Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 14:13, 3 August 2014

This article was imported from the CIA's World Factbook. Please help rewrite this article. (May 2012)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Geography of Iceland" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The geography of Iceland entails the geographic features of Iceland, an island country at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Iceland is located east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle, atop the constructive boundary of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It lies about 860 km (534 mi) from Scotland and 4,200 km (2,610 mi) from New York City. One of the world's most sparsely populated countries, the republic of Iceland's boundaries are almost completely the same as the main island – the world's 18th largest in area and possessing almost all of the country's area and population.

Iceland has extensive volcanic and geothermal activity. The rift associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which marks the division between the European and North American tectonic plates, runs across Iceland from the southwest to the northeast. This geographic feature is prominent at the Þingvellir National Park, where the promontory creates an extraordinary natural amphitheatre. The site was the home of Iceland's parliament, the Alþing, which was first convened in 930. It is a common misconception that Þingvellir are located at the juncture between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. However, they are in fact at the juncture of the North American continental plate and a smaller plate (approx. 10,000 km2) called the Hreppar Microplate (Hreppaflekinn).

About half of Iceland's land area, which is of recent volcanic origin, consists of a mountainous lava desert (highest elevation 2,119 m (6,952 ft) above sea level) and other wasteland. Eleven percent is covered by three large glaciers:

• Vatnajökull (8300 km²)
• Langjökull (953 km²)
• Hofsjökull (925 km²)

and several smaller ones:

• Mýrdalsjökull (695 km²)
• Drangajökull (199 km²)
• Eyjafjallajökull (107 km²)
• Snæfellsjökull.

Twenty percent of the land is used for grazing, and only 1% is cultivated. An ambitious reforestation program is under way. Fossilized tree pollen and descriptions by the early settlers indicate that prior to human settlement in the 9th–10th century, trees covered about 30 – 40 percent of the island. Today, however, there are only small patches of the original birch forests left, the most prominent are Hallormsstaðarskógur and Vaglaskógur.

The inhabited areas are on the coast, particularly in the southwest; the central highlands are totally uninhabited.

Because of the Gulf Stream's moderating influence, the climate is characterized by damp, cool summers and relatively mild but windy winters. In Reykjavík, the average temperature is 11 °C (51.8 °F) in July and 0 °C (32 °F) in January (Köppen: Cfc).

Statistics

Geographic coordinates

Northern Europe (for cultural and historical reasons it is not considered to be a part of North America), between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the British Isles.

• 65°00′N 18°00′W / 65.000°N 18.000°W / 65.000; -18.000
• North: Rifstangi, 66°32′3" N (Kolbeinsey, 67°08,9 N)
• South: Kötlutangi, 63°23′6" N (Surtsey, 63°17,7 N)
• West: Bjargtangar, 24°32′1" W
• East: Gerpir, 13°29′6" W (Hvalbakur, 13°16,6 W)

Map references

Arctic Region

Area

39,769 sq miles (103,001 km²)

• Total: 103,125 km²
• Land: 100,329 km²
• Water: 2,796 km²

Land boundaries

0 km

Coastline

4,970 km

Maritime claims

• Continental shelf: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) or to the edge of the continental margin
• Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
• Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

Climate

Temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; cool summers, damp in the South and West

Terrain

Mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fjords

Elevation extremes

• Lowest point: Jökulsárlón Lagoon: -146 m, Atlantic Ocean 0 m
• Highest point: Hvannadalshnúkur 2,110 m

Natural resources

Fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use

• Arable land: 1.19%
• Permanent crops: 0%
• Other: 98.81% (2011)

Irrigated land

NA

Total renewable water resources

170 km

Natural hazards

Earthquakes, volcanic activity, avalanches, and glacial lake outburst flooding (or jökulhlaups)

Environment—current issues

Water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment

Environment—international agreements

• Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution (MARPOL 73/78), Wetlands, Whaling
• Signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Geography—note

Westernmost European country; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe

Antipodes

Iceland is not antipodal to any land mass. The closest are the Balleny Islands off Antarctica, claimed by New Zealand. The antipodes of the northernmost of these, Young Island, lie between Flatey and Grímsey Islands off the north central Icelandic coast, about 10 km from either.

Geological activity

Maps and Images

• True colour satellite image of Iceland in winter
• Satellite image of Iceland
• Map of Iceland showing major towns and geographical features
• Active volcanic areas and systems in Iceland
• Map showing the Mid-Atlantic Ridge splitting Iceland and separating the North American and Eurasian Plates
• Ridge between the tectonic plates of Eurasia and North America
• Iceland is rich in sulfur deposits.
• Topographic map of Iceland

See also

• Extreme points of Europe
• Extreme points of Iceland
• Fjords of Iceland
• Highlands of Iceland
• Iceland hotspot
• Iceland plume
• Lakes of Iceland
• List of islands off Iceland
• List of national parks of Iceland
• List of valleys of Iceland
• Rivers of Iceland
• Waterfalls of Iceland

References

1. "Plate boundaries, rifts and transforms in Iceland" (PDF). JÖKULL No. 58, 2008. Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
2. "Iceland". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved 6 May 2012.

External links

• Igneous Lab: Iceland lavas

v t e Iceland articles
History	By topic Economic Military Nationality Prohibition Rulers Timeline Settlement Commonwealth Christianization Aristocracy Sturlung Era Reformation Danish trade monopoly Independence Movement Kingdom World War II Invasion Cold War Cod Wars 2008–2011 financial crisis
Geography	Natural Climate Earthquakes Extreme points Fjords Forests Geology Glaciers Highlands Islands Lakes National parks Rivers Valleys Volcanoes Waterfalls Wildlife Political Constituencies Counties Farthings Localities Municipalities Regions
Politics	Administrative divisions Cabinet Constitution Elections Foreign relations Human rights Law Law enforcement LGBT rights Military Parliament Political parties President Prime Minister Supreme Court
Economy	Agriculture Banking Communications Króna (currency) Energy Nasdaq Iceland Nordic model Outvasion Taxation Tourism Transport
Society	Abortion Demographics Education Healthcare Icelanders Icelandic Language Languages Religion Women Culture Anthem Architecture Art Chess Cinema Coat of arms Cuisine Flag Literature Mass media Music Names National costume Public holidays Sport Television
Outline Index Category Portal

• Geography of Iceland