Fun Facts

7-8-10   Fun Facts about Iceland

There are only 290 000 people in Iceland.

Iceland has twice as many sheep as people.

60 percent of the population lives in Reykjavik, the capital.

There are almost 24 hours of sunlight in summer.

There is almost no sunlight in Iceland in December.

Icelanders consume more Coca-cola per capita than anyone.

Icelanders do not have last names. One's full name is a personal name and then the father's first name plus "son" or "dottir". Hence, Leifr Eiríksson was "Leifr" the son of his father named "Eirík". His son in turn was named Thorkell Leifsson.

The prime minister of Iceland is a lesbian.

There are no water heaters in Iceland. They pump hot water from geothermal springs in the ground.

Iceland won its independence from Denmark after World War 2.

The dwarf birch ( Betula nana ) is a conifer tree about two meters tall and has survived in Iceland since the Pleistocene era.

There are seven more days till our birding trip to Iceland.

-Robert