Iceland Links
The climate of Iceland's coast is subpolar oceanic. The warm North Atlantic Current ensures generally higher annual temperatures than in most places of similar latitude in the world. Regions in the world with similar climate include the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula and Tierra del Fuego, although these regions are closer to the equator. Despite its proximity to the Arctic, the island's coasts remain ice-free through the winter. Ice incursions are rare, the last having
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high (°C) | 1.9 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 9.4 | 11.7 | 13.3 | 13 | 10.1 | 6.8 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 7 |
| Average low (°C) | -3 | -2.1 | -2 | 0.4 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 5 | 2.2 | -1.3 | -2.8 | 1.9 |
Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle. Unlike neighbouring Greenland, Iceland is a part of Europe, not of North America, though geologically the island is part of both continental plates. The closest bodies of land are Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The closest distance to the mainland of Europe is 970 km (603 mi) (to Norway).
Geography
Iceland is the world's 18th largest island, and Europe's second
largest island following Great Britain. The entire country is 103,000 km2
in size, of which 62.7% is tundra. Lakes and glaciers cover 14.3%; only
23% is vegetated. The largest lakes are
Þórisvatn (Reservoir): 83–88 km2 and
Þingvallavatn: 82 km2.
Geologically, Iceland is a part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the
ridge along which the oceanic crust spreads and forms new oceanic crust.
In addition to this, this part of the mid-ocean ridge is located atop a
mantle plume causing Iceland to be above sea level. Iceland marks the
boundary between both the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate
since it has been created by rifting, and volcanism, along the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
- where the two plates meet.
Volcanic Activity
The recent
volcanic activity (Eyjafjallajökull
volcano)
in the South of Iceland is due to a volcanic system that last erupted in
1821 and regularly does so every 200 years or so. The eruption has
displayed many different phases, from ash to lava. The volcano lies
under a large ice sheet and so large scale floods have followed. The
sister volcano
Katla has, in the past, been triggered
by
Eyjafjallajökull
and geologists are awaiting the eruption of this larger volcano.
Icelanders are used to earthquakes and volcanoes, which often occur with
little impact to the people living on the island. This is partly due to
the large population living in
Reykjavik, which is relatively far from any active volcanic
systems.
Other famous eruptions include
Hekla,
Surtsey and
Laki.
Places
We Will Visit
Surrounding this webpage are images taken from locations we will visit
whilst at Iceland. To find out more information about a location, simply
click on the image.
Whilst in
Iceland, we will take in a variety of both Human and Physical
Geographical locations. We will look at how Icelandic people have
created a free 'geothermal'
energy resource, a world famous tourist resort (Blue
Lagoon) and a capital city that contains 202,000 people (64%
of the total population)! We will also visit some of the amazing
Icelandic glacial regions, waterfalls and beaches.
Climate
There are some variations in the climate between different parts
of the island. Generally speaking, the south coast is warmer, wetter and
windier than the north. The Central Highlands are the coldest part of
the country. Low-lying inland areas in the north are the most arid.
Snowfall in winter is more common in the north than the south.
For more information about this trip, see Mr. Grey in the Geography Department.
Capital
Population
Land Area
Population Density
GDP per capita
HDI
Currency
