15 Things You Didn't know About Iceland
Hello Friends:
Welcome to Countries Facts so we decided for today to talk about iceland one of the hottest tourist destinations in recent years and it's not all about volcanoes either we're going to explore what makes this small yet culturally rich island one of the most developed countries in the world and what sets it apart from other more mainstream destinations that today is one of the richest and most progressive countries the country was first settled by Norseman from scandinavia and Celtic people from the British Isles and throughout its history the country has mostly been shaped by a larger political events that took place in other Nordic countries most recently Iceland has been brought to international attention for the eruption of a volcano in 2010 which caused major disruptions in international flights in Europe but sparked an increase in tourism as well if you are new here welcome be sure to subscribe and follow us on instagram at a log's so whether you're thinking about visiting or think you know iceland pretty well here are 15 amazing facts about iceland.
1 It's volcanic Lee and geologically active Iceland may be small but it sure is full of surprises the island has over 30 active volcanic systems and they are constantly monitored for eruptions but although they do cause some trouble it's not all bad news volcanoes have a history all their own and also shaped the environment take for instance Iceland's hot springs that are famous for their healing properties having lots of good minerals that are great for your skin and who can resist sitting in the world's most natural hot tub even celebrities like Bjork beyoncé or jay-z loves spending time at the Blue Lagoon a wonderful and exclusive spa that offers stunning view and world-famous skin treatments.
2 It's one of the best places where you can see the Northern Lights the head of rubbing shoulders with celebrities at a spas on your bucket list you can also cross off seeing the Northern Lights the wonderful display of colors can be seen only in the northern hemisphere and you can spot them no matter where you are in Iceland since it's so much closer to the Arctic Circle and less polluted than Sweden Finland and the rest of the Nordic neighbors the phenomenon appears as if it's almost magic and it's an integral part of Icelandic folklore of course since it's so popular hotels offers special amenities such as guidance and warm tubes for visitors the best time to catch it is during the winter season typically starting in September and lasting until April.
3 Iceland's population is very very small when we say small we mean small due to its cold climate and relative isolation Iceland has a population of only three hundred and thirty-seven thousand one hundred people as of December 2017 that's actually fewer people in the capital of Hawaii but don't expect to find only native Icelanders around since it has a fair share of immigrants of mostly Polish Lithuanian and Filipino origins and their numbers are on the rise the male to female gender ratio is also a bit skewed with approximately one hundred and seventy four thousand men to 169 thousand one hundred and fifty women and a staggering 95% of the population lives in urban areas this makes the living standard very high.
4 Everything in Iceland is expensive Iceland's beauty does come with a hefty price tag although it's one of the most developed countries Iceland also has to import most products such as fruits and vegetables which are then charged to the final customer the average Icelander earns around two thousand nine hundred dollars monthly which is pretty high for European standards but they also have a lot of expenses to cover for unfortunately that means you should be prepared to shell out more than forty dollars for a meal at a restaurant and around ten dollars if you want to drink a beer at a local pub oh and keep in mind you also have to pay to use public restrooms which of course there aren't many all in all everything has to be paid for if you decide to visit Iceland.
5 Tourer Golf Tsin is the richest man in Iceland with a net worth of 2.1 billion dollars Iceland's sole billionaire to the day tour Bureau golf s'en has a staggering fortune of 2.1 billion dollars as of March 2018 being an investor in telecom businesses such as the Polish company pay or the Chilean telecom WOM he started off in Russia by creating the popular beer brand called bocharov that he sold to Heineken in 2002 and went on an investing spree all over Europe soon after back in 2008 when the economic crisis hit the world tour found himself at the edge of bankruptcy when the whole country nearly went bankrupt he is now an investor in cryptocurrency and keeps on stacking up money by investing in all sorts of businesses.
6 Their government collapsed after a pedophile scandal in September 2017 Iceland's government collapsed after it was discovered that their Prime Minister's father helped expunge the criminal record of a convicted child rapist law in Iceland allows certain rights restored to convicted criminals if two people with no criminal record write something similar to a letter of recommendation for them which is what the Prime Minister's father did it is said the cabinet found out about the letter in June of 2017 but kept it a secret until September after the scandal the Prime Minister Benedict s'en called for an election to see if a population still wanted him as the leader of their government or not it seems like Iceland has a record of failed prime ministers with Benedict's ins predecessor having to step down from office after it was found out that he was linked to the Panama papers scandal.
7 It was rumoured they were offering $5,000 per month to marry their women what's a girl to do when many of the men she might meet on a date turn out to be her cousin yes that's a reality for a lot of people in Iceland since a person's name is their mother or father's last name with the ending son or daughter attached to it it really is hard to determine who's related to who they even invented an app that stopped them from sleeping with their close relatives using genealogy as a reference point it's no wonder that the following news spread like wildfire that the country was welcoming foreign men for the purpose of starting a family with Icelandic women for $5,000 a month sure enough it turned out to be a hoax started by some website and most likely all the beautiful women in Iceland don't need any help in that department.
8 They eat rotten fish and fermented shark turns out that living in a small island in the north helps you develop some weird tastes yes we're referencing specifically to the delightfully weird local cuisine in Iceland people eat rotten fish and fermented shark specialty which goes through a very thorough preparation process and takes months the smell is so strong since the meat contains ammonia which makes it smell really bad although Icelandic food is clean and healthy a lot of famous chefs such as Anthony Bourdain agree this particular dish is almost impossible to eat for a non local the don't fret there are plenty of other options in Iceland such as lamb meat and a special yogurt called skier.
9 Iceland is the most committed to gender equality in Europe Iceland is on the way to alter history with a giant leap for women's rights it's actually illegal to pay men more than women for doing the same job the new law which came into force this year in January makes companies with more than 25 employees prove that they don't discriminate based on gender Iceland has vowed to close the pay gap by 2022 a very ambitious yet attainable goal this initiative was also praised by u.s. senator Bernie Sanders on his Facebook page where he said we must follow the example of our brothers and sisters in Iceland and demand equal pay for equal work now regardless of gender ethnicity sexuality or nationality.
10 You can pay up to $3,000 per night at the most luxurious hotel Iceland sure does love comfort and luxury take for instance Moose Hotel a haven built in the volcanic frontier and surrounded by the Blue Lagoon geothermal other amenities include private pools and windows that are perfect for seeing the Northern Lights but as you might have guessed by now this doesn't come cheap room fees start at $1,100 per night and go up as far as $3,000 or more but it's well worth the price for having private access to the lagoons stunning views but don't forget you have to book many months in advance since Iceland's tourism keeps increasing and since we're on the topic what about checking out our video featuring the top 10 most expensive hotels in the world by clicking in the top right corner.
11 Refugees from war zones seek asylum here while Iceland is not the closest destination for people that are fleeing war-torn countries they are generally well received in fact a stunning eighty eight point five percent of Iceland earth think that their government should help more of them most of the refugees are children and young adults under the age of 24 escaping countries like Iraq Syria or Afghanistan their biggest surprise aside from peace and a place to rebuild their lives children are also delighted to experience snow for the first time sadly though Iceland is rather difficult to reach and lots of refugees have died while trying to reach this country the good thing is though that the locals will wait for them with open arms if they manage to reach its lands.
12 Game of Thrones was filmed there the popular fantasy series Game of Thrones is good at depicting gruesome battle scenes and shocking deaths they also excel at picking the best locations for filming and there's no better place than Iceland for winter landscapes in fact the TV series is partly responsible for the meteoric rise in Iceland's tourism a 40 percent increase from 2015 to 16 tourists are vying to see for themselves the location of Brienne and the hounds epic fight or what lies beyond north of the wall the show also features tour bjornsen an icelandic actor who plays the mountain and the band CEO rose has even made an appearance during the fourth season.
13 They plan to ban palm oil from supermarkets Iceland also shows us that you don't need plenty of resources to be resourceful with what you do have the land is not very well suited to agriculture so instead they rely on greenhouses heated with geothermal energy and can grow more exotic products such as bananas and strawberries there's even a restaurant in the capital that doubles as a tomato farm all that hard work does pay off as they can offer fresh produce all year round at a pretty steep price though.
14 A lot of tourists come here for road trips and backpacking sure all of those views and pricey hotels are great but what if we're not millionaires yet well some clever tourists often stead for a cheaper version of the Icelandic experience you can also rent a van and travel around cook your own food and most of the landscapes are free to view if you don't want to spend money on guided tours you can also go on a cycling trip and of course take breathtaking photographs and the best part is that it's a place to relax and enjoy nature so don't expect to find many museums or malls around.
15 In this summer the Sun barely sets Iceland's close proximity to the Arctic Circle creates another amazing phenomenon between June and August people can experience the Midnight Sun since the dark time lasts around three hours a day this is absolutely normal for locals but you might want to be prepared beforehand since it takes a while to adjust to anyway it's better than on the flip side when in winter you would typically only have four to five hours of daytime unfortunately that also means that Icelanders often suffer from depression due to the lack of light and they receive vitamin D supplements during the winter to help combat those symptoms okay with all that said we gotta say Iceland is definitely on our list of must go destinations is it on yours now before you go what do you think of Iceland's economic and social progress and with the same standards apply to where you live let us know what you think in the comments below and as always dear a lexer as a thanks for sticking with us all the way to the end here's a bonus fact just for you number 16 there's a penis Museum in Reykjavik yes you are that right it seems that ice lenders are pretty open-minded people who don't shy away from more controversial artifacts probably the best-known Museum in Reykjavik the Icelandic phallological museum hosts a collection of penises belonging to various types of mammals and yes if you are wondering they have exactly four human penises as well but it's all in the name of science since it allows people to study the field of Fallujah as the museum advertises on its website.
Thank you for spending some time with us I hope you guys this article will be informative from you we'll probably literally love you forever and ever.
