Discover Some Curiosities Of Iceland

Iceland, the ‘land of ice’, is an exciting country. In fact, in recent times it has become one of the favorite destinations for traveling in Europe. The reasons are the extraordinary conservation of its landscapes and respect for nature that permeate all the customs of this country. Are you planning to travel there soon? Pay attention because we tell you some curiosities of Iceland.

It has numerous active volcanoes

As we have already advanced, one of the main reasons to travel to Iceland is to marvel at its landscapes. Well, there are particularly important the more than 200 volcanoes are along the island. Many of them are still active, and even erupt with some regularity, making the landscape changeable and also mind-blowing.

Glaciers

Volcanoes are a way out of the fire, lava and energy that are hidden in the bowels of the planet. But in Iceland all that heat coexists with numerous glaciers. In fact, 10% of the territory is covered by glaciers. Many are as impressive as Vatnajökull, nestled in a national park of the same name in the southeast of the island.

Reykjavik’s surprising night

Iceland is an eminently rural country and very sparsely populated. Only a fifth of its surface is inhabited. Less than 350,000 people live in this country, and more than half do so in its capital, Rieikjavik. It is a surprising city in many ways, but one that takes on its funniest aspect with its intense nightlife. Another of those curiosities of Iceland.

More curiosities of Iceland: beer

Enjoying that night or the strong traditional Icelandic liquors, it seems incredible, but here is a very curious fact: beer was an illegal product on the island until 1989. Today it is legal, but very expensive, so you will have to travel with a very healthy economy to be able to drink it.

The first female president of a democracy

Before drinking beer in Iceland was legal, the country had already democratically voted for the first female president. It was the year 1980 and such a breakthrough worldwide had a name of its own: Vigdis Finbogadóttir. And the fact is that egalitarian politics in Iceland reaches admirable levels for the vast majority of countries on the planet.

We all know one word in Icelandic: geyser

Tourists in Iceland always include in their routes through the country the visit of one of its most famous geysers, such as the Haukadalur or the Strokkur. Indeed, its violent eruptions give us an idea of ​​the much energy hidden in the subsoil. And in addition, we also discovered this curiosity: this phenomenon is called all over the world with the Icelandic word, geyser.

Icelandic curiosities: they believe in elves

8 out of 10 Icelanders claim that elves exist. And this, which may simply surprise us, has real consequences in day-to-day life. For example, there have been roads and highways that have had to be diverted so as not to affect the lives of these little beings.

And he has his own Santa Claus

Actually, in Iceland they have 13. Of course, they are very different from the bearded man who lives in Lapland. In Iceland the 13 Jolasveinars are ugly trolls who live in the mountains. But they leave their shelters every night from December 12 to 24 to leave a gift to Icelandic children each time.

A happy country, another of Iceland’s curiosities

We could tell many more curiosities about Iceland, such as that the number of sheep is double that of people, or that there are no trains on such a large island, or that the traffic lights in the city of Akureyri (one of the few in Iceland) are shaped from the heart… Also that there is no McDonald’s, that the national dish is the fermented shark or that you can visit a museum dedicated to the penis.

There would be many more curious things to tell about this island, which is much greener and more dynamic than it may seem. A place where its inhabitants are considered among the happiest in the world. And it is that nobody knows where happiness is. It can be in a place as cold as Iceland, in a country as remote as Bhutan or in the most unexpected places that we will continue talking about here.