Iceland
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2022-08-22 11:19:15
Iceland
Best place to stay
Iceland is the ultimate destination for adventurers. With its spectacular volcanic landscapes, glaciers, mighty waterfalls and roaring rivers, not to mention hot springs to soothe sore muscles after a day of gaming, Iceland is a great backdrop for a variety of hiking activities. Two wheels, horseback or boat. If you like diving, you can even swim between the North American and Eurasian plates in the Silfra Fissure， sports fitness .
Iceland map
The Republic of Iceland covers an area of 103,000 square kilometers and is the second largest island in Europe. Iceland is the westernmost country in Europe, located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, close to the Arctic Circle to the north. One-eighth of Iceland is covered by glaciers, covering an area of 13,000 square kilometers and a coastline of about 4,970 kilometers. [5] It is bordered by the Greenland Sea to the north, adjacent to Greenland across the Denmark Strait to the northwest, and the Norwegian Sea to the northeast.
Time zone
Iceland belongs to time zone 0, using Greenwich Mean Time, which is 8 hours different from Beijing time, and has no daylight saving time.
blue lake
Iceland is a bowl-shaped highland surrounded by coastal mountains and a plateau in the middle. Most of them are terraces, and the height of the terraces is mostly between 400-800 meters, and individual peaks can reach 1300-1700 meters. The highest peak in Iceland is Wanadar Schnuck Mountain (2119 meters). The lowland area is very small, and the western and southwestern parts are distributed with marine plains and ice-water alluvial plains, and the plain area accounts for about 7% of the island. The coastline without glaciers is irregular, with many fjords and small bays. Other coastal areas are mostly sandy beaches, with sandbars off shore forming lagoons.
There are more than 100 volcanoes in Iceland, the highest peak in the country is Vanadar Schnouk, which is 2119 meters above sea level. Almost the entire country of Iceland is built on volcanic rocks, and most of the land cannot be reclaimed. From 1963 to 1967, volcanic activity on the southwest coast formed a small island of about 2.1km².
Iceland is the country with the most hot springs in the world, so it is called the "Land of Ice and Fire". [5]
geology
Since the late early Miocene, it was formed by the accumulation of the upper mantle material overflowing from the mid-Atlantic ridge rift, and belongs to the volcanic island. The rocks that make up Iceland are all volcanic rocks, with basalt being the most widely distributed, as well as andesite and rhyolite.
Iceland's Strange Landscape
There are many volcanoes on the island, which is famous as the "Island of Fire in the Polar Circle". There are 200-300 volcanoes and 40-50 active volcanoes. The main volcanoes are Laki, Huanadals, Hekla and Katra. The number of hot springs in Iceland is the highest in the world. There are about 250 alkaline hot springs on the island, and the largest hot spring can produce 200 liters of spring water per second.
hydrology
Iceland has many fountains, waterfalls, lakes and turbulent rivers, the largest river Siyur Sao River is 227 kilometers long. Iceland has a cold temperate oceanic climate and is fickle. Due to the influence of the North Atlantic warm current, it is milder than other places at the same latitude. Summer days are long and winter days are very short. Auroras are visible in autumn and early winter. Iceland is known as the "Island of Volcano", "Island of Fog", "Iceland of Ice" and "Island of Ice and Fire".
The rivers radiate out from the central plateau, and the main rivers are: Fjordlem Glacier and so on. Iceland is not only the center of the Quaternary ice sheet, but there are still modern glaciers distributed on the plateau, mainly shield-shaped ice cap glaciers, and a small amount of ice bucket glaciers, accounting for 11.5% of the island. There are mainly Vatnajökull Icefield, Lange Icefield, Hofs Icefield and Mida Glacier. Among them, the Vatnajökull Icefield covers an area of 8450 km², with a thickness of several hundred meters to 2 kilometers. It is the largest glacier in the world except Antarctica and Greenland. .
climate
Iceland has a cold temperate oceanic climate and is volatile. Due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, the temperature is milder than other regions at the same latitude. The average temperature in July is 11.7 degrees Celsius, the average temperature in January is 1.4 degrees Celsius, and the annual average temperature is 5.5 degrees Celsius. Daylight hours are long in summer and extremely short in winter. Auroras are visible in autumn and winter. There are many volcanoes, glaciers and hot springs in the territory.
vegetation
The tundra is widely distributed, and the grassland area accounts for 24%, so the animal husbandry is relatively developed. The forest area accounts for about 1.37%, distributed in the leeward and sunny hillsides and valleys, mainly birch shrubs, and many European and American cold-resistant pines and cypresses have been introduced, which are growing well.
Iceland is rich in geothermal resources and widely distributed in hot springs. Fishing, hydropower and geothermal resources are abundant, other natural resources are scarce, and products such as oil need to be imported. The annual hydropower generation that can be developed is 64 billion kWh, and the annual power generation capacity of geothermal energy can reach 7.2 billion kWh.
Division
Administrative divisions of Iceland (including population data)
Iceland is divided into 21 municipalities and 203 constituencies. Divided by constituency, there are 6 constituencies, namely Northwest, Northeast, South, Southwest, Reykjavik South and North. [5]
Reykjavik
Reykjavik (Reykjavik) is located in the southeast corner of Fahsa Bay in western Iceland and on the north side of the Certiana Peninsula. It is the capital with the highest latitude in the world and the largest port city in Iceland. It faces the sea in the west and is surrounded by the sea in the north and east. Surrounded by high mountains and influenced by the warm North Atlantic current, the climate is mild. The average temperature in July is 11°C, the average temperature in January is -1°C, and the annual average temperature is 4.3°C. The city's population is 209,000 (2014). Reykjavik is Iceland's main political, economic and cultural center
The origin of the name of Iceland is different, there are the following two:
From the first impression of the discoverer. In the 4th century, the Greek geographer Pifey once called it "the island of fog". However, because the island is far from the mainland and the transportation is inconvenient, few people visit. In 864 AD, the Scandinavian navigator Flock set foot on the shore of the island, and the island was really "discovered". Post-Scandinavians, Irish, Scots came one after another. As the boats of these migrants approached the southern coast, the first thing they saw was a huge glacier, Iceland's famous Vatnajökull glacier. People were so impressed with this glacier that they named the island "Iceland".
Originated from the conspiracy of the colonists. After the original colonists settled on the island, they did not want others to share their "food in the mouth", hence the name "Iceland" to prevent people from coming.
national flag
The flag of Iceland (Icelandic: íslenskifáninn) was officially adopted on June 17, 1944 when Iceland became a republic, with a blue background with white and red crosses. Iceland's first flag first appeared in a parade in 1897, as a flag with a white cross painted on a dark blue background. This flag was adopted as Iceland's flag in 1918 when Iceland gained independence from Denmark. For Icelanders, the colors of the flag symbolize the scenery of Iceland, and the three colors symbolize the three elements that make up Iceland: red symbolizes the flames of Icelandic volcanoes; white symbolizes the ice and snow covering Iceland; blue symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean.
national emblem
The national emblem of Iceland was adopted in 1944, and the central pattern is the coat of arms with the national flag pattern. On the top of the shield emblem is a white falcon with red tongue and gold claws and a dragon with white teeth and red tongue and gold claws, a black bull on the left, and an old man in white in a cloak standing on the right. Falcons, dragons, oxen and old men are the patron saints of Icelandic legends who protect the four corners of Iceland. The stones at the bottom of the coat of arms represent Iceland's long, rocky coast.
