IcelanD

#REDIRECT Iceland

Iceland

The Republic of Iceland (Icelandic language: ''L��veldi� �sland)'' is an island nation in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Norway, and the British Isles. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+Lýðveldið Ísland | align="center" colspan="2"| {| border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="background:#f9f9f9; text-align:center;" | width="130px"| || align=center width=130px| |- | width="130px"| (Flag of Iceland) |} |- | align=center colspan=2 | ''National motto: None'' |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;" | |- |Official language || Icelandic language |- |Capital and largest city || Reykjav�k |- |List of Presidents of Iceland || �lafur Ragnar Gr�msson |- |List of Prime Ministers of Iceland || Halld�r �sgr�msson |- |Area
- Total
- % water |List of countries by area
1 E11 m2
2.70% |- |Population
- Total (2004)
- Population density |List of countries by population
293,291
2.84/km² |- |Independence
- Sovereignty
- Republic |
1 December 1918
17 June 1944 |- |Gross Domestic Product (2003)
- Total (PPP)
- Total
- GDP/capita (PPP)
- GDP/capita |
$9 billion (List of countries by GDP (PPP))
$15 billion (List of countries by GDP (nominal))
$35,686 (List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita)
$52,063 (List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita) |- |Currency || Icelandic Kr�na |- | Time zone
- in European Summer Time | Greenwich Mean Time (Coordinated Universal Time+0) |- | National anthem || ''Lofs�ngur'' |- | Top-level domain || .is |- | List_of_country_calling_codes || +354 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Iceland'' Iceland remained one of the world's last larger islands uninhabited by humans, until it was first settled by Scandinavian and Celtic immigrants during the late 9th century and 10th century. It boasts the world's oldest parliament, Al�ingi (English: Althing), which was established in 930, although it has not run continuously since that date. Some literary evidence suggests that Irish monks may have been living in Iceland before the arrival of Nordic settlers but no archaeological evidence backs this up. Iceland remained independent for over 300 years, and was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark, formally as a Norwegian crown colony until 1814 when the united kingdoms of Denmark and Norway were separated by the treaty of Kiel, and Iceland was kept by Denmark as a dependency. Limited home rule was granted by the Danish government in 1874, and protectorate-like independence and sovereignty over domestic matters followed in 1918, foreign relations and defence remained in the authority of the Danes until the World War II occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany in 1940 and the occupation of Iceland by the Allies in 1941. The Danish king remained the ''De jure'' sovereign of the nation until 1944, when the current republic was founded in the absence of Danish authority. The new republic became a charter member of NATO in 1949 and signed a treaty with the United States in 1950 to take responsibility for the defense of Iceland. The US still operate a military base in Keflav�k today, based on this agreement, but Iceland has no armed forces of its own. The economy of Iceland remained dependant of fisheries in the post-war decades and the country has had several clashes with its neighbours over this vital resource, most notably the Cod Wars with the United Kingdom. The economy has become more diverse recently owing to large investments in heavy industry such as aluminum smelting and deregulation and privatization in the financial sector. Iceland is a member of the European Union's Common market through the European Economic Area but has never applied for membership of EU. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Iceland'' The parliament, Al�ingi, was founded in 1845 as an advisory body to the Danish king. It was widely seen as a reestablishment of the assembly founded in 930 in the Icelandic Commonwealth period and suspended in 1799. It has currently 63 members, each of whom is elected by the population every four years. The president of Iceland is a largely ceremonial office that serves as a diplomat, figurehead and head of state. The head of government is the prime minister, who, together with his cabinet, takes care of the executive part of government. The cabinet is appointed by the president after general elections to Al�ingi; however, this process is usually conducted by the leaders of the political parties, who decide among themselves after discussions which parties can form the cabinet and how its seats are to be distributed (under the condition that it has a majority support in Al�ingi). Only when the party leaders are unable to reach a conclusion by themselves in reasonable time does the president exercise this power and appoint the cabinet himself. This has never happened since the republic was founded in 1944, but in 1942 the regent of the country (Sveinn Bj�rnsson, who had been installed in that position by the Al�ingi in 1941) did appoint a non-parliamentary government. The regent had, for all practical purposes, the position of a president, and Sveinn Bj�rnsson actually went on to become the country's first president in 1944. The governments of Iceland have almost always been coalitions with two or more parties involved, due to the fact that a single political party has not received a majority of seats in Al�ingi in the republic period. The extent of the political powers possessed by the office of the president are disputed by legal scholars in Iceland; several provisions of the constitution appear to give the president some important powers but other provisions and traditions suggest differently. The president is elected every four years (last 2004), the cabinet is elected every four years (last 2003) and town council elections are held every four years too (last 2002). ''Related topics:'' *List of political parties in Iceland *Prime minister of Iceland *List of Presidents of Iceland == Administrative division == === Municipalities === ''Main article: Municipalities of Iceland'' There are 95 municipalities in Iceland that govern most local matters like schools, transportation and zoning. === Counties === ''Main article: Counties of Iceland'' The 23 counties are mostly a historic division. Today Iceland is split up between 26 Magistrates that are the highest authority over the local police (except in Reykjav�k where there is a special office of police commissioner) and carry out administrative functions such as declaring bankruptcy and marrying people outside of the church. === District Courts === Iceland is split up into eight district court jurisdictions. According to a United Nations document on Iceland: ::''The Law on the Separation of Judicial and Executive Powers at the District Level No. 92/1989 laid the foundation for a changed judicial system. The law established eight district courts, one in each electoral area of the country. These courts have jurisdiction in civil as well as criminal cases, issue bankruptcy decisions and resolve disputes which arise during magistrates' major proceedings. Judicial authorities also resolve all disputes concerning the extent of administrative powers. After 1 July 1992 district court judges perform only judicial functions. The judicial authority previously wielded by magistrates outside Reykjavik has now been transferred to the new district courts.'' List of District Courts #Reykjav�k District Court #Reykjanes District Court #West District Court #Westfjords District Court #Northwest District Court #Northeast District Court #East District Court #South District Court === Constituencies === ''Main article: Constituencies of Iceland'' Until 2003, the constituencies for the parliament elections were the same as the district court jurisdictions but by an amendment to the constitution they were changed so that today there are only 6 constituencies. The change was made in order to balance the weight of different districts of the country since a vote cast in the sparsely populated areas around the country would count much more than a vote cast in the Reykjav�k city area. The imbalance between districts has been reduced by the new system but it still exists. == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Iceland & List of settlements in Iceland'' Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, just south of the arctic circle, which passes through the small island Grimsey off the north coast of Iceland, but not through Iceland itself. Iceland is located on a geological Hotspot (geology) on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The combination of being both on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and on a hot spot means that the island is extremely geologically active. It has many active volcanoes, notably Hekla. Around 10% of the island is glaciated. Iceland has many geysers (itself an Icelandic word) and the widespread availability of geothermal power means residents of most towns have hot water and home heat for a low price. (''See also'': Volcanoes of Iceland) Electricity is generally very cheap because of the many rivers and waterfalls which are also used for the generation of electrical power. (''See also'': Rivers of Iceland, Waterfalls of Iceland, Lakes of Iceland) The island itself has many fjords along the coastline, where also most towns are situated, because the island's interior, the Highlands of Iceland are a cold uninhabitable desert. The main towns are the capital Reykjav�k, Keflav�k, where the national airport is situated, and Akureyri. The island of Gr�msey, on the Arctic Circle contains the northernmost habitation of Iceland. (''See also:'' Fjords of Iceland) Unlike neighbouring Greenland, Iceland is considered to be a part of Europe, not of The Americas. The island is the List of islands by size. The island has four national parks: J�kuls�rglj�fur National Park, Skaftafell National Park, Sn�fellsnes National Park and �ingvellir. == Military == ''Main article: Military of Iceland'' The Republic of Iceland has no regular armed forces. Defence is provided by a predominantly U.S. manned NATO base in Keflav�k. Iceland has a Coast Guard (Landhelgisg�slan) and a SWAT team which is called S�rsveitin (Task Force), commonly known as V�kingasveitin (Viking Squad), and is under the command of the Reykjav�k chief of police. == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Iceland'' The economics depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides over 60% of export earnings and employs 8% of the work force. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant hydroelectricity and geothermal power), Iceland's economy is vulnerable to changing world fish prices. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to drops in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Although the Icelandic economy is heavily dependant on fishing it is constantly becoming less important as the travel industry, the technology industry and various other industries grow. The only natural resource conversion is the manufacture of cement. Most buildings are concrete with expensive imported wood used only sparingly and where necessary. The centre-right government plans to continue its policies of reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatising state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale-watching. Growth slowed between 2000 and 2002, but the economy expanded by 4.3% in 2003 and grew by 5.2% in 2004. The unemployment-rate of 2.5% (4th quarter 2004) is the second lowest in the European Economic Area after Liechtenstein. ''Related topics:'' * Geothermal power in Iceland * Over 99% of the country's electricity is produced from hydropower and geothermal energy. * Hydrogen_economy#examples == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Iceland'' The isolated location of Iceland has resulted in limited immigration and limited genetic inflow in its human population over hundreds of years. The resulting genetic similarity is being exploited today for genetics studies. The language spoken is Icelandic language, a Scandinavian language, and the religion is predominantly Lutheran Church. ==Religion== Icelanders enjoy freedom of religion as stated by the constitution of Iceland, however church and state are not separated and the Church of Iceland, a Lutheranism body, is the state church. In 2004 Icelanders were divided into religious groups as follows: * 85.5% members of the Church of Iceland. * 3.6% members of the Free Lutheran Churches of Reykjav�k and Hafnarfj�r�ur. * 2.4% not members of any religious group. * 2.0% members of the Catholic Church. The remaining 6.5% is divided between several Christianity sects, as well as Jehovah's Witnesses, Bah�'� as well as tiny Bhuddism and Islam and �satr� communities. Most Icelanders are very liberal in their religious beliefs and do not attend church regularly. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Iceland'' Some famous Icelanders include pop singer Bj�rk; avant-garde rock band Sigur R�s; and novelist Halld�r Laxness, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1955. Also, the former world chess champion Bobby Fischer (biography) became an Icelandic citizen on March 21, 2005. Russian pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy has been a citizen since 1972. Iceland's literacy rate is among the highest in the world, and the love of literature, chess, and other intellectual pursuits is widespread. Icelandic society and culture are very "woman friendly" with women in leadership positions in government and business. Women retain their names after marriage, since Icelanders generally don't use family names. Instead, children are named after their parents, usually the father but sometimes the mother: J�n, son of Halld�r, would be J�n Halld�rsson; Sigr��ur, daughter of P�ll, would be Sigr��ur P�lsd�ttir. Iceland has world renowned nightlife. Downtown Reykjav�k has many clubs and pubs that often have live bands playing. Rampant alcoholism, and its effects on employment, toll on interpersonal relationships/violence, and marital/family issues, are continuing social problems. ''Related topics:'' * Music of Iceland * List of Icelandic authors * Artists of Iceland * Nightlife in Reykjav%EDk == Miscellaneous facts about Iceland == * Number of hot springs: 800 * It is mandatory to keep the headlights on while driving, even in daylight. * In 2004, United Kingdom citizens made up the single largest group of tourists to Iceland (60,000) followed by United States (48,000). == Miscellaneous topics == *List of Icelanders *Communications in Iceland *Transportation in Iceland *Military of Iceland *Foreign relations of Iceland *Stamps and postal history of Iceland *Icelandic name *List of universities in Iceland *Icelandic nationalism *Reporters without borders world-wide press freedom index 2002: rank 1 out of 139 countries (4 way tie) == External links == *[http://iceland.is/ Official Gateway of Iceland] *[http://webcam.deili.info/en,1,37 Webcam in Iceland] *[http://www.islandsmyndir.is Picture gallery from www.islandsmyndir.is] *[http://www.althingi.is/vefur/upplens.html Al�ingi's website in English] *[http://www.government.is The government's website in English] *[http://www.icetrade.is/english/default.htm The Trade Council of Iceland] *[http://www.karahnjukar.is/EN K�rahnj�kar dam, Iceland's largest hydroelectric project] *[http://www.vegagerdin.is/vefur2.nsf/pages/english.html Travel information from the Public Roads Administration] *[http://www.islenska.de �slenska, a magazine in German about Iceland] *[http://www.iceland-forum.com Iceland-Forum, discussions about Iceland] *[http://www.icelandic.hi.is/coursetest.php University of Iceland: Icelandic online] (A free, online Course in Modern Icelandic Language and Culture.) *[http://ianandwendy.com/OtherTrips/IcelandGreeceTurkey/ Iceland pictures from IanAndWendy.com] Iceland Islands of Iceland North Atlantic Islands ang:�sland bs:Island gd:Innis Tile la:Islandia lv:Islande li:Iesland ms:Iceland zh-min-nan:Peng-tē nds:Island simple:Iceland yi:איסלאַנד

Iceland

I did some edits to this page and to the economics subpage. I noticed that there is nothing about travel/tourism in Iceland and was thinking about adding a short section about it and a subpage with links to official tourism sites, maps and such. I will not be plugging any specific firms but believe a lot of people could benefit from something like that. Does anyone object to such a section/article? -- User:Torfason 16:13, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC) ---- ''An event mentioned in this article is a Template:June 17 selected anniversaries'' ---- ''moved from talk:Wikipedia category schemes'' I have a comment for your page on Iceland. Iceland does not have its own military and is not providing troops for the NATO mission in Bosnia. Iceland is providing doctors and nurses. The United States has a small military base in Keflavik and these personnel provide defense for Iceland. ---- It's incorrect to say that Iceland became independent on 17 June 1944 - that's the date it became a republic, but it had become independent of Denmark in 1919 as a kingdom, retaining the same monarch as Denmark. Sveinn Bj�rnsson was ambassador to Denmark 1919-1940, then became Regent of Iceland when the King was trapped in Copenhagen, and finally became the first President. - User:Arwel Parry -- Actually that was in 1918. -�mar K. ---- It is, in fact, absolutely correct that Iceland gained independence from Denmark on 17th June 1944. It had since 1st December 1918 been a sovereign nation under the rule of the Danish monarch. Sovereignty is not quite the same as independence. - Stef�n ---- I'm reverting 80.213.8.14's edit, which is described as "removed irrelevant info". Apart from removing the disambiguation with the British supermarket chain "Iceland", he has replaced all the �, �, and � in the article by , and y� -- which not only look terrible but have broken links to various other articles such as Dav�� Oddsson and Siglufj�r�ur. -- User:Arwel Parry 01:21, 14 Sep 2003 (UTC) ---- Removed "Electricity 230V, 50Hz" which was inserted at the bottom of the page by 130.226.80.139 -- it may well be correct, but it was in an inappropriate place on the page and I can't think of a good place to put it if we want to keep it! User:Arwel Parry 20:41, 3 Oct 2003 (UTC) Icelands date of independence is indeed 1918. If not declared League of Nations mandate would had come into play. The British Monarch is still head of Australia, St Lucia, and so on. Those nations are still independent thought and the same could be said for protectorates... Vital component Those nations are also sovereign in their foreign policy and defense which Iceland was not in 1918-1944, the highest court of the Icelandic judicial system was in Copenhagen as well... that's a lot of authority placed in a another country. user:Biekko :Ideas of sovereignty and independence in the early part of the last century were a bit different from today. Although Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc were independent in the 19th century it's arguable that they weren't ''fully'' independent until 1931; the Royal New Zealand Navy wasn't created until 1937, previously it was the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy; until the introduction of Canadian citizenship in 1947 triggered a review of citizenship laws, all Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and others were British subjects, etc. User:Arwel Parry 11:38, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC) ---- ''Iceland was first settled by Norwegians and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th century.'' Is there any evidence for Celtic immigrants? The article History of Iceland does not mention them. --User:Zenogantner 10:09, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC) ---- It's always been known that a sizable proportion of the settling population was of celtic origin, however the size of this celtic population is not agreed upon. Latest studies using genetic diognosis of the modern Iceland population suggest that up to 50% of the original Icelanders may have been of celtic origin and the other half of nordic origin. This celtic population does not play a big role in ancient manuscripts though, most likely because these people were of the lowest social classes, slaves even. They were brought to Iceland from Britain and Ireland by Viking warlords as servants and poor peasants. There is a disputed theory as well that suggest that a permanent settlements of Celtic people existed in Iceland before the arrival of the Norse, that theory is mainly based on the assumptions that 60 years (870-930) are not enough time for the population of Iceland going from zero to 50,000 and that someone must have been there before. I might try and add this information to the articles in question sometime this week or someone else could do it of course. --User:Biekko 11:15, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC) Why its true that Iceland and Denmark shared the same monarch from 1918 until 1944 Iceland's date of independence is still 1918. The Danish Monarch was more like King Charles II who was king of an independent Scotland and England then Ferdinand's Austro-Hungarian Empire which was one country as opposed to England and Scotland which were two separate kingdoms. :like I've stressed before... the relationship between Denmark and Icleand was much much deeper than just sharing a monarch! The highest authority of the judicial branch was in Copenhagen as well as authority over defense and foreign relations, I can not accept that to be 'independence'. --User:Biekko 13:17, 25 Feb 2004 (UTC) I bet you list 1989 as half of Europe's independence too... --User:Vital component Feb 29 2004 11:24 am 1918 is the year of sovereignty, that's how we recognize it who live in this country. User:Biekko 16:49, 9 Mar 2004 (UTC) ---------------------------- Althing: The oldest parliament of the world was in Grece, in Athens. --User:Reykholt 21:49, 20 May 2004 (UTC) :ssh!! dont tell any icelander that, and yes, dont dispute that they found america either;=) --User:�var Arnfj�r� Bjarmason 22:34, 2004 May 20 (UTC) :Lol, Althingi is the oldest something... It's the oldest legislative assembly still in existence. Perhaps we should rephrase this tourist ad. --User:Biekko 12:15, 21 May 2004 (UTC) == The politics section == I merged the list of political parties that was in the politics section with the list that was already on List of political parties in Iceland. --User:Biekko 09:26, 20 Aug 2004 (UTC) == Official language == Regarding User:Io last edit claiming that Iceland has no official language. I wonder what exactly is needed for a language to be considered an official language in a country. There is no clause in the laws of Iceland stating that Icelandic is the official language but it seems to be assumed. Icelandic is defined as the language to be used in the court system though by laws [http://www.althingi.is/lagas/nuna/1991091.html 91/1991] and various laws refer to "foreign languages" regarding obligations to translate certain documents into Icelandic. Laws about RUV (state broadcasting company) also state that one of the main objectives of RUV is to protect Icelandic language, history and cultural heritage. And then there are the laws about personal names which prohibit people to carry names that don't fit into the grammars of Icelandic. --User:Biekko 14:22, 22 Aug 2004 (UTC) :The gist of the above is what I meant by de facto. Every society has one or more assumed languages, but not all assign offical status to any particular language. User:Io 14:38, 22 Aug 2004 (UTC) ::He might be right, it is strongly implied but does it actually say that it is anywhere? --User:�var Arnfj�r� Bjarmason User:�var Arnfj�r� Bjarmason/ User talk:�var Arnfj�r� Bjarmason/ [ Bjarmason] User:�var Arnfj�r� Bjarmason/ 17:53, 2004 Aug 24 (UTC) :::It's obviously not a major point. There are no laws proclaiming Icelandic to be an official language, but Icelandic is certainly the main language of communication. If it came to that, the Al�ingi would probably not have any qualms about making it so. The issue has simply not arisen. But there is, still, a difference between having a universal ''accepted'' language, and having the constitution claim sole status for any one language. South Africa and India, for example, probably need to list their official languages. Then we have the French, who have decided, that only French is constitutional - leading to problems for Basques, Bretons and other minorities. All in all, I think it is relevant, that you don't need any particular exemptions for the use of other languages in schools, court etc. Cheers User:Io 17:51, 25 Aug 2004 (UTC) The fact is that there is no such thing as a globally accepted definition of an official language and the claim that a official language needs to be declared as such in a written constution is simply not correct. It ignores other sources of law such as legislation, administrative law, custom and precedence which may very well designate one language as official in a state just like a constitutional text can. Indeed the constitution of Iceland is much more than just the written document. No one would suggest that German isn't the official language of Germany despite not being defined as such in the written constitution and the same goes for Iceland. --User:Biekko 01:20, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Z== Ekki nema r�mlega tv�tugur og skrifar zetu! Sk�l fyrir ��r. :-) (Apologies to any non-natives who might be reading this - I just had to). Cheers User:Io 18:48, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) I don't understand this bit: :''Only when the party leaders are unable to reach a conclusion by themselves in reasonable time does the president exercise this power and appoint the cabinet himself. This has only happened once, in 1942, and that was actually before the republic was founded, although the regent, Sveinn Bj�rnsson, who had been appointed in 1941, later went on to become the country's first president.'' The president has only appointed the cabinet once, and someone later went on to become the first president? So who was doing the appointing of the cabinet? *confused* User:66.92.237.111 02:21, 17 Nov 2004 (UTC) The office of the regent that Sveinn Bj�rnsson held at that time was in most ways like that of the President after the republic was founded, the regent appointed the government, not the president as that office did not exist yet. It is true, this is rather unclear. --User:Biekko 14:01, 17 Nov 2004 (UTC) I rephrased the offending bit a little for clarity. I hope it makes more sense now User:Io 20:11, 7 Jan 2005 (UTC) ==Celtic settlement== "Many of the Scots and Irish were female captives... It is thought that Irish monks had come to Iceland some thirty years before the first viking came to Iceland, but they left before the vikings came to settle the country." These two statements are inaccurate (the first) and probably untrue (the latter). Many of the first settlers came from Viking settlements in the British isles, such as Dublin, with an ethnically and religiously mixed entourage ''and'' slaves (including slaves of Scandinavian origin - as slavery was not limited to "others") but it is a gross oversimplification to sum this up as "female captives", as they were equally male and female, according to all written sources - there is no evidence ''whatsoever'' that they were predominantly female, that is none except one recent research comparing the genes of modern Icelanders with modern Irish, which should be considered highly dubious for obvious reasons. As for the latter assumption, it comes from one medieval source and is thought by most modern scholars to be simply wrong. Although it could be put in the article History_of_Iceland it should be omitted here. --User:213.220.103.152 14:14, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) :I'm not editing this in the article for now, as there seems to be the shadow of an edit war going on around this theme...--User:213.220.103.152 14:27, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Hvamm of Aud the Deep-Minded == In the book ''Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages'' (Vicki Le�n, ISBN 0-471-17004-6) and other sources, it is said that Aud the Deep-Minded founded Hvamm in the Dalir region of Iceland. Le�n suggests that Icelanders still call it that today, but I can't find any trace of it on [http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=mmfn Expedia's world topographical maps], which are usually pretty good at locating non-U.S. geographical names. I suspect it may be Hvammur, near Hjara�arholt and Bu�ardalur. Does anyone know a definitive location for this Hvamm? — User:Jeffq User talk:Jeffq 19:50, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC) : Au�ur \"dj�p��ga\" Ketilsd�ttir was the first settler in Hvammur in Skeggjadalur. Your problems googling this come from Le�n's removing ending or article from Icelandic words and names (incorrect IMHO). -- User:Sindri 13:59, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) :: Le�n isn't the only one. Expedia was the only place where I've seen "Hvamm" spelled "Hvammur", and you're the first source I have for "Au�ur". It looks like all the English translations of the various sagas drop those endings. IMHO, if one is going to use a name, one might as well get it right. (I'm sure typesetting issues have been involved in the past, but that's the beauty of modern typography and Unicode browsers.) I have three follow-on questions: ::1. What do those articles and endings imply? I'd like to know what's missing from "Au�ur" and "Hvammur". ::: For "Au�ur" it is simply the ending of the word, calling her "Au�" is like calling you "Je". "Hvammur" is the nominative, other cases are (about) "Hvamm", (from) "Hvammi", (to) "Hvamms". Icelandic words should probably always be used in nominative in english sentences since english only has that case. --User:Sindri 18:23, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) :::: Actually, English has several other cases — just not for nouns, except for possessive. But your point is well-taken. User:Jeffq 23:32, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::2. What cities or towns are near this Hvammur? Incredibly, Expedia can't find "Skeggjadalur", either, unless it's "Skeggjasta�ir". (This clueless English speaker can't tell, but I know one cannot make this assumption with U.S. location names.) A few other town names might help me pinpoint it on a map. User:Jeffq 23:32, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::: [http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?tpid=1&eapi=0&qscr=mmvw&msds=EX010BD6A418$25$1D$D3$B2$21$1D$D3$B294002!701000!4$FF!50!Q$FF0!8$FF$100Elmkkvs$2C.Jxpnmou!2$FF70Elmkkvs!2$30N$1E$DFKW$40$B0e$82$E1$5C$DC$35$C0$F41001000!4$FF$32$30w0000!2$FF0000!2$FF!6i$EE$3F$14000!6$FF!I0&rfrr=-6600 this is Hvammur � Skeggjadal] near B��ardalur. Skeggjadalur is the name of the valley Hvammur is in (Skeggis valley). --User:Sindri 18:23, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) :::: Excellent. My guess was correct, but it was only a guess without your confirmation. I think Expedia needs more disambiguating geographical data on Iceland. User:Jeffq 23:32, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::3. What does "dj�p��ga" mean? Is it not a name? ::: Dj�p��ga is her nickname and means "Deep-Minded" (it was common for vikings to have nicknames describing their virtues). --User:Sindri 18:23, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) :::: Ah! I see why Le�n included it; I just wish she'd made the explicit connection. User:Jeffq 23:32, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::Thank you ''very'' much for your help! — User:Jeffq User talk:Jeffq 15:06, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) :::: Once again, Sindri, I really appreciate your assistance! — User:Jeffq User talk:Jeffq 23:32, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Tourism numbers == I was just wondering where the tourism numbers came from, because I find it hard to believe that Britons and Americans make up the two largest groups of tourists in Iceland. Having lived in an area of Reykjavik full of "sights" and hotels I always got the impression that at least half of all the tourists were German, and indeed it's very common to joke about the abundance of German tourists (as well as their... eccentricities) among members of the hospitality industry. :See [http://www.ferdamalarad.is/Tolfraedi/talningar.xls this document]. The largest tourist groups in 2004 were: # UK 60.375 # USA 48.700 # Germany 38.726 # Denmark 32.932 # Sweden 26.993 # Norway 26.815 # France 21.600 :--User:Biekko 16:04, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Did France try to exchange Louisiana for Iceland in the 18th Century?== I've found this story on a German website ([http://www.radiomultikulti.de www.radiomultikulti.de]). Is it true??? (For those who can't read German, it says that in the 18th Century, France contemplated with Denmark exchaging Louisiana for Iceland, in order to challenge Britain's naval forces). "''Reykjavik hei�t �bersetzt rauchende Bucht. Es hat nicht viel gefehlt und Reykjavik w�rde heute Baie de Fum�e hei�en.'' ''Denn historische Dokumente belegen: Frankreich hatte im 18. Jahrhundert D�nemark den heutigen US-Bundesstaat Louisiana als Tauschobjekt f�r Island angeboten.'' ''Neuesten Forschungsergebnissen zufolge, plante Frankreich auf Island einen Flottenst�tzpunkt zu errichten, um den Schiffsverkehr des damaligen Erzfeindes England zu st�ren."''--User:62.6.139.12 10:10, 31 May 2005 (UTC) :If this is true (I think not), it is far from common knowledge and you need much better sources than radio multikulti before putting this into the article. --User:Sindri 16:50, 31 May 2005 (UTC) ::I actually think this is true, there was a lengthy piece about this in ''Morgunbla�i�'' just some weeks ago, that is a fairly reliable source I would say. --User:Biekko 20:40, 31 May 2005 (UTC) ::See: [http://www.mbl.is/mm/gagnasafn/grein.html?grein_id=1013071], [http://www.mbl.is/mm/gagnasafn/grein.html?grein_id=1013981] and [http://www.mbl.is/mm/gagnasafn/grein.html?grein_id=1017672]. It appears that this was never anything but a far-fetched dream on the behalf of the French, they never actually offered the trade to to Denmark. I don't think this is significant enough to be included in a short summary of Icelandic history but perhaps these facts could be worked into the History of Iceland article. --User:Biekko 20:45, 31 May 2005 (UTC)

Iceland

European countries Nordic countries nds:Category:Island

See other meanings of words starting from letter:

I

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Words begining with Iceland:

IcelanD
Iceland
Iceland
Iceland
Iceland-geo-stub
Iceland/Communications
Iceland/Economy
Iceland/Geography
Iceland/Government
Iceland/History
Iceland/Military
Iceland/People
Iceland/Transnational_issues
Iceland/Transportation
Icelandair
Icelander
Icelanders
Icelanders
Icelanders'_Sagas
IcelandExpress
Icelandic
Icelandic_(language)
Icelandic_actors
Icelandic_albums
Icelandic_alphabet
Icelandic_alphabet
Icelandic_art
Icelandic_artists
Icelandic_Athletes
Icelandic_athletes
Icelandic_Coast_Guard
Icelandic_Cod_War
Icelandic_Commonwealth
Icelandic_Commonwealth
Icelandic_commonwealth
Icelandic_communist_party
Icelandic_companies
Icelandic_cuisine
Icelandic_culture
Icelandic_Defence_Force
Icelandic_Defense_Force
Icelandic_Defense_Force
Icelandic_Dog
Icelandic_dog
Icelandic_economy
Icelandic_Elf_School
Icelandic_explorers
Icelandic_films
Icelandic_flag
Icelandic_football
Icelandic_footballers
Icelandic_football_clubs
Icelandic_Free_Commonwealth
Icelandic_Free_State
Icelandic_Gambit
Icelandic_hip_hop
Icelandic_historical_figures
Icelandic_Horse
Icelandic_horse
Icelandic_horse
Icelandic_hydroelectric_power_stations
Icelandic_Krona
Icelandic_Kr�na
Icelandic_Kr�na
Icelandic_kr�na
Icelandic_Kronur
Icelandic_Language
Icelandic_language
Icelandic_language
Icelandic_language
Icelandic_Literature
Icelandic_literature
Icelandic_Low
Icelandic_low
Icelandic_media
Icelandic_music
Icelandic_music
Icelandic_musical_groups
Icelandic_musical_groups
Icelandic_musicians
Icelandic_name
Icelandic_name
Icelandic_names
Icelandic_naming_conventions
Icelandic_nationalism
Icelandic_nationalism
Icelandic_National_Assembly
Icelandic_Nazis
Icelandic_newspapers
Icelandic_painters
Icelandic_people
Icelandic_people_by_occupation
Icelandic_Phallological_Museum
Icelandic_Phallological_Museum
Icelandic_Phallological_Museum/Temp
Icelandic_politicians
Icelandic_poppy
Icelandic_prelates
Icelandic_presidential_election,_2004
Icelandic_presidential_election_2004
Icelandic_Prime_Ministers
Icelandic_rock
Icelandic_rune_poem
Icelandic_Saga
Icelandic_saga
Icelandic_saga
Icelandic_Sagas
Icelandic_Sagas
Icelandic_sagas
Icelandic_sculptors
Icelandic_Sheepdog
Icelandic_Sheepdog
Icelandic_sheepdog
Icelandic_Sheepdog/Pictures
Icelandic_shopping_malls
Icelandic_songwriters
Icelandic_Spitz
Icelandic_spitz
Icelandic_sportspeople
Icelandic_television_presenters
Icelandic_vocalists
Icelandic_weightlifters
Icelandic_writers
Iceland_(disambiguation)
Iceland_(supermarket)
Iceland_Academy_of_Arts
Iceland_Air
Iceland_Airwaves
Iceland_and_the_EU
Iceland_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics
Iceland_at_the_2000_Summer_Olympics
Iceland_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics
Iceland_Dog
Iceland_dog
Iceland_Express
Iceland_express
Iceland_geography_stubs
Iceland_Gull
Iceland_hotspot
Iceland_infobox
Iceland_Moss
Iceland_national_football_team
Iceland_Spar
Iceland_spar
Iceland_Stock_Exchange
Iceland_University_of_Education