Portal:Iceland

Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology edit   The Iceland Portal Iceland /ˈaɪslənd/ (Icelandic: Ísland, IPA: [ˈislant]) is a Nordic European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The country has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to two-thirds of the country's population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior mainly consists of a plateau characterised by sand fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. The country is sometimes erroneously called The Republic of Iceland and sometimes its counterpart Lýðveldið Ísland in Icelandic, but the official name is rather like the official name of Canada - simply the country name. One example of the former is the name of the Constitution of Iceland, which in Icelandic is Stjórnarskrá lýðveldisins Íslands and literally means "the Constitution of the republic of Iceland", but note that "republic" is not capitalized. The official title of the President of Iceland (Forseti Íslands) does also not include the word republic as in some other republics. See also Names for Iceland. edit   Selected article The system of education in Iceland is based upon the American system, and there are four levels: playschool, compulsory, upper secondary and higher. Education is mandatory for children aged 6–16. Most institutions are funded by the state; there are very few private schools in the country. There are 192 institutions catering for compulsory education, 42 schools for upper secondary education and 9 higher education institutions. The oldest gymnasium in the country is Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, which traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt. The school was moved to Reykjavík in 1786, but poor housing conditions forced it to move again in 1805 to Bessastaðir near Reykjavík. In 1846 the school was moved to its current location, and a new building was erected for it in Reykjavík. The University of Iceland was the first higher education institution in the country, and was established on 17 June 1911, uniting three former Icelandic schools: Prestaskólinn, Læknaskólinn and Lagaskólinn, which taught theology, medicine and law, respectively. The university originally had only faculties for these three fields, in addition to a faculty of humanities. edit   Selected picture The image shows the only part of the crater of the volcano Grímsvötn in Iceland not covered by the ice of Vatnajökull glacier in 1972. edit   Selected biography Geir Hilmar Haarde is a former Prime Minister of Iceland and chairman of the Independence Party. Geir became Prime Minister on June 15, 2006 following the announcement of Halldór Ásgrímsson's resignation as the Prime Minister of Iceland on June 5, 2006. He then led a coalition between his party and the Progressive Party. After the 2007 parliamentary elections, where the Independence Party increased their share of the vote, Haarde renewed his term as Prime Minister leading a coalition between his party and the Social Democratic Alliance. He was followed by Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir. edit   News November 24 2016: The Icelandic nation sues Iceland Foods in the UK for trademarking the name Iceland.(BBC) October 30 2016: Icelandic parliamentary elections make the final shape of an new government unclear. (Guardian) September 5 2016: Ancient viking sword found in Skaftárhreppur, South-Iceland. (RT) April 7 2016: The Icelandic prime minister resigns and calls for an early elections due to the Panama papers leak. (Reuters) edit   Did you know... ...that Reykjavík is the northernmost capital city in the world? ...that the first complete map of Iceland (pictured), based on Björn Gunnlaugsson's 1831–43 survey, is mentioned in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth? ...that the most famous of Iceland's programmes is LazyTown and is broadcast in 103 countries worldwide? edit   Categories ► Iceland edit   Selected quote edit   Selected panorama "First seen in panorama of Reykjavík, catch of the mill; in the bottom, the mount Esjan and the island Videy." edit   Main topics Subdivisions: Eastern Region • Capital Region • Southern Region • Southern Peninsula • Vestfirðir History: Timeline • Settlement of Iceland • Icelandic Commonwealth • Age of the Sturlungs • Cod War Law: Supreme Court of Iceland Politics: Parliament (Alþing) • President • Prime Minister • Ombudsman • Cabinet • Constitution • Elections • Administrative divisions • Political parties Geography: Climate • Geology • Glaciers • Volcanoes • Waterfalls • Lakes • Rivers • Transport Economy: Stock Exchange • Icelandic Króna • Banks Military: Iceland Air Defence System • Icelandic Crisis Response Unit Demographics: Language • Religion • Subdivisions Culture: Architecture • Art • Cinema • Cuisine • Education • Literature • Media • Music • Prostitution • Public holidays • Sport • Television • Whaling Symbols: Flag • Coat of arms • National anthem (Lofsöngur) Lists: Outline of Iceland • Index of Iceland-related articles edit   Things you can do Requests: List of surnames of Iceland • Þykkvabær • More... Stubs: Constitution of Iceland • Danish–Icelandic Act of Union • Ingólfr Arnarson • Valdís Óskarsdóttir • Tourism in Iceland • Elections in Iceland • Bessastaðir • Þorramatur • Islam in Iceland • Perlan • Southern Region • More... Tasks: Classify and rate unassessed articles Join: WikiProject Iceland edit   Wikipedia in Icelandic There is an Icelandic version of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. edit   WikiProjects Iceland Europe edit   Featured and good content Featured articles Alliterative verse • Eldfell • Hrafnkels saga • Surtsey Good articles Bolli Bollason • Die Another Day • Education in Iceland • Iceland hotspot • Icelanders • Paul Oscar • Renewable energy in Iceland Featured pictures Grímsvötn in 1972 edit   Related portals Arctic Denmark Finland Norway Scotland Faroe Islands Greenland Europe European Union Ireland edit   Web resources Gateway to Iceland Government Offices of Iceland Icelandic Government Information Center & Icelandic Embassies Visit Iceland – the official Icelandic Tourist Board "Iceland". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.  Iceland entry at Encyclopædia Britannica Iceland from UCB Libraries GovPubs Iceland at DMOZ Wikimedia Atlas of Iceland Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Iceland. Wikia has a wiki on this subject at World Wikia: Iceland

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