The Iceland , officially Republic of Iceland (in Icelandic Lýðveldið Ísland or simply Ísland ), is a island state of the Atlantic Ocean Northern, located between the Greenland, the Scotland and the Norway, in the North-West of the Faroe Islands.
With the borders of the Arctic Circle, Iceland is a young ground, 60 million years, volcanic and always in boiling. This geological activism is worth exceptional landscapes to him where the deserts of lava dispute with the glaciers and the impetuous torrents. Then the first lichens come which colonize mineral space. Thus could have begun the history of the life!
It is member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and of the NATO, who ensures his defense besides, the island not having a clean armed force.
History
See also: History of Iceland
The cycle of the life starts again perpetually: arid rock with the Lichen S pioneers. To travel through these desert vastnesses where the fire of the Magma disputes it cold glaciers thus offers the unique opportunity to reconstitute, in miniature, the marvellous history of the origins of the world. (see further: scientific monitoring of Iceland).
Policy
See also: Political of Iceland
The contemporary Icelandic Parliament, the Althing, was re-established in 1845, at the origin as a consultative body near the king of Denmark Christian {{VIII}}. This new institution was regarded as a reincarnation of old Althing, founded in 930 and dismantled in 1800 by monarchy absolutist Danish. Jón Sigurðsson has much work for the independence of its country and chose Reykjavík like sits of the assembly (and either Þingvellir). Althing includes/understands today 63 members, elected by the citizens every four years.
The president of the Republic, as for him, plays especially an honorary part: as a Head of the State, he is the representative of the country abroad. He is elected every four years. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, which occupies this mandate since 1996, was re-elected in June 2004. The theoretical extent of the capacities held by the president is the subject regularly of debates among the Icelandic lawyers: while certain provisions of the Constitution give him several important prerogatives, other articles adopt a contrary orientation indeed.
The chief of the government is the Prime Minister: with the remainder of the ministerial cabinet, he assumes the executive power. The government, in theory, is indicated by the president of the republic following the parliamentary elections. In practice, nevertheless, this choice is carried out by the political parties which, according to the electoral results, agree on the identity of the ministers and the distribution of the wallets. It is only in the event of persistent dissension between the parties that the president would be brought to indicate itself the ministers, situation with which the republic was never yet confronted.
The Icelandic governments almost always consisted of a coalition of two parties or more, since the majority of the seats of Althing held forever by only one political party.
Geography
See also: Geography of Iceland
Iceland is located in the middle of the Atlantique on the dorsal médio-oceanic between the Europe and the America. From where the great number of earthquakes and Volcano S. Environ 10 % of the island is in addition covered with glaciers. It there 4 important glaciers: - Vatnajokull Glacier - Hofsjokull Glacier - Langjokull Glacier - Myrdalsjokull Glacier.
The island being crossed by the Rift of the wrinkle the médio-Atlantic, the majority of the activity Volcan ic and geothermal is located along this Graben, where the magma is more close to surface. Thus, from a point of view of the Plate tectonics , the North-western part of Iceland east on the American plate and the Southern part and Are on the Eurasiatique plate.
Contrary to the close Greenland, Iceland is regarded as forming part politically of the Europe, and not of the America: if it is located indeed at horse on the rift of separation of the two continents, most of its territory is European side of the rift; culturally and historically, its population is of European origin and not aboriginal.
Iceland counts an important geothermal activity made up of Solfatare S and thermal springs, of which spectacular the Geyser S (this word being itself of Icelandic origin). The abundance of such a geothermal energy makes that the majority of the inhabitants have access to warm water and the domestic heating for very moderate prices. Electricity, in the same way, is produced easily thanks to the many rivers and falls of water, used by hydroelectric industry .
Downstream from the Vatnajökull, the largest glacier of Europe, a hydroelectric Barrage should soon feed an aluminum factory Alcoa , which will produce 322 000 tons per annum. 57 km ² of grounds will be submerged. This stopping will also make disappear fifty falls or cascades. Ecologists oppose consequently his construction, and assert that very little Icelander requested an employment near Alcoa , and that consequently this factory will in any event not stop the turning into a desert of this area, main reason of the governmental support.
The coasts of the island are truffées of Fjord S, in which the majority of the agglomerations are located: the interior grounds, or “Highlands of Iceland”, are indeed made up mainly of uninhabitable deserts. The main cities of the country are Reykjavík, Keflavík (site of the international airport) and Akureyri in the north of the island.
The majority of the inhabitants live with Reykjavík and in the surroundings in the south-west of the principal island (which is completely located at the South of the Arctic circle and thus knows an alternation day/night all the year, even if the duration of clearness of the day is very short in winter, and the nights are very short in summer); is island counts only 12 000 inhabitants, living exclusively of fishing. The island of Grímsey, on the Arctic Circle, constitutes the inhabited place most septentrional of Iceland.
Apart from the cities, the traditional farms out of wooden are built with the shelter of the dominant winds. Their roofs are covered with a thick layer of peat. They comprise a dwelling house where the family often lives in a common part and cattle sheds arranged to accommodate the sheep in winter.
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