ICELAND
The Island in the Middle of the Atlantic
Iceland's EU History
You would kind of think that Iceland joined the European Union a while ago, but the date it joined was actually pretty recent. Iceland joined the EU in July 16, 2009. And because of this recent date, Iceland was definitely not a founder of the EU, which was founded on November 1, 1993.
A Brief History of Iceland
Iceland was not always a free country. It used to be owned by the country Denmark. That's actually what inspired their flag, but I'll talk about that later. Iceland is an island that rests right between Greenland and Norway. The total area is 103,000 square kilometers, making it the 18th largest country.
Iceland's Flag Info
Like I had said before, the flag of Iceland was inspired by the flag of Denmark. Iceland's flag was first adopted in 1915. The colors on the flag are red, white, and blue. Each color on the flag actually represents something different: White- glaciers, peace, honesty; Red- the fire in the volcanoes, hardiness, bravery, strength, and valor ( boldness, determination); Blue- sea, truth, loyalty, justice, perseverance, and vigilance.
Denmark's Flag
This is Denamrk's flag. It helped to inspire Iceland's flag.
Icleand's Flag
This is Iceland's flag. It was inspired by Denmark's flag.
Flag of Iceland Symbolism
This is Iceland's flag again. Each color has a different meaning.
Iceland Cities and What to See
The capital of Iceland is Reykjavik. This the main place of where the Northern Lights take place, (October-March). The top 5 other major cities include Kopavogur, Hafnarfjordur, Selfoss, and Akureyi.
Geography and Government of Iceland
How Iceland came to be is kind of scary. It emerged from an underwater mountain range about 20 million years ago! Iceland is a volcanic island full of hot pools, geysers, lava fields, and glaciers. Iceland has a constitutional republic with a multi-party system. Their currency type is a Krona, with Kronur as the plural.
Fun Facts About Iceland
The largest glacier AND sheet of ice in Europe is located in Iceland. It's name is Vatnajökull.
Here is a really bizarre fact: Icelandic mothers will leave their babies sleeping outside of cafés while they catch up on the latest gossip. Apparently, the fresh air is good for them. You know those cute little puffin birds with the small body and colorful beaks? Yeah, well some Icelandic people eat the hearts of them. It was shown in a television series starring Gordon Ramsey. Below is a picture of Vatnajökull