| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland
local long form: Lydhveldidh Island
local short form: Island |
| Capital: |
Reykjavik |
| Location: |
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
65 00 N, 18 00 W |
| Area: |
total: 103,000 sq km
land: 100,250 sq km
water: 2,750 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than Kentucky |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
4,988 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Climate: |
temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers |
| Terrain: |
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m (at Vatnajokull glacier) |
| Natural
Resources: |
fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
constitutional republic |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland |
| Independence |
1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day, 17 June (1944) |
| Constitution: |
16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944 |
| Legal
System; |
civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Halldor ASGRIMSSON (since 15 September 2004); note - Former Prime Minister David ODDSSON switched positions with former Foreign Minister Halldor ASGRIMMSON
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by parliament
elections: president, which is largely a ceremonial post, elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 June 2004 (next to be held June 2008); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister
election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON wins with 85.6% of the vote, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 33.7%, Social Democratic Alliance 31.0%, Progressive Party 17.7%, Left-Green Alliance 8.8%, Liberal Party 7.4%; seats by party - Independence Party 22, Social Democratic Alliance 20, Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 5, Liberal Party 4 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Independence Party or IP [David ODDSSON]; Left-Green Alliance or LGP [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON]; Social Democratic Alliance (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's List) or SDA [Ossur SKARPHEDINSSON] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
296,737 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 22.1% (male 33,302/female 32,257)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 99,513/female 96,886)
65 years and over: 11.7% (male 15,723/female 19,056) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 34 years
male: 33.53 years
female: 34.49 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic |
| Ethnic groups: |
homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6% |
| Religions: |
Evangelical Lutheran 87.1%, other Protestant 4.1%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, other 7.1% (2002) |
| Languages: |
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
190,700 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
279,100 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: extensive domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links
international: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.is |
| Internet hosts: |
122,175 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
195,000 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 13,004 km
paved/oiled gravel: 4,331 km
unpaved: 8,673 km (2004) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Akureyri, Hornafjordhur, Isafjordhur, Keflavik, Raufarhofn, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur, Straumsvik, Vesttmannaeyjar |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,341 GRT/6,019 DWT
by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1
registered in other countries: 30 (2005) |
| Airports: |
98 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 93
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 61 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
