Iceland Basics

ICELAND BASICS
by Bob Brooke

Iceland is a young land still in the making. Far flung out to sea, Iceland straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a 12,000-mile section of submarine mountain ranges created by the upheavals of the Earth's crust many millions of years ago. As the continents of North America and Europe slowly creep further apart, the Atlantic Ocean floor widens at the rate of about one inch a year and, along with it, Iceland widens, too. The oldest rocks yet dated are only about 16 million years old. There are few other places in the world where people are more aware of nature's immutable forces than in Iceland.

Of her total area of 39,750square miles, only about a quarter is habitable, mostly in the coastal areas and in some of the broad valleys running down to the coast from the highlands. Glaciers, volcanoes and their attendant expanses of lava, other non-volcanic mountains, hot springs, sand and gravel deserts and large stretches of stony wilderness make up this rugged country. Waterways ranging from rushing rivers and chattering streams to numerous lakes liberally dot the countryside.

Glaciers cover 11 percent of the country. The largest, Vatnajokull, is a sprawling white mass of 3,240 square miles–as big as all the glaciers of continental Europe put together. In thickness, it reaches an impressive 3,280 feet, and one of its outlets extends to about 400 feet below sea level. In the south of this massif is Iceland's highest point, Oraefajokull at 6,950 feet. Four other mighty glaciers–Langj6kull and Hofsjokull in the Central Highlands, Myrdalsjokull in the south, and Drangajokull in the north west–help to keep this island nation rugged and pure. There are numerous smaller ones, also, so that there’s rarely a time when an ice cap isn’t on or just over the horizon.

This science fiction landscape forms the backdrop to a deep-rooted Icelandic culture, which flourished in the farms and small communities from early medieval times and survives in the sagas and other early Icelandic literature. Another remnant of those early times is the Althing, Iceland’s Parliament, one of the world's oldest democratic legislative bodies.

The Icelanders have harnessed many of the forces of nature to provide power and heating for the needs of their modern society and to inject a much-needed diversification into the national economy. Until recent years, fishing and its by-products provided the basis for the economy of this small country. Today, Iceland sells its energy to an increasing number of foreign investors. But even this hasn’t helped to alleviate Iceland’s massive inflation rate, which necessitates the review of salaries and foreign exchange rates several times a year.

It’s only been a few years since engineers built a road along the southeast coast at the foot of Vatnajokull massif, completing a route around the entire island. This helped to open up formerly remote areas to residents and visitors alike.