Independent music is strong in Iceland, with bands such as múm and solo artists. In this still image, Antarctica is shown using the Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) data with the continental United States overlaid on top for size comparison. This time it was the Grímsvötn volcano, located under the thick ice of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. [34] Christianity was adopted by consensus around 999–1000, although Norse paganism persisted among segments of the population for some years afterwards.[35]. [28] He stayed over winter and built a house in Húsavík. ( Finanskrisen, Makro og politkk, Utenriks )", "Nordic countries provide Iceland with new loan", "Iceland's central bank chief David Oddsson is forced out", "Althingi – Report of the Special Investigation Commission (SIC)", "Iceland's special investigation: The plot thickens", Let Banks Fail Is Iceland Mantra as 2% Joblessness in Sight, "Driving in Iceland: Iceland Driving Tips for Visitors – How to Drive in Iceland – Driving Tips for Iceland Travelers – Driving Cars in Scandinavia", "Keflavíkurflugvöllur, Komur og brottfarir, Flugáætlun, Ferðaveður, Bílastæði við Keflavíkurflugvöll – Kefairport.is", "Brottfararstaður Flugstöð Leifs Eiríkssonar", "Airport Shuttle from Keflavik Airport, Iceland - Keflavik International Airport - Kefairport.com", is:Listi yfir ferjur í strandsiglingum á Íslandi, "Gross energy consumption by source 1987–2005", "Statistics Iceland – Statistics " Manufacturing and energy " Energy", "Kárahnjúkar HEP – WEC Executive Assembly 2009", "The GeGaLo index: Geopolitical gains and losses after energy transition", "Iceland has the highest per capita CO2 emissions from the economy", "Highest score by the Environmental Sustainability Index (country)", "Iceland Opens First-Ever Offshore Licensing Round", "The United Kingdom and Icelandic Electricity", Gaining from the European Green Drivers|Askja Energy – The Independent Icelandic Energy Portal, "ReadArticle / Mayor Does Not Feel School Should Be Mandatory", "What Students Know and Can Do: Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science 2010", "Research and innovation in Iceland, country profile", "UNESCO science report, 2010: the current status of science around the world; 2010", "Estimating Scandinavian and Gaelic Ancestry in the Male Settlers of Iceland", The eruption that changed Iceland forever, "Iceland: Migration Appears Here Too – IPS", "Europe | Iceland faces immigrant exodus", "Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables, 2006 Census", "Select a Race, Ethnic, or Ancestry Group", Surnames – Nordic Names Wiki – Name Origin, Meaning and Statistics, The Icelandic Phonebook Surprise|Travel Wonders of the World, Information about the Icelandic Health Care System, World Population Prospects, the 2010 Revision, World Population Prospects The 2006 Revision, "Populations by religious and life stance organisations 1998–2018", "Religion < People and Society < Iceland.is – Gateway to Iceland", "Hvert norðulandamálanna fimm líkist mest frumnorrænu? ], in Iceland; several provisions of the constitution appear to give the president some important powers, but other provisions and traditions suggest differently. [citation needed], According to the 2011 Global Peace Index, Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world, due to its lack of armed forces, low crime rate and high level of socio-political stability. Birds, especially seabirds, are an important part of Iceland's animal life. The state of Alabama has roughly the same amount of land as England while the state of Oregon has approximately the size land area as the United Kingdom as a whole. As of 2008[update], there have been nine Icelandic chess grandmasters, a considerable number given the small size of the population. Iceland has a universal health care system that is administered by its Ministry of Welfare (Icelandic: Velferðarráðuneytið)[207] and paid for mostly by taxes (85%) and to a lesser extent by service fees (15%).

Only when the party leaders are unable to reach a conclusion by themselves within a reasonable time span does the president exercise this power and appoint the cabinet personally. The closest bodies of land in Europe are the Faroe Islands (420 km, 260 mi); Jan Mayen Island (570 km, 350 mi); Shetland and the Outer Hebrides, both about 740 km (460 mi); and the Scottish mainland and Orkney, both about 750 km (470 mi). The Financial Supervisory Authority of Iceland used permission granted by the emergency legislation to take over the domestic operations of the three largest banks. Egils saga, Laxdæla saga, Grettis saga, Gísla saga and Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu are also notable and popular Icelanders' sagas. [171][172] A 2000 report from the University of Iceland suggested that Iceland could potentially convert from oil to hydrogen power by 2040.
[229], Egalitarianism is highly valued among the people of Iceland, with income inequality being among the lowest in the world. Garðar departed the following summer but one of his men, Náttfari, decided to stay behind with two slaves.