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FocusOnNature has partnership with Icelandic Excursions, a certified travel agency in Iceland.
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Where is Iceland
Iceland is a North Atlantic island and the westernmost country in Europe. It lies about 800 km northwest of Scotland and 970 km west of Norway, and its northern coast is just below the Arctic Circle. From London, Reykjavík is the same distance as Athens. Iceland is an island of 103.000 km2 (39,756 sq.miles), about the size of Kentucky and one-third larger than Scotland or Ireland. Its highest peak, Hvannadalshnjúkur, raises to 2.110 m. Glaciers, including Vatnajökull, the largest in Europe, cover over 11 per cent of the country.
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© National Land Survey of Iceland
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The people
Out of a population numbering more than 300.000, half live in the capital Reykjavík and its neighbouring towns in the southwest. Keflavík International Airport is located about 50 km from the capital. The highland interior is uninhabited (and uninhabitable), and most centers of population are situated on the coast.
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Language
Out of a population numbering more than 300.000, half live in the capital Nordic people settled Iceland in the 9th century - tradition says that the first permanent settler was Ingólfur Arnarson, a Norwegian Viking who made his home where Reykjavík now stands. The Icelanders still speak the language of the Vikings, although modern Icelandic has undergone changes of pronunciation and, of course, of vocabulary! Iceland is alone in upholding another Norse tradition, i.e. the custom of using patronymics rather than surnames; and Icelander´s christian name is followed by his or her father’s name and the suffix -son or –dóttir.
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