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        A Frequently Answered Questions (FAQ) file for the newsgroup

                     S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C

                           *** PART 5: ICELAND ***



               Index


               5.1     Fact Sheet
               5.2     General information
               5.2.1   Geography, climate, vegetation
               5.2.2   Economy
               5.2.3   Government
               5.2.4   Population and language
               5.3     History
               5.3.1   A chronology of important dates
               5.3.2   Icelanders discover Greenland
               5.3.3   Icelanders discover America (Vinland); L'Anse aux
                       Meadows
               5.4     Main tourist attractions
               5.4.1   Reykjavik
               5.4.2   Einar Indridason's travel tips
               5.4.3   More Iceland tips
               5.4.4   Accommodation in Iceland
               5.5     The sagas, Eddas, and subsequent Icelandic
                       literature.
               5.5.1   The sagas
               5.5.2   The Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda
               5.5.3   Later Icelandic literature

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Subject: 5.1 Fact Sheet

Name: L��veldi� �sland
Telephone country code:  354
Area: 103,000 km� / 39,758 sq mi.
      (Glaciers: 12.000 km�, lava 11.000 km�, lakes 3.000 km�,
      arable land 1.100 km�).
Sea area (within 200 nautical miles of fishery limits): 758.000 km�
Terrain: mostly plateau inerspersed with mountain peaks and icefields;
         coast deeply indented by bays and fjords.
Highest mountain: Hvannadalshn�kur, 2119 m.
Largest ice cap: Vatnaj�kull, 8,400 km�.
Natural resources: fish, hydroelectric and geothermal power
Land boundaries: none
Population: 264,922 (1993)
Population density: 2.5 persons per km� (6.5 per sq mi)
Distribution: 90% urban, 10% rural (1990)
Infant mortality: 4 per 1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy: male: 76.5, female: 81.0  (1993)
Capital: Reykjav�k (pop. 101,824) (1993)
Other major towns: K�pavogur: (17,172), Hafnarfj�r�ur (16,787)
                   Akureyri (14,799)  (1993)
Flag: a red Nordic cross outlined in white on a blue background
Type: republic
Head of state: President �lafur Ragnar Gr�msson
Languages: Icelandic
Currency: kr�na (Icelandic crown, ISK). 1 USD = 63 ISK (March 1995)
        see <gopher://hengill.rhi.hi.is:70/00/daglegt-lif/gengi.dags>
        for today's rates.
Climate: coolish temperate, warmed by the Gulf stream. Average temp.
in Reykjav�k: -2�C - 2�C in Jan. and 9�C - 14�C in July.
Religion: Evangelic-Lutheran (96%) (official state-religion)
Exports:  Fisheries products: 78,7%
          Industrial products: 17,6%
          Agricultural products: 1,7%
          Other products: 2,0% (1993)
Cars per 1000 inhabitants (1989): 458
Phones per 1000 inhabitants (1989): 503
TVs per 1000 inhabitants (1988): 306
Doctors per 1000 inhabitants (1989) 2,8

Employment: (1991)

  Agriculture............... 5,4%
  Fishing................... 5,5%
  Fish processing........... 6,0%
  Other industry............12.5%
  Building industry......... 9.8%
  Commerce..................14,6%
  Transport & communcations. 6,9%
  Finance & insurance....... 8,4%
  Public sector.............18,5%
  Other.....................12,4%
  Total                    100,0%