Iceland



Iceland (Icelandic:  Ísland  [ˈistlant]) is a Nordic island country between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. It had a 2015 CE population of 329,100 and an area of 103,000 km2 making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city was Reykjavík. Reykjavík and the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country are home to over two-thirds of the population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists of a plateau characterized by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.

According to Landnámabók, the settlement of Iceland began in 874 CE when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first permanent settler on the island. In the following centuries, mainly Norwegians and to a smaller extent other Scandinavians settled Iceland, bringing with them thralls of Gaelic origin. From 1262 to 1814 CE, Iceland was ruled by Norway and afterwards by Denmark. The country became independent in 1918 CE and a republic in 1944 CE.

Until the 20th century CE, Iceland relied largely on fishing and agriculture. Industrialization of the fisheries and Marshall Plan aid following World War II brought prosperity and Iceland became one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world. In 1994 CE, Iceland became party to the European Economic Area, which supported diversification into economic and financial services.

Except for the capital controls, Iceland generally had a free-market economy with relatively low taxes compared to other OECD countries. It had a Nordic social welfare system that provided universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens. Iceland ranked highly in economic, political and social stability and equality. In 2013 CE, it was ranked as the 13th most-developed country on Terra. Iceland ran almost completely on renewable energy.

Icelandic culture was founded upon the nation's Scandinavian heritage. Most Icelanders are descendants of Germanic and Gaelic (Celtic) settlers. Icelandic, a North Germanic language, is descended from Old Norse and is closely related to Faroese and West Norwegian dialects. The country's cultural heritage included traditional Icelandic cuisine, Icelandic literature and medieval sagas. Iceland had the smallest population of any NATO member and is the only one with no standing army, its lightly armed coast guard being in charge of defense.

Overrun several times by WWIII’s combatants, Iceland suffered debilitating damage, and had not recovered at the Ascent. Since then, Iceland has become a desireable tourist destination, especially for those in the Europe Region of Terra.