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Iceland - GENERAL INFORMATION
 
Population - Local time - Languages - Religion - Political system - Climate - Tourism - Food



Population



Main Cities Population
Reykjavik   104,276  
Kopavogur   17,660  
Hfnarfjordur   17,538  
Akurreyri   14,922  
Reykjanesbar   10,223  



Total population (millions): 0.3
Source: World Bank 2004

Urban population: 93%
Source: World Bank 2004

Average annual population growth: 0.3%
Source: World Bank 2004

Surface area (km²) : 103,000


Population origin

Origin of the population% Of the population
Icelanders96 %
Danish1 %
Swedish 0.5 %
Other 2.5 %




Local time


It is %T:%M %A in Reykjavik


GMT


Languages


Official language: Icelandic
Most of the Icelanders can speak English and Danish, English being commonly used as the business language.

Free translation tools inIceland :
Tranexp
Free English-Icelandic-English translator of texts and web pages



Religion


Religious practises : Protestants 96%
Atheists 15%
Catholics 1%
Others 1.5%.


Political system


Iceland is a parliamentary Republic, the president is elected by universal suffrage every 4 years.The parliament has become unicameral since 1991. The single chamber (Althing) is composed of 63 deputies, elected every 4 years through the system of proportional representation. The government currently in power is formed of a coalition between the Independent Party (IP) and the Progressive Party (PP), the opposition is represented by the Democrat Party.
Capital City : Reykjavik
President : Olafur Ragnar Grimsson reelected on June 26, 2004.
Prime Minister : David Oddsson since 30 Apr 1991.


Climate


 


Tourism


Number of visitors inIceland 2002 2003 2004 World rank
Number of visitors (1000) 705   771   836   n.a.
Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005

 

Tourist sites


- Reykjavik: Museums and galleries
- Geysir: geysers
- Skaftafell: the national park and its glacier, the biggest in Europe
- Snaefellsjokull: the volcanic glacier
- Isafjordur: the cultural business centre
- Gullfoss: similar waterfalls to the Niagara's

For more information about tourism inIceland , check out the following web site(s) :
Icelandic Tourist Board


Food


Traditional dishes


The Icelandic food is the result of a natural environment, completely protected from pollution. Seafood of an exceptional quality, excellent dairy products, reindeer meat, mushrooms and berrys, as well as the famous Icelandic lamb can be found. For some years, the Icelandic chefs have been bringing the art of turning the natural resources of the country into a real gastronomy combining the delicious raw materials with the best international culinary tendencies.
Among Icelandic culinary specialties:
The Rjomalogho fiskisupa: shellfish soup with cream.
The Svioa: barbecued lamb fillet with a (hot) spicy sauce.
Finally, it is impossible to leave Iceland without sampling any freshly fished seafood such as salmon, or haddock, among others.

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Last modified in October 2005
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