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Iceland needs to step up to meet emissions target

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Iceland must intensify its efforts to meet its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the non-industrial sectors by 2030. According to a specialist at the Environment Agency of Iceland, it is unlikely that the current trajectory will be sufficient.

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Iceland: Freedom in the World 2023 Country Report | Freedom House

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See the Freedom in the World 2023 score and learn about democracy and freedom in Iceland.

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Population

360,390 (2019)

Official language

Icelandic or ""íslenska"", which is a Germanic language derived from Old Norse.

Language spoken

Due to its remote location there has been little linguistic influence, and 98% of Icelanders speak Icelandic. However, they also speak excellent English so travellers will be able to get by very easily. Icelandic can be very hard to read and pronounce for some, so to help with particular letters of the Icelandic alphabet - þ: is pronounced like the ""th"" in ""thing"" - ð: is pronounced like the ""th"" in "cloth".

People

93% of the population is Icelandic, and the biggest majority otherwise is Polish with 3% of the population.

Religion

The national church is the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland and 80% of the population idenityfy as belonging to it. Almost 5% of people practice ásatrú, the traditional Norse religion.

National Holiday

17 June: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic (1944).

Holiday Schedule

January 1: New Year's Day (January 31 is a holiday afternoon).

In late March - early April: Easter (Holy Thursday and Good Friday are public holidays and Easter Monday).

Third Thursday of April: Day of Summer ("Sumardagúrinn"). Important festivities.

May 1: Labor Day.

During May: Thursday of the Ascension.

17 June: National Day.

First weekend of August: Traders Day (Friday afternoon, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday are public holidays morning, official celebrations on Monday).

25 December: Christmas (24 December afternoon plus the full days of the 25 and 26 December are holidays). Something fun to note is that Icelanders have 13 Santas who arrive one by one from the 13th day before Christmas.

Other Icelandic festivals to note are :

First Sunday of June: Sailors' Sunday ("Sjomannadgwinn") in honor of the fishermen, where all boats are in port for the day.

21 and 24 June: Summer Solstice and St. John ("Jónsmessa").

October 9: Leif Ericson Day (which, to the thousand year, discovered the North American coast).

December 23: Saint Thorlak ("Thorláksmessa"), the Icelandic boss.

History

The first inhabitants of Iceland were Irish monks who were soon joined by Norwegian Vikings. In 930 AD, over 30 clan leaders met at Thingvellir to discuss law on the island and create a parliament, which they called Althingi. Each year, the leaders met at Thingvellir - which means fields of parliament - to discuss important matters, and it was here in 1000 AD that they decided to officially move away from Asatru (the Norse religion) and instead take up Christianity; and here in 1944 AD where Iceland declared independence from Denmark and elected their first president.

Policy

Iceland is a constitutional republic. The President is elected by national vote for a renewable term of four years, but the role is largely ceremonial. Executive power is held by the Prime Minister (appointed by the President) and his government. The legislative branch is the Parliament (Althingi) which has 63 members elected by national vote, who hold their role for four years. Founded in 930 AD, the Althingi is the oldest parliament in the world. Iceland has no armed forces, except 130 coastguard.

Famous Icelanders

Vigdis Finnbogadóttir (born 1930) was Iceland's president from 1980 to 1996. She was the first female president and is seen as the symbol of the opening of Icelandic politics to women.

Björk Gudhmundsdottir (born in 1965). Björk is one of the most well-known Icelandic celebrities, renowned for her inventive and quirky character and music.

Jon Sigurdhsson (1811-1879). A historian and politician, he was the head of the movement for the independence of Iceland. In tribute to this role as father of the nation, the Republic was proclaimed on his birthday (June 17).

Ólafur Stefánsson (born 1973). A professional handball player.

Jón Arason (1484-1550). A Catholic bishop and poet, he led the fight against the Lutheran Christian III of Denmark. He remains a legendary character in Iceland, mixing poetry, national idea and religious nonconformity.

Halldor Gudhjonsson (1902-1998), Halldor Laxness Kiljan wrote around 60 books (including the famous Bell of Iceland), which dealt with themes of history and torment of Iceland in the 20th century, including social Catholicism and Communism. His work has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955.

Etiquette

Tipping is completely at your discretion. In Iceland, hotels, restaurants and bars, the service is included, but you can still show your appreciation by leaving a small tip if you wish. If you want to tip your driver, we recommend 1.5 to 3 Euros per day, and from 2 to 4 Euros for guides. Dinner is usually early, and most people eat their evening meal before 8pm and it could be hard to find a restaurant that is serving after 8.30pm. If you are invited to an Icelander's house, it is polite to take off your shows your shoes before entering the house (same in some stores or public places). Finally, hot springs and communal pools are very popular in Iceland, so be sure to check the etiquette of your chosen pools if you decide to go.

Shopping

The Icelandic specialty is wool. Knitted woolen goods can be found across the island and the handmade jumpers with circular jacquard design are particularly characteristic of Iceland, and make a great gift or memento of your trip. The island is also famous for its ceramics and other handmade items made from numerous materials, including wood, skins (including fish skins), glass, stone and lava.

Food

Seafood is at the heart of Icelandic cuisine, but the land provides mutton and potatoes which are used in many meals. Unusual traditional recipes include Hákarl, fermented shark meat that has been aged several months; þorramatur, a selection of Icelandic foods cured in a traditional manner, cut into slices or pieces such as testicles and sheep heads, blubber, liver sausage, shark meat, dried haddock, black bread and more. These meats and fish dishes are usually consumed during the Nordic month of Þorri (Thorri), in January and February, and particularly at the mid-winter feast of Þorrablót (Thorrablot) as a tribute to old culture.

Sumatur is sheep (or whale) boiled, preserved in lactic acid. Some less-unusual traditional dishes include:

"hangikjöt" smoked sheep that's eaten hot or cold, often on "flatbraudh" (rye patties cooked in the ashes);

the "blódhmör" sausage sheep;

"bjúgu" mutton sausage that is eaten boiled;

"hardhfiskur" dried fish (cod, haddock, sea bass) which has a strong smell but a milder taste;

"kaviar";

fish : "lax" (salmon, fresh, smoked or marinated),"silungur" (trout), "thorskur" (cod), and "Sild" (herring);

on the sweeter side, the one of the great Icelandic specialties is the "skyr" thick white cheese that is mixed with milk (or cream) and sugar, which are sometimes flavoured with fruit.

Drink

You can drink the tap water all over Iceland and it is one of the purest in the world. Alcohol in Iceland is very expensive and only sold in the state stores (Vínbúð). With such excellent water quality, Iceland makes very good beers that are generally blonde and light. With regards to spirits, there's Icelandic vodka and aquavit, but the real national specialty is Brennivín, also called ""Black Death"", a potato alcohol flavored with caraway.

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Iceland Culture : Language, Religion, Food - Original Travel

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360,390 (2019) Icelandic or ""íslenska"", which is a Germanic language derived from Old Norse. Due to its remote location there has been little linguistic influence, and 98% of Icelanders speak Icelandic. However, they also speak excellent English so travellers will be able to get by very easily.

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Table of Contents

Constitutional framework

Iceland's constitution, which was adopted in 1944, established a parliamentary democracy with a directly elected president as head of state. The powers of the president are similar to those of other heads of state in western European democracies. Real power rests with the 63-member parliament, the Althingi (Althing). One of the oldest legislative assemblies in the world, it is a unicameral legislature in which members serve four-year terms unless parliament is dissolved and new elections called. The executive branch is headed by a cabinet that must maintain majority support in parliament-or at least avoid censure-otherwise it must resign. Citizens are guaranteed the civil rights customary in Western democracies.

Local government

Local government in Iceland is chiefly responsible for primary education, municipal services, and the administration of social programs. The country is divided into 17 provinces ( sýslur), which are further subdivided into fewer than 100 municipalities. Since the 1970s their number has decreased by nearly half as a result of consolidation. Each municipality administers local matters through an elected council.

Justice

The judiciary consists of a supreme court and a system of lower courts, most of which hear both civil and criminal cases. Cases are heard and decided by appointed judges; there is no jury system.

Political process

The president, Althing, and local councils are elected every four years, but not necessarily all at once. All citizens 18 years of age and older may vote. Members of the Althing are selected by proportional representation in multimember constituencies. Since the late 1970s the Independence Party (1929), centre to conservative in political outlook, has commanded about one-third to two-fifths of the popular vote, and it frequently formed coalition governments. The Progressive Party (1916), which generally has been the second leading party during this period, draws its strength from rural areas. In 2000 three left-of-centre parties-the Social Democratic Party (1916), the People's Alliance (1956), and the Women's Alliance (1983)-came together to become another major player, the Social Democratic Alliance. The Left-Green Party (1998) also grew in importance. In 1980 Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became the first woman president, a position she held for four consecutive terms until her retirement in 1996. In 2009 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became Iceland's first woman prime minister and the world's first openly gay head of government.

Security

With the exception of a small coast guard, Iceland does not have military forces. However, in 1949 it became a charter member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Iceland joined the United Nations in 1946, a year after its founding. In the post-World War II period it has based its foreign policy on peaceful international cooperation and participated in joint Western defense efforts. The United States, having assumed responsibility for Iceland's defense, maintains a naval air station at Keflavík International Airport under NATO auspices.

Health and welfare

Iceland, with compulsory health insurance that finances most medical services, has a high standard of public health and one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Hospital inpatient services are provided entirely without charge, other medical services at low cost. Dental care is partially subsidized for children up to age 16 and for retirees with low incomes. Heart disease and cancer together account for about one-half of all deaths. Welfare services include unemployment insurance, old-age and disability pensions, family and childbearing allowances, and sickness benefits. The medical and welfare systems are financed through taxation by central and local government.

Housing

More than four-fifths of homes have been built since the country's independence in 1944. Homes are relatively large in comparison with those in other countries, particularly because the country's historically high inflation encourages people to invest in housing. Housing shortages were acute in the 1960s. However, because of a housing boom beginning in 1970, housing shortages largely have been alleviated.

Education

Almost all schools from the primary level through the university are free. Education is compulsory through age 16, and secondary and higher education is widely available. Students can enroll in four-year academic colleges at the age of 15 or 16. Graduation from one of these colleges entitles the student to admission to the University of Iceland, founded in 1911, in Reykjavík. A second university was established at Akureyri in 1987. Since then, several other schools have elevated their curriculum to the university level and offer university-level degrees. There are also a number of technical, vocational, and specialized schools.

Cultural life

Icelanders are proof that a small and homogeneous population can develop a rich and varied cultural life. The country's literary heritage stems from writers of the 12th to 14th centuries who vividly recorded the sagas of Iceland's first 250 years. Other traditional arts include weaving, silver crafting, and wood carving.

The Reykjavík area, which supports several professional theatres, a symphony orchestra, an opera, and a number of art galleries, bookstores, cinemas, and museums, has a cultural environment that compares favourably with those of cities several times its size. It also holds a biennial international art festival.

Daily life and social customs

Iceland's character reflects both its homogeneity and its isolation, and its people take care to preserve their traditions and language by, among other things, using native terms for introduced objects-for example, the Icelandic word for computer, tölva, combines ancient terms for number and seer. Icelanders are generally reserved and confident, and, though sometimes wary of foreigners, they are friendly hosts. For centuries Iceland has been known for its traditional industries, which produce knitwear and other ancestral crafts. As in most Scandinavian countries, women have long occupied a prominent place in society, especially in government.

There are many national and local festivals. The largest is the annual Independence Day celebration marking the country's independence in 1944. The Sumardargurinn Fyrsti festival celebrates the first day of summer, and each June the Sjómannadagurinn pays tribute to Iceland's seafaring past. The Reykjavík Arts Festival attracts many to the city.

Icelandic cuisine centres on the country's fishing industry. Hákarl (carefully putrefied shark) is a pungent traditional food. Cod, haddock, whale blubber, and seal meat are available. Other traditional dishes include gravlax (salmon marinated in salt and dill), hangikjöt (smoked lamb), hrútspungar (rams' testicles), and slátur, a haggis-like dish made of sheep entrails. The skyr, which is made of cultured skim milk, is a distinctive Icelandic dessert, served with fresh bilberries in summer. Coffee seems omnipresent, and a unique Icelandic liquor is brennivín, which is made from potatoes and caraway.

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Iceland - Parliamentary Democracy, Geography, Economy | Britannica

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Iceland - Parliamentary Democracy, Geography, Economy: Iceland's constitution, which was adopted in 1944, established a parliamentary democracy with a directly elected president as head of state. The powers of the president are similar to those of other heads of state in western European democracies. Real power rests with the 63-member parliament, the Althingi (Althing).