33 facts about Iceland

          It is here where Santa Claus brings potatoes to naughty kids, and your blood relationship can be checked through an app in your phone. Quite wierd, isn’t it? Yet, there are more of those unusual facts which will give us food for thought whether Iceland is for sure in Europe. Those are some of them:

  1. Population density amounts to 3 people/km2. In comparizon, population density in Poland amounts to124 people/km2.
  2. About 9000 Polish people lives on Iceland (the total number of the inhabitants is 336 000).
  3. In 1413 dried fish were used as money. No wonder, eventually on average one person comsumes here 90kg of fish every year.
  4. The south of Iceland seems to be showered with every colour of green. Is that trees? No, no…the forests overgrow only 1% of Iceland.
  5. Do you want to drink the tasty Icelandic beer? Good that is not 1989 because till that time beer here was forbidden.
  6. And strip clubs are still illegal.
  7. On Iceland more than 80% of population believes in elfs and other sylvans.
  8. What else do Icelanders believe in? In 13 Santa Clauses.
  9. And if you are naughty, Santa Claus will bring you….a potato.
  10. If you are going to have a lunch in a cafe or restaurant, you’d better not leave any tips there. On Iceland it is believed to be offensive.

11. It’s difficult to meet here someone with dark eyes and dark hair since more than 90% of Icelanders have green or blue eyes.

12. Is Iceland the country of writers and poets? Definitely, on average 10% of Icelanders will publish at least one book in their life.

13. Iceland is the only country where there are patronymic names in their original form.

14. More than a half of the whole population of the country lives in the capital city- Reykjavik.

15. This city is the world’s northernmost capital.

16. There is no McDonald’s on Iceland.

17. There is also no railway.

18. Neither orphanages.

19. During the summer it practically doesn’t get dark.

20. Handball is the most popular sport.

21. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is the first woman who became a president.

22. Icelanders drink more Coca-Cola than anyone in the world.

23. There are 15 active volcanos.

24. Too much hot water? It’s not a problem, for sure it will not be wasted since its excess is used for heating up the pavements and streets, so in the winter there is no snow on them.

25. The hot springs and hydro power stations cover 80% of the domestic energy demand.

26. Icelanders have 20 different words for the term blizzard.

27. In the Icelandic phone book people are enumerated in order of names, and not last names. To make the search easier, often an occupation is added.

28. Icelandic language is the oldest language used in Europe. Icelanders are able to read the original saga novels which are 1000 years old. It is because Icelanders don’t tend to make changes in the language system or use borrowings from other languages.

29. On Iceland no one approaches a person with Mrs./Mr., but eveyone starts to address each other by first names.

30. The most common reason for damaging a rent car is opening its door in a careless way during windy weather.

31. In the 60s in order to live in Reykjavik, one had to be born there.

32. Crimes are very rare. Icelanders often don’t lock their houses and cars with a key, and the Icelandic policemen do not have firearm on them.

33. There is an application which enables to check if one has common ancestors with another person. (Iceland is relatively a small country where many people are related to each other- a genealogical problem occurs).

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