Iceland - General Information
Iceland, the second largest island in Europe, lies close to the Arctic Circle. The capital of Iceland is Reykjavík, a technologically advanced city that boasts a number of high class hotels.
Tourism is one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the Icelandic economy, accounting for about 10% of total foreign earnings. Iceland is a popular destination for nature lovers with special interests, such as birdwatching. The top attraction of Iceland for most tourists is the dramatic landscape and natural phenomena; mighty waterfalls and roaring glacial rivers; erupting hot springs and bubbling mud pots; hot water pools ideal for bathing; vast sand deserts; and unexpected oases in valleys overshadowed by mountains and glaciers.
Icelandic is the national language and is believed to have changed very little from the original tongue spoken by the Norse settlers, but English and Danish are widely spoken.
Given its proximity to the arctic circle, its climate is much milder than might be expected. The mean annual temperature for Reykjavík is 5 C, the average January temperature being -0.4 C and July 11.2 C. The weather in Iceland is on the whole quite changeable and depends mostly on the tracks of the atmospheric depressions crossing the North Atlantic. The passage of a depression some distance south of Iceland causes relatively cold and dry weather, especially in southern districts, while one passing northeastward between Iceland and Greenland brings mild weather, moderately dry in the north.
The Northern Lights are often to be seen, especially in autumn and early winter. For two to three months in summer there is continuous daylight in Iceland, and early spring and late autumn enjoy long twilights. The really dark period (three to four hours daylight) lasts from about mid-November until the end of January. |
