Portal:Iceland
The Iceland Portal
Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most sparsely populated country. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 35% of the country's roughly 395,000 residents (excluding nearby towns/suburbs, which are separate municipalities). The official language of the country is Icelandic. Iceland is on a rift between tectonic plates, and its geologic activity includes geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions. The interior consists of a volcanic plateau with sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite being at a latitude just south of the Arctic Circle. Its latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate. According to the Landnámabók, an ancient manuscript, the settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD, when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the island's first permanent settler. In following centuries, Norwegians and to a lesser extent other Scandinavians, immigrated to Iceland, bringing with them thralls (i.e., slaves or serfs) of Gaelic origin. The island was governed as an independent commonwealth under the native parliament, the Althing, one of the world's oldest functioning legislative assemblies. After a period of civil strife, Iceland acceded to Norwegian rule in the 13th century. In 1397, Iceland followed Norway's integration into the Kalmar Union along with the kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden, coming under de facto Danish rule upon its dissolution in 1523. The Danish kingdom introduced Lutheranism by force in 1550, and the Treaty of Kiel formally ceded Iceland to Denmark in 1814. Influenced by ideals of nationalism after the French Revolution, Iceland's struggle for independence took form culminating with the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union in 1918, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Iceland, sharing through a personal union the incumbent monarch of Denmark. During the occupation of Denmark in World War II, Iceland voted overwhelmingly to become a republic in 1944, ending the remaining formal ties to Denmark. Although the Althing was suspended from 1799 to 1845, Iceland nevertheless has a claim to sustaining one of the world's longest-running parliaments. Until the 20th century, Iceland relied largely on subsistence fishing and agriculture. Industrialization of the fisheries and Marshall Plan aid after World War II brought prosperity, and Iceland became one of the world's wealthiest and most developed nations. In 1950, Iceland joined the Council of Europe. In 1994 it became a part of the European Economic Area, further diversifying its economy into sectors such as finance, biotechnology, and manufacturing. (Full article...) Selected article -Die Another Day is a 2002 action spy film and the twentieth film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It was directed by Lee Tamahori, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The fourth and final film starring Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, it was also the last with Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny. Halle Berry co-stars as Bond girl and NSA agent Jinx. In the film, Bond attempts to locate a traitor in British intelligence who betrayed him and a British billionaire who is later revealed to be connected to a North Korean operative who Bond seemingly killed. It is an original story, although it takes influence from Bond creator Ian Fleming's novels Moonraker (1955) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1965), as well as Kingsley Amis's novel, Colonel Sun. The title song was performed by Madonna. Die Another Day was released on 20 November 2002 internationally by 20th Century Fox and 22 November 2002 in the United States by MGM Distribution Co. under the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer label. It marked the James Bond franchise's 40th anniversary. The film includes references to each of the preceding films. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Tamahori's direction, but criticised the reliance on CGI, product placement, the story and the villain. Nevertheless, the film was a box-office success, grossing $432 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2002. (Full article...) Selected picture Around the volcano Leirhnjúkur in Iceland, there are several hot springs. These springs are produced by the emergence of geothermally-heated groundwater from the earth's crust. Iceland is particularly renowned for its hot springs. News
Main topicsSelected biography - Olaf the Peacock or Olaf Hoskuldsson (Old Norse: Óláfr "pái" Hǫskuldsson [ˈoːˌlɑːvz̠ ˈpʰɑːe ˈhɔˌskuldsˌson]; Modern Icelandic: Ólafur "pái" Höskuldsson [ˈouːˌlaːvʏr ˈpʰauːɪ ˈhœˌskʏl(t)sˌsɔːn]; c. 938–1006) was a merchant and chieftain of the early Icelandic Commonwealth, who was nicknamed "the Peacock" because of his proud bearing and magnificent wardrobe. He is a major character in the Laxdæla saga and is mentioned in a number of other Icelandic sources. The son of a slave woman and an Icelandic chieftain, Olaf became one of the wealthiest landowners in Iceland and played a major role in its politics and society during the latter half of the tenth century. In addition to the Laxdæla Saga in which he takes a leading role, Olaf also is mentioned in Egils saga, Njáls saga, Gunnlaugs saga, Kormáks saga, Grettirs saga and the Landnámabók, among others. (Full article...) Did you know (auto-generated) -
Selected quoteGeneral imagesThe following are images from various Iceland-related articles on Wikipedia.
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