Northern Europe
Volcanic · Geothermal · Ethereal
Iceland is a country located in Northern Europe. Its capital city is Reykjavik, with other major cities including Akureyri and Kópavogur. With a population of approximately 370,000, the main language spoken is Icelandic. The country covers an area of 103,000 km². The official currency is the Icelandic króna (kr). Traffic drives on the right side.
Iceland has the world's oldest functioning parliament, the Althing, founded in 930 AD — and was the first country to have a democratically elected female head of state, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, in 1980.
Reykjavik serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Iceland, positioned in Northern Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Akureyri, Kópavogur — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Reykjavik is the world's northernmost capital city and a city of 130,000 people where the Aurora Borealis is visible in winter from the city streets and the midnight sun creates summer nights where ambient light makes sleep physiologically difficult — a capital built on geothermal energy so thoroughly that 90% of heating is geothermal, making Iceland's per-capita carbon footprint from heating essentially zero.
With a population of approximately 370,000, Iceland is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Icelandic, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Iceland is reached via the dialling code +354. Icelanders maintained genetic and documentary continuity across 1,100 years of settlement, making deCODE Genetics' Icelandic population study (begun 1996) among the most scientifically valuable genealogical databases in the world — a country where the sagas preserve detailed family trees to the 9th century and where most inhabitants can trace descent to the original Norse and Irish settlers.
Iceland spans 103,000 km², in the Northern Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 65.0°N, 18.0°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.
The official currency is the Icelandic króna (kr), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Iceland's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Handball / Football holds a special place in the heart of Iceland's national identity. Handball is Iceland's most disproportionately successful sport — a country of 370,000 winning Olympic silver in 2008 when the men's team defeated Denmark, Spain, and France to reach the final — while the 2016 Euro football tournament produced Iceland's thunderclap clapping celebration performed with a stadium of fans that became one of sport's most imitated crowd rituals.
The highest point in Iceland is Hvannadalshnúkur, rising to 2,110 metres above sea level. Vatnajökull is Europe's largest glacier by volume — a 8,100-square-kilometre ice cap overlying several active volcanoes, most famously Grímsvötn, whose sub-glacial eruptions create jökulhlaup (glacial outburst floods) that periodically reshape the coastal landscape in single events carrying more water than the Amazon River discharges in a day.