Iceland

Capital: Reykjavík Population: 321,857 Official Languages: Icelandic Time Zone: +0 Dialing Code: +354

Government: Unitary parliamentary Area: 103,001 km2 largest city: Reykjavík Currency : Icelandic króna (ISK) ISO 3166 code: IS

Basic Info

Iceland, is a Nordic European island country situated at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The country has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi), which makes it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to two-thirds of the country's population. The nation's capital is the most northern capital in the world. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists mainly of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.

Geography

Iceland is located at the juncture of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The main island is entirely south of the Arctic Circle, which passes through the small Icelandic island of Grímsey off the main island's northern coast. The country lies between latitudes 63° and 67° N, and longitudes 25° and 13° W.

Climate

The climate of Iceland's coast is subpolar oceanic. The warm North Atlantic Current ensures generally higher annual temperatures than in most places of similar latitude in the world. Regions in the world with similar climate include the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, and Tierra del Fuego, although these regions are closer to the equator. Despite its proximity to the Arctic, the island's coasts remain ice-free through the winter. Ice incursions are rare, the last having occurred on the north coast in 1969.

Religion

Icelanders have freedom of religion under the constitution of Iceland, though the Church of Iceland, a Lutheran body, is the state church. The Registers Iceland keeps account of the religious affiliation of every Icelandic citizen. In 2012,

Administrative divisions

There are eight regions of Iceland, mainly used for statistical purposes. The district court jurisdictions also follow this division.

#	landsvæði	(English)	Population	Area (km²)
1	Höfuðborgarsvæði	Capital Region	200,969	1,062
2	Suðurnes (formerly Reykjanes)	Southern Peninsula	21,431	829
3	Vesturland	West	15,601	9,554
4	Vestfirðir	Westfjords	7,279	9,409
5	Norðurland vestra	Northwest	7,392	12,737
6	Norðurland eystra	Northeast	28,925	21,968
7	Austurland	East	13,786	22,721
8	Suðurland	South	23,972	24,526

About Passport

Since May 17, 2006, Iceland began to issue a new Biometric Passport. From July 2006, the Icelandic embassies in Washington, London, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm can accept the applications of Icelandic Biometric Passports. However, other Icelandic embassies and consulates can't accept applications of the new kind of passport. They can only offer services of passport renewal (prolong the validity for one year) and issue Emergency Passport which is not an ideal travel documents. Emergency Passports are issued when Icelandic citizens can't apply for a new passport through Icelandic embassies or consulates.

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