Akureyri (Ahk-oo-rey-ree) - capital of the North and the largest town outside the Southwest.Reykjavik (REYG-ya-veeg) - the capital of Iceland and is the largest city.Home to the most popular tourist attractions, including the Golden Circle More fjords and the only international passenger ferry terminal Snæfellsjökull glacier, the islands of Breiðafjörður and moreĭramatic lava fields, turbulent waterfalls

Home of the capital, Reykjavík and the majority of the island's population The summers are cooler and more temperate than elsewhere at the same latitude and the temperature rarely exceeds 20☌. The rapidly changing weather has given rise to the local saying: 'If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes!' It's the kind of place where it's not unusual to get rained on and sunburned at the same time. Iceland enjoys a maritime temperate climate and the average temperature in winter is around 0☌, although the wind chill makes it feel a lot colder. Icelanders also continue to use the old Norse patronymic system, which was formerly in use in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Faroe Islands well into the 19th century, until their governments decided that their people should adopt a surname.ĭespite its name, Iceland has surprisingly mild winters for a country at that latitude owing to the warming effect of the Atlantic Gulf Stream.

Immigrants in Iceland are now well over 10% of the population. Most of these people (from Eastern Europe and South East Asia) come for employment. In the last 5 years the population of immigrants has doubled. Iceland has received a great number of immigrants over the last 10 years. The Icelandic people still basically speak the language of the Vikings. It is thought that Irish monks had temporarily inhabited the island some years prior to this. Iceland was first inhabited by Nordic and Celtic people in the 9th century CE - tradition says that the first permanent settler was Ingólfur Arnarson, a Norwegian Viking who made his home where Reykjavik now stands. (Some sites are, however, inaccessible in the winter). In late January, daylight is from about 10:00-17:00, prices are lower than in the high season, and the snow-blanketed landscape is eerily beautiful. Early or late winter, however, can be surprisingly good times to visit. It is easy to lose track of time when the sun is still up at 23:00. The midnight sun is a beautiful sight and one definitely not to be missed. Summer is definitely the best time to go, and even then the tourist traffic is still mild. If you go in December, it's almost 20 hours of darkness. In the March and September equinoxes, days and nights are of about equal length, as elsewhere in the world. The sun sets briefly each night in June, but the sky doesn't get fully dark before the next sunrise.

The amount of daylight varies dramatically by season. Iceland is a stunningly beautiful place if you enjoy strange and desolate landscapes. Tipping isn't done in Iceland and driving off-road is illegal and destroys the nature. The native spelling ('Ísland') is appropriate in English as well. The name of the country-Iceland-may not be that appropriate: although 10% of Iceland is covered by glaciers, it has a surprisingly mild climate and countless geothermal hot-spots and hot springs. Though not part of the continental mainland, the country is considered European. Iceland, (Icelandic: Ísland) is a mountainous island nation in the north Atlantic Ocean, located between Europe and North America. Lutheran (official) 80.7%, other Protestant 4.1%, Roman Catholic 2.5%, Buddhist 0.2% Reykjavik, the northernmost capital in the world

Vienna waits for you movie wiki