A little bit about the land of fire and ice
10 Things to Know
1. The First Settlers Were Not Vikings. The first settlers were actually Celtic monks around (770 AD), a full century before the vikings arrived. However, once the vikings came, they came to stay. It took a long time to settle due to the large mass of inhabitable land, however it grew overtime to be the great country it is today.
2. The Iceland Population Knows Various Languages. Iceland's official language is Icelandic (of course), however schools are also obligated to teach English and Danish. That's not all! Students often pick up fourth and fifth languages! These languages could range between Swedish, Norwegian, German, French, and Russian. You have to admit, that's pretty impressive.
3. Sweater Season is Every Season. Everyday is sweater weather in Iceland! 50F is considered pretty warm in the summer, average temperature is 40F in both the fall and the spring, and finally winters range from 20F to 30F. It's a little chilly.
4. The Hours of Light in a Day Change More than the Weather. Being just miles away from the arctic circle, Iceland is heavily affected as the Earth rotates and orbits. To give an idea of how extreme, the longest day of the year is about 20 hours long and the shortest is only 4 hours. All areas in between increase and decrease at a very quick rate.
5. Iceland is Consistently Ranked as One of the Happiest Countries in the World. Judging by the colorful cities and smiling faces, they know it. There's not much to say besides the country is thriving and the people are satisfied.
6. Iceland is Full of Culture and Creativity. The Ancient Icelandic authors created some of the earliest examples of epic poetry. Literacy is still important in current times, with 10% of Icelanders have published a book at some point in their life. Icelandic architects are in high demand worldwide for their clean, environmentally focused designs. To top it all off,Iceland’s most popular cultural export is music.
7. If You Don't Like Vegetables, Traditional Icelandic Food Is For You. The cold weather makes it tough to grow produce, so most meals are heavy on meat and dairy.
8. Iceland is Considered to be One of the Most Progressive Countries. According to Business Insider, Iceland is one of the most progressive countries in the world (ranked first). Looking at the fact that they were the first country in the world to elect a woman as head of state, first country to elect an openly gay prime minister, and are very cautious of the environment they live in. Icelandic society puts a strong emphasis on equality and as a result women, minorities, and the LGBT community are all fully accepted and supported.
9. There is Very Strong Nationalism. Icelanders are happy, hospitable, and aggressively proud of where they are from. Especially being from a small nation, they are like close knit community and won't take any nonsense from anyone who doesn't respect them.
10. The Whole Country Is Environmentally Conscious. Even in the capital, Reykjavik, there are parks everywhere and most of the attractions are simply the beautiful surroundings.
That's all I have to say!
x Emma