Iceland
Iceland Krafla |
Traditional Houses |
Rocks on The Iceland shore |
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Geothermal Power Plant in Iceland
Steam rises from a pipeline at the geothermal power plant in Nesjavellir, Iceland. The plant sends heated water to the city of Reykjavik. |
Silhouetted Rocks Off the Coast of Iceland |
Swimming in Runoff From a Geothermal Plant
Bathers swim in the Blue Lagoon, a runoff pond at the Svartsengi geothermal power plant in Iceland. The water stays warm through the winter. |
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Swimming in Runoff From a Geothermal Plant
Bathers swim in the Blue Lagoon, a runoff pond at the Svartsengi geothermal power plant in Iceland. The water stays warm through the winter. |
Kleifarvatn Caldera The sun sits on the horizon over Kleifarvatn Caldera and Lake in Iceland. Pall Steingrimsson walks along the water's edge. |
Geothermal Plant Across Steaming Hot Spring View of a geothermic plant in Iceland, which purifies water for drinking. Iceland is one of the most volcanic and thermally active regions on earth. |
Kleifarvatn Caldera The sun sits on the horizon over Kleifarvatn Caldera and Lake in Iceland. |
Kleifarvatn Caldera The sun sits on the horizon over Kleifarvatn Caldera and Lake in Iceland. |
Kleifarvatn Caldera The water-filled Kleifarvatn Caldera in Iceland. |
Gullfoss Waterfall Water cascades down the canyon at Gullfoss, or "Gold Waterfall", one of the highest in Iceland. |
Red Farmhouse in Icelandic Countryside |
Ice Cave in a Glacier An ice cave in Iceland, formed when steam from a fumarole melts an advancing glacier. |
Waterfall at the Mid-Atlantic Rift Water flows over a cliff in an Icelandic winter landscape. This is the region of the Mid-Atlantic Rift, where the earth's surface is moving apart at the rate of five centimeters a year. |
Turquoise Hot Spring, Iceland |
Kleifarvatn Caldera The sun sits on the horizon over Kleifarvatn Caldera and Lake in Iceland. Pall Steingrimsson walks along the water's edge. |
Ice Cave in a Glacier An ice cave in Iceland, formed when steam from a fumarole melts an advancing glacier. |
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Reikjavik founder
Statue of Ingolfur Arnarson A statue depicts the likeness of Ingolfur Arnarson, the Norseman who founded Reykjavik in 874. Reykjavik, Iceland. North Atlantic Treaty This treaty created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a bulwark against Communist expansion. Leaders from the United States, Canada, Iceland, Britain, France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, and Portugal signed this treaty in 1949. They pledged assistance against aggression within the North Atlantic area and promised cooperation in military training, strategic planning, and arms production.
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North Atlantic Treaty
This treaty created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a bulwark against Communist expansion. Leaders from the United States, Canada, Iceland, Britain, France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, and Portugal signed this treaty in 1949. They pledged assistance against aggression within the North Atlantic area and promised cooperation in military training, strategic planning, and arms production.
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Background:
Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.
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Economy overview:
Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system, low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant hydrothermal and geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, providing 70% of export earnings and employing 12% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to drops in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. The center-right government plans to continue its policies of reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. Growth has been remarkably steady over the past five years at 4%-5%.
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North Atlantic Treaty
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North Atlantic Treaty
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