Facts About Iceland

Daylight in Iceland

Surely the Icelandic winters can be dark and cold but the summers make up for it. Imagine... Reykjavík has more average daylight than Miami in Florida! An average of 14.9 hours.

In June you can expect sunrise at roughly 3.16 am and sunset at 11.38 pm. In fact, if you are sensitive to light while you sleep you’d better bring something to cover your eyes during the night.

Icelandic names and traditions, -dottir or -son?

Icelanders still follow a very ancient tradition when naming their children. Icelanders also communicate using first names, never surnames. Some visitors find this amazing fact about Icelandic names very confusing!

My name own name is Margret Gunnarsdottir - I am the daugher (dottir) of Gunnar. Incidentally, I could choose the surname Sigrunardottir (daughter of Sigrun, my mother), but that is not common practice. Complicated? :-)

Iceland Currency

No Euro, no dollar, no pound. The Icelandic currency is the Icelandic króna, an important fact to know. Feel free to use my currency converter.

However you can also change all the major currencies at Keflavík airport, in any bank and currency exchanges. You will also find it easy to use Visa and MasterCard, they are accepted almost everywhere. ATMs are always nearby except in the uninhabitable interior!

Take a look at the Icelandic currency!

Youngest country in the world!

Iceland is still at playschool, geologically speaking. Only 25 million years old.  And the country is still taking shape!

Surtsey, an island off the south coast near the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar), is the newest land. It rose from the sea in 1963 during an underwater eruption. You cannot go there. The public can’t go there. Only scientists exploring the development of new plantlife are allowed on the island. It gives them an amazing opportunity to study how fast or how slowly things happen on a “new land”.

Population of Iceland

Iceland has a population of only about 300.000. “WHAT? You mean 3 million?” ... is the usual response from a foreigner. “No, THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND”...

It should therefore be easy for you to imagine that when Icelanders meet each other by chance abroad and start talking, there is a good possibility that they will quickly find some common friends, acquaintances or even relatives! 

You should be aware that half of the Icelandic population live in Reykjavík and nearby towns in the southwest. The interior of Iceland is uninhabited and most villages are located on the coast.

Climate

One of the most important facts about Iceland for the Icelanders is the warm Gulf Stream. The stream is the main reason for mild winters and fresh summers. It is also the reason for an unstable and often windy weather. Keep in mind though that the mean winter temperature in Reykjavík is higher than in Oslo or Helsinki!

Why not visit the Icelandic Meteorological Office?

Size of Iceland

Iceland may be small on the map, ca. 103.000 square km, but the landscape is unbelievably diverse. Green valleys, volcanoes, lava fields, glaciers, mountains, deserted highlands.