| Iceland |
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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. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Reykjavik
geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W
time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Area Total: 103,000 sq km |
| Area Land: 100,250 sq km |
| Area Water: 2,750 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly smaller than Kentucky |
| Coastline: 4,970 km |
| Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers |
| Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier) |
| Natural Resources: fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite |
| Land Use Arable Land: 0.07% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 0% |
| Land Use Other: 99.93% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: NA |
| Natural Hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity |
| Environment Current Issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment |
| Geography Note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe |
| Population |
| Population: 301,931 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 21.4% (male 32,759/female 31,845) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 66.8% (male 102,161/female 99,411) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 11.8% (male 16,162/female 19,593) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 34.5 years |
| Median Age Male: 34 years |
| Median Age Female: 35 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 0.824% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 13.57 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 6.77 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.04 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.029 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 1.028 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.825 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 1.002 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 3.27 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 3.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 80.43 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 78.33 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 82.62 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: 220 (2001 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) |
| Religions: Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004) |
| Languages: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 99% |
| Literacy Male: 99% |
| Literacy Female: 99% (2003 est.) |
| Administrative Divisions: 8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland |
| Legal System: civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Economy |
| Overview: Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides nearly 70% of export earnings and employs 6% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Government policies include reducing the current account deficit, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, and diversifying the economy. 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. Since 2000 growth has varied from -1% in 2002 to 8% in 2004. The 2006 closure of the US military base at Keflavik had very little impact on the national economy; Iceland's low unemployment rate aided former base employees in finding alternate employment. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $11.4 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 3.7% (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 8.4% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 15.6% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 76% (2006 est.) |
| Labor Force: 173,000 (2006 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 5.1%
industry: 23%
services: 71.4% (2005) |
| Unemployment Rate: 1.3% (2006 est.) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 6.8% (2006 est.) |
| Industries: fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production; geothermal power, tourism |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: 5% (2006 est.) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 8.474 billion kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 0.1% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 82.5% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 17.5% (geothermal) (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 7.881 billion kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 20,560 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $3.587 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite |
| Exports Partners: UK 17.9%, Germany 16.4%, Netherlands 13%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.7%, Denmark 4.3% (2005) |
| Imports: $5.189 billion (2006 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles |
| Imports Partners: Germany 13.4%, US 9.1%, Sweden 8.6%, Denmark 7.3%, Norway 7.2%, UK 5.9%, China 5.3%, Netherlands 5%, Japan 4.7% (2005) |
| Debt External: $3.073 billion (2002) |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 193,900 (2005) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 304,000 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: extensive domestic service |
| Telephone System Domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links |
| Telephone System International: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios: 260,000 (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 14 (plus 156 repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: 98,000 (1997) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 20 (2001) |
| Internet Users: 258,000 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Airports: 98 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 0% (2005 est.) |
| Disputes International: Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm |