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Reykjavík is the capital, and in fact Iceland's only city, and as such, it plays a vital role in all cultural life in the country. The city is home to Iceland's main cultural institutions, boasts a flourishing arts scene and is renowned as a creative city with a diverse range of cultural happenings and dynamic grassroots activities.
Iceland is an island country in Northern Europe, straddling the Eurasian and North American plates between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the British Isles. Extent (locations outside mainland in parentheses) North: Rifstangi, 66°32′3" N (Kolbeinsey, 67°08,9 N) South: Kötlutangi, 63°23′6" N (Surtsey, 63°17,7 N)
Iceland – sovereign island nation located in the North Atlantic Ocean between continental Europe and Greenland. [1] It is considered part of Northern Europe . It is the least populous of the Nordic countries , having a population of about 329,000 (January 1, 2015). [ 2 ]
A sparsely-populated North Atlantic island, Iceland is famous for its hot springs, geysers and active volcanoes. Lava fields cover much of the land and hot water is pumped from under the ground to ...
Iceland is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), which allows the country access to the single market of the European Union (EU). It was not a member of the EU, but in July 2009, the Icelandic parliament, the Althing, voted in favour of the application for EU membership [ 116 ] and officially applied on 17 July 2009. [ 117 ]
Seven municipalities make up the Capital Region with Reykjavík being the most populated by far with 135,688 inhabitants. Kjósarhreppur is the largest municipality by area (287.7 km 2 (111.1 sq mi)) but is entirely rural and only has 244 inhabitants. Seltjarnarnes is the smallest municipality with an area of 2.3 km 2 (0.89 sq mi).
The Althing was founded in 930 at Þingvellir ('thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of what later became the country's capital, Reykjavík. After Iceland's union with Norway in 1262, the Althing lost its legislative power, which was not restored until 1903 when Iceland gained Home Rule from Denmark. For 641 ...
The Vatnajökull ice cap is Europe's second largest glacier [7] and covers several volcanoes, including two of the most active ones on the island. The interactions between volcanoes and the glacier give rise to various phenomena, including the spectacular jökulhlaup – a sudden outburst flood caused by the breach of the margin of a glacier ...