41. About 11% of the
country’s territory is covered by glaciers.
42. The largest
glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull, is located in Iceland (8300 km2).
43. During the last
two centuries, 30 post-glacial volcanoes have erupted in Iceland.
44. The highland
interior of the country is uninhabited.
45. Life expectancy
is at 81.3 for women and at 76.4 for men.
46. The most common
Icelandic names are Jón and Anna.
47. Several scenes
of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were filmed on an Icelandic glacier.
48. James Bond
movies were filmed in Iceland twice: first in A View To A Kill (1983) and then
in Die Another Day (2002).
49. Puffin is one of
the most popular birds in Iceland.
50. Geothermal water
heats about 90% of homes of the country.
51. The highest
point in Iceland is Hvannadalshnúkur (2,119 m).
52. Öskjuvatn is the
deepest lake in Iceland. It was formed as a result of a volcano eruption in
1875.
53. Iceland’s area
is 103,000 square kilometers.
54. In 1963 a new
volcano appeared in the Atlantic near Iceland.
55. Greenland was
colonized by Icelanders in 986.
56. In 2009
Icelanders applied to European Union for membership.
57. Rabbits were
first imported to Iceland from Spain in 1976. Some were released into the wild.
58. As late as 1413
Icelanders used dried fish as a unit of money.
59. The first known
fire and plague insurance policy was issued in Iceland in 1151.
60. Vladimir
Ashkenazy, Russian conductor and pianist, became Icelandic citizen in 1972.
61. English word
geyser derives from the Icelandic Geysir, a name of a geyser that may not erupt
water for years. When it does, the boiling water is hurled up to 70 meters in the
air.
62. Male orca named
Keiko, who was captured near Iceland in 1979, starred in the Free Willy movie.
In 1998 he was returned to Icelandic waters.
63. The ‘Game of the
Century’ between Bobby Fisher (US) and Boris Spassky (USSR) took place in
Reykjavík in 1972.
64. According to
2007 statistics, Icelandic men on average work 10 hours more than Icelandic
women every week.
65. Very few trees
remain in in the country today, since for a long time they have been used for
timber and firewood.
66. In 2004 Mountain
Avens was chosen as the Iceland’s National Flower.
67. Icelandic
universities are attended by more women than men. In 2004 63.5% vs 36.5%.
68. Geologically,
Iceland is one of the youngest islands in the world.
69. Iceland was one
of the latest places on earth to be settled by humans.
70. The rate of
literacy among Icelanders is the highest in the world.
71. Only 1% land in
Iceland is considered arable.
72. Only a quarter
of the country is covered with vegetation.
73. Iceland is
located just south of the Arctic Circle.
74. On average, the
country is populated by three people per square kilometer.
75. Arctic fox is
believed to be the only native animal of Iceland. Domestic animals first came
there with the settlers.
76. The country’s
national sport is handball.
77. The Hvalfjörður
Tunnel near Reykjavik is one of the longest underground tunnels in the world.
78. Icelandic
counterpart of Santa Claus are Yule Lads. They are 13 in number.
79. The most common
fish caught near Icelandic coast is cod.
80. Iceland could
generate electricity for all Europe, but the difficulty is to transport it
there.
81. Police officers
here do not carry guns.
82. In Iceland
owning a pet snake, lizard or turtle is against the law.
83. The majority of
Icelanders believe in elves.
84. The main
industry in Iceland is fishing and fish processing.
85. Reykjavík is the
northern most capital city in the world.
86. Banking collapse
in Iceland is the largest suffered by any country in economic history as
compared to the country’s size of economy.
87. As a result of
two referendums held in 2010 and 2011 Icelanders rejected a proposal to pay 4
billion Euros to the UK and the Netherlands after the collapse of the Icesave
bank.
88. Between 1380 and
1944 Iceland was subject to Danish crown.
89. The number of
Catholics in the country is under 2% of the population.
90. The eruption of
the Icelandic volcano Laki, known as the Mist Hardship, in 1783-84, caused the
famine that decreased the population of Iceland by about 25%.
91. Iceland’s
revenue from whale watching exceeds any income from whaling.
92. Fish and fish
products constitute more than 70% of Icelandic exports of goods.
93. Vatnajökull
National Park is the largest in Europe.
94. Labor force in
the country: 178,800 (2010).
95. Nearly every
known type of volcanic activity is found here.
96. Dettifoss
waterfall on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river is the most powerful waterfall in
Europe.
97. Drinking water
piped to Icelandic homes is very pure, it is not even chlorinated.
98. According to the
2000 United States census, there are more than 40,000 Icelandic Americans.
99. Icelandic
government offered an island to Björk, but she turned down the offer.
100.Eyjafjallajökull
was probably the most complicated word the newspersons around the world had to
learn in 2010.
1 comment:
Iy is nice being there
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