Iceland is a beautiful and volcanic island just in the North Atlantic Ocean, located east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle. It is a small country with a population of 348,450 people. Although it is made up of a small population, it makes for a largely rural country, and a capital city which feels like a big small town. It has an area of 103,000 km sq. making it the most sparely populated country in Europe.
In addition, the capital and most populated city of Iceland is Reykjavic that has a total of 60% of Iceland’s population, which is about 216,000 people. It is called to be the heart of Iceland’s cultural, economic and governmental activity. And has also been said to be the most popular tourist destination in Iceland.
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Another 5% are enrolled in other Christian groups, involving the Free Church of Iceland and the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, another 5% of people practice Asatru, the traditional Norse religion. The official language (97%) of Iceland is Icelandic, a North Germanic language derived from Old Norse. It is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic language. However, it has changed relatively little throughout the centuries and English is still a dominant language and is is widely spoken and understood. Therefore, Icelandic is not only the official language in Iceland, but is also the national language.
Iceland has very mild, coastal weather stemming from the Gulf Stream. The climate of Iceland's coast is subarctic, meaning it relates to the region immediately south of the Arctic Circle. The climate varies between different parts of the island. That being said, the south coast is warmer, wetter, and windier than the north. The typical summer temperature in Reykjavik is 51 F in July, with average highs of 76 F. The typical winter temperature in Reykjavik is like New York City’s about 32 F in January, with average highs of 50 C. With that all being said, the weather can be very unpredictable and often changes in an
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The early settlement was made up mostly of Norwegian seafarers and adventurers. Despite it being isolated some 500 miles from Scotland; its nearest European neighbor, Iceland has remained throughout its history very much a part of European civilization. Reykjavik, the capital city, is the site of the island’s first farmstead and is a thriving city, beautiful in aspect and cosmopolitan in outlook. Icelandic culture has its roots in North Germanic traditions. The Icelandic culture is popular, the sagas and eddas, which was a very familiar aspect of Icelandic literature, written in medieval Iceland, most popular in the 13th and 14th centuries. In like manner, centuries of isolation have helped to protect the country's Nordic culture from external influence; a prominent example is the preservation of the Icelandic language, which remains the closest to Old Norse of all modern Nordic languages. Iceland is a country of extreme geological contrasts. Widely known as “The Land of Fire and Ice”. Iceland is known for some of the largest glaciers in Europe, and some of the world’s most active volcanoes. Iceland is also the land of light and darkness. It has long summer days with near 24-hours of sunshine are offset by short winter days with only a few hours of
What is the official language or the United States? 90% of the people would answer English, but guess again. The United States doesn’t have an official language. The subject of English as the official language of the United States has been covered intensively by the world press over the past decade. Declaring it the official language of United States can make an improvement in many areas, and is very relevant for future generations.
Vikings’ settling down in Iceland and Greenland were important reflection of Viking expansion and they caused Viking civilization to extend on these two islands. Vikings were people from Scandinavia. For many reasons, such as the authoritarian policies of Harald Fairhair (Paine, 2013), the geographical features that lacking of lands for agriculture but having abundant trees for shipbuilding, Vikings were forced to expand into the sea. The two locations’ providing Vikings with lands undoubtedly provided them more chances for surviving.
South west winds are blocked by mountains in the west coast. Ireland has a temperate maritime which is connected with the sea. It is modified by the North Atlantic Current and has mild winters and cool summers. In the summertime the temperature averages out to be about 60 degrees fahrenheit. In the winter time the temperature usually is at about 40 degrees fahrenheit. Ireland is constantly humid and mostly overcast. Ireland also has a wet mild climate. Winds and the ocean
Leif Erikson’s grandfather, Thorvald Asvaldsson slaughtered a man in Jæren, Norway in 960 CE. This was the age of the Vikings, but Thorvald was still banished from the land (Mandia, n.d.). So he brought his ten year old son Erik, later to be named as Erik the Red because of his scarlet hair, to Drangar in northwestern Iceland on a farm with rather appalling soil (Where is Vinland?, n.d.).
The Viking era existed from 800 AD to 1200 AD and during 1000 AD Christianity began to have major influence in the Viking culture (Roesdahl 27). A major religion that shaped the Viking culture is Nordic Paganism (Williams). According to Stephen Henkin who wrote an article called the Viking Fury, the Vikings admired and tried to live up to the character traits they saw their gods portraying(Henkin ). Stephen Henkin suggested that character traits the Vikings saw in the Nordic gods are virile qualities: brutality, anger, lust, and humor (Henkin). The Vikings attempted to try to shape their character from the character traits they saw their gods portraying believing that they should try to acquire these characteristics to make their gods happy. Nordic Paganism was polytheistic with the main gods being Odin, Thor and Frey (“The Pagan Library”).
One of Iceland’s Governments tasks is to encourage cultural exchange between Iceland and the United Stated. Working closely with cultural institutions, Iceland has had the opportunity to promote cultural events in the U.S.(Invest in Iceland,
If a country doesn’t have an official language is usually due to distinct historical or cultural reasons. As I began reading articles on this topic, I was amazed that the great country I live in doesn’t have an official language. I begin to wonder why this is the case. Many countries have an official language in which all the official business, daily activities and other formal activities are conducted. There are even thirty (30) states that have succeeded through their own statutes to declare English as an official language of their particular state (www.us-english.org).
The official language of Norway has two forms. Bokmål, or “book language” is used in most written works and is spoken by more than 80 percent of the people, especially those living in urban areas. English is taught in the schools beginning at age 11, and is widely spoken as a second language. Communication is very similar to that of the United States. Although technology is probably more advanced, things like Internet, and cellular communication are very widely used with an average of 2 cell phones per person in Norway.
After being exiled from Iceland, Erik and his family decided to sail westward, which was unlike many other voyagers. (hakaimagazine, Zack Zorich 2015) They had settled in an unexplored and barren land which they named ‘Greenland’ in the hope of attracting other Vikings and voyagers, as Erik figured an attractive name would make it easier to persuade people to move there. After little exploration Greenland.com (2017) argues that Erik and his family discovered a variety of productive valleys and great fjord setting. After colonizing Greenland and producing a small settlement Erik returned to Iceland three years later and broadcasted his new country. From there Erik the Red’s astonishing navigational marine skills were prominent as he took a fleet of 25 ships back to Greenland with him. The ships carried many men, women and other necessary fundamentals to construct a flowing colony on the land of green. Though only 14 of the 25 ships made it to Greenland he however achieved a successful settlement and become a leader of his newly founded country. Thus, Erik’s traveling skills and ability to start a new establishment highlights his legendary and renowned past as a famous Viking of
The majority of Americans believe English is the official language of the United States. However, The United States has no official language at all. This mistake is commonly based upon English being the most popular language spoken in North America. Making English official has recently become a popular topic, and more people every day join a curiosity of why it is not the official language. English should be the official language of the United States to give the people what they want, to recognize the historic role, and to limit controversy.
Though, this country may seem small and unimportant to bigger countries, to the I-Kiribati (the residents of the country), Kiribati is their home and very important. About 100 thousand people are living on the islands of Kiribati as of July 2013 (CIA). About 40 thousand of these people live in the capitol city of Tarawa as of 2012 (Kiribati Facts). Widely spoken languages include English and Gilbertese, but English is the official language (CIA).
The Netherlands is low-lying country in western Europe located west of Germany and north of Belgium. According to a 1993 estimate, the Netherlands had a population of 15,224,942. The overall population density was about 449 persons per sq km (about 1162 per sq mi) which makes it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. About 89 percent of the population live in urban areas. The largest cities are Amsterdam (population, 1992 estimate, 713,407), the country's capital; Rotterdam (589,707), one of the world's leading seaports; The Hague (445,287), the nation's seat of government; and Utrecht (232,705), a manufacturing hub. The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, which is spoken throughout the country.
Nepal is a relatively small country, 100 miles wide by 500 miles long. The southern border is tropical with rich soils, flora and fauna; making this region of Nepal densely populated by humans (Bishop 1998:10). The mountainous region, however, is more sparsely populated. It is the Sherpa who populate these mountains, specifically the middle Himalayan range (Bishop 1998:11).
No matter how successful the Nordic Model may be in producing and expanding human welfare it will always be subject to attack as long as human nature remains at its current state of evolution.
Vikings were a fierce and barbaric society….or were they? Most Vikings were farmers and traders. They hunted and fished and grew the foods they needed to sustain their families. According to Ingmar Jansson, a professor of archaeology at Stockholm University in Sweden, "The Norsemen were not just warriors, they were farmers, artists, shipbuilders, and innovators. More than anything, they were excellent traders who connected peoples fr...