Iceland which country

Enterprise Conditions 28th. Economic Quality 19th. Living Conditions 22nd. Health 5th. Education 14th. Natural Environment 20th. Visit our Rankings table to see how Iceland compares to other countries. How to read this graph: When comparing multiple countries on a spider chart, data points that appear further away from the center represent a better performance to the points that are closer to the center.

The neo-volcanic area is confined to an axial zone that runs through the country. Between 30 and 40 volcanoes have erupted during historical times in Iceland and in recent centuries an eruption has started on average every fifth year.

Iceland is very rich in natural heat — thermal areas are divided into two classes on the basis of the maximum subsurface temperature of the thermal water.

Earthquakes are frequent in Iceland — ones larger than 6 on the Richter scale struck in the southern lowlands in both and The population of Iceland is 1 January, , consequently Iceland is sparsely populated with only approximately 3 inh. Icelanders base their economy largely on the utilisation of marine resources industry and tourism. A large part of Iceland's industry is also located in this area. The mainstays of the Icelandic economy rest on the utilisation of renewable natural resources: large and rich fishing grounds, hydro and geothermal power, and pastureland.

The importance and potential of human capital is witnessed by the number of computer software and biotechnology companies. Fisheries: Traditionally, fisheries form the largest basis of the nation's economy, providing over one third of Iceland's income from exports. Most fishing takes place on the continental shelf.

The fishing territory, which is Iceland's main natural resource, requires strict management, and fish catches are tightly controlled. The main species caught are cod, haddock, saithe, redfish, herring and capelin.

Iceland has abundant energy sources in the form of geothermal energy and hydropower. Energy consumption per person is among the highest in the world. Eighty per cent of the country's electricity is generated using hydropower; the remainder being geothermally generated. Heavy industries: The first aluminium plant was built in Iceland in the late s.

In the s, the build-up of large industries continued with the construction of of a ferro-silicon plant, and since there has been a number of new large-scale industrial expansions and projects. The total production capacity of aluminium smelters has increased from tonnes per year tpy in to tpy in Cultivation is almost exclusively confined to the lowland areas although most of Iceland's land area consists of highlands.

Only about 1 km 2 of this land has been cultivated, mainly as hayfields. Farmers have mostly concentrated on the cultivation of grass, as the land is well suited to this. Conditions for grain growing are difficult due to the cool climate. However, hardy, fast-growing barley types do grow well and are increasingly planted. Foreign visitors numbered about in and around in and 4. Report in Icelandic. The Republic.

Handbook published by the Central Bank of Iceland. Report in English. Software updated on 09 November from version Iceland gained full independence from Denmark in How do I get there?

There are several daily non-stop flights to Iceland from North America and Europe. Flights land at Keflavik International Airport 48 km or 30 miles southwest from Reykjavik.

Icelandair is the only Icelandic airline in Iceland but there are numerous foreign airlines that also fly to Iceland from all over the world. How big is Iceland? Iceland is , square km. It's about one-quarter larger than Ireland or about the size of the state of Ohio.

The population is , Two out of three Icelanders live in the greater Reykjavik area. One third lives in coastal areas around the island. The central highlands are uninhabited. The biggest city outside of the Reykjavik metropolitan area is Akureyri which is located in the north and has 17, inhabitants. Population density is 3 persons per square km.

What is the weather like? The winters in Iceland are quite mild thanks to the Gulf Stream. In Reykjavik, it's just as likely to rain as it is to snow. However, it's often windy and the weather is very changeable. The average temperature in January, the coldest month, is 0 C 32 F.

Summers are cool with an average temperature of 12 C 54 F in July. It rarely gets hot and it can be rainy and windy. The record heat recorded in Reykjavik is 26 C 78 F. How long or short are the days? There is a big difference between winter and summer daylight hours. From May to August, you won't see much darkness. Conversely, in mid-winter, expect only about four to five hours a day of daylight. Spring and fall daylight hours are roughly the same as in Europe and North America.

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