Iceland has a population of about 330,000 and an area of 40,000 square miles, so that's 8.25 people per square mile - apparently the lowest population density in Europe. In reality, two-thirds of the population live in the capital city of Reykjavik.
Settlement of Iceland from Norway began in the 9th century and the country has a Scandinavian heritage and culture in common with Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The economy is largely based on fishing, but manufacturing and tourism make substantial contributions too. The official language is Icelandic, which is descended from Old Norse. The national currency is the Icelandic krona (ISK) and there are approximately 210 ISK to the British Pound (as at 22/7/15).
Settlement of Iceland from Norway began in the 9th century and the country has a Scandinavian heritage and culture in common with Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The economy is largely based on fishing, but manufacturing and tourism make substantial contributions too. The official language is Icelandic, which is descended from Old Norse. The national currency is the Icelandic krona (ISK) and there are approximately 210 ISK to the British Pound (as at 22/7/15).
Iceland is located just south of the Arctic Circle and is volcanically
and geologically active. The interior is a plateau characterised by sand
and lava fields, mountains and glaciers - the latter clearly apparent from the white patches in the satellite view below. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where magma rises from within the
earth to form rock as the geological plates move apart, runs right
through the middle of Iceland. On 21 March 2010, the
Eyjafjallajökull volcano to the south of Iceland erupted for the first time
since 1821, forcing 600 people to flee their homes.
Additional eruptions on 14 April forced further evacuation and the
resultant cloud of volcanic ash brought major disruption to air travel
across Europe.
The location of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano is shown below, along with the routes of the Laugavegur and Fimmvorduhals trails which I intent to trek.
