Balances of Power
Iceland
Country's Area Size
103,000 sq km
This is important to the power of Iceland because of its size. The country isn't too small to where it could be overthrown easily. But, it is also not too big to where Iceland would want to overthrow a smaller country.
Population of Country
317,351
The population is important to the power of Iceland because it is not huge. There wouldn't be as many fights over government or political issues. Also, it is important to have a smaller population for a smaller country like this so room for people doesn't create a problem.
How well Educated and United is it?
The population on average is very well educated. On average there are 19 school years for males and 20 for women. The country is well united, everyone does their job to keep the country in check. This is important to the power of Iceland because it allows them to have people that are smart and can help with any problems. If education was not good in Iceland, then many people would want to leave to get a good education elsewhere. Also, if the country wasn't united it could cause many outbreaks and issues between the people. Many different groups of people wouldn't agree to decisions being made and the country could go down hill very fast.
Armed Forces
Iceland does not have its own military. They have Icelandic National Police and Icelandic Coast Guard. Until 2006, the US military forces were in Iceland to help protect it. But in 2006 the military forces of the US were withdrawn. This can be good for the power of Iceland. For one, with the US special forces gone, Iceland doesn't have to pay for them to stay there anymore. Also, it shows a level of trust Iceland must have without having any military. It can show that they don't want to fight anyone, they just want to live in peace.
Physical Features
There are over 200 volcanoes where most are active, there are many hot springs, geysers, lava fields. Iceland is mainly an elevated plateau with little forest land. There is not much room for agriculture here. In the north, there is a lot of grasslands used by grazing animals like sheep and cows. By having Iceland surrounded by bodies of water, it allows the power of the nation to have artery good economy. It allows money to come in from fishing. Also, having plateaus allows for agriculture and grazing of animals.
Productiveness of Economy
The country is very productive. They have agriculture, industry, and a lot of services. They economy relies on the fishing industry a lot, which is about 40% of their export earnings. However, Iceland owes British and ditch authorities about 5.5 billion dollars. They also received a loan of 10 billion dollars to stabilize its currency. The unemployment rate has also increased to 9.4%. This important to the power of the nation because Iceland knows it has room to improve with the debt, but has a steady economy at the time. It allows the country to stay confident with its money coming in from exports, which help keep the country from going down hill.