Answer: Ingolfur Arnarson
Ingólfur Arnarson originally came ashore at the point on the south coast now known as Ingolfshofdi (Ingolf's Head). However, he declined to settle there, preferring to throw his family totem poles into the sea and found his settlement where they were washed up - in what is now Reykjavik.
From Quiz: The Land of Fire and Ice
Answer: Both of these
Most of the world's volcanoes are found along ocean ridges where tectonic plates are separating, or where tectonic plates are colliding. Relatively few are found at hotspots, where plumes of molten rock rise from the mantle - which can be anywhere, even in the middle of a tectonic plate, like Hawaii. Iceland is on the mid-Atlantic ridge, and thought to be on a hotspot as well, which explains why this is one of the most volcanically active places on Earth.
From Quiz: Fire and Ice - the Volcanoes of Iceland
Answer: "The Land of Ice and Fire"
Iceland is often called "The Land of Ice and Fire" because it has volcanoes and geysers set in a bleak landscapes of ice fields and glaciers.
From Quiz: Let's Tour Iceland!
Answer: Cold oceanic
The majority of Icelanders live by or near the coast. The average temperature for July is 10-13°C, although there are often warmer spells. The North Atlantic current keeps Iceland's climate relatively temperate and thus habitable.
From Quiz: Iceland - Way Up North
Answer: the Althing
It was established in 930 and is called the oldest surviving legislative assembly in the world.
From Quiz: Everything You Didn't Know About Iceland
Answer: Icelandic
Icelandic comes from old Norse, with a few added characters of their own.
From Quiz: Incredible Iceland
Answer: The Twentieth
Guðjón Samúelsson is said to have designed he Hallgrímskirkja to resemble the basalt lava flows which are typical of the country. Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran church.
From Quiz: The Land of Fire and Ice
Answer: Black Rocks
Black rocks rise from the shallow waters of Lake Myvatn in Northern Iceland. They were formed from the cooled lava of an ancient volcano.
From Quiz: Let's Tour Iceland!
Answer: black
The beaches are black due to the layers of volcanic ash covering all the area from the many eruptions of Hekla and other active volcanoes in the vicinity. If you have time to get out to Dyrholaey, the most southerly point of mainland Iceland, there are wonderful photo opportunities here of basalt cliffs, sea arches and sea caves.
You can see black beaches at Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri just south of Selfoss, within easy reach of Reykjavik, but no basalt cliffs!
From Quiz: Iceland for Tourists
Answer: Hallgrimskirkja
Hallgrimskirkja was constructed in the years 1945-1986 and takes its name from 17th century poet Hallgrimur Petursson, Iceland's most prolific writer of psalms.
From Quiz: Iceland - Way Up North
Answer: 1000
1000 marked a big year for Iceland, because not only did they adopt Christianity, but they did it peacefully, without a big fight.
From Quiz: More Incredible Iceland
Answer: Norway and Ireland
This is where they got their old Norse from. Also, the Icelanders adopted the Norse way of last names: taking the first name of your father and putting either son or daughter respectively after it. For example: Erikson (Erik's son)
Many sources acknowledge that Irish monks were the first to settle Iceland in the century prior to Viking settlement. The Vikings drove the monks out in order to claim the island.
From Quiz: Incredible Iceland
Answer: Icelandic Crown
In common with Sweden and Norway, the Icelanders use crowns (króna) as their national currency. The modern Icelandic króna was established in 1981.
From Quiz: The Land of Fire and Ice
Answer: Hvannadalshnukur
The Hvannadalshnukur is a peak in the north-western rim of the Orafajokull volcano in Iceland, and is the highest point of the island. Its height is 2,109.6 metres.
From Quiz: Let's Tour Iceland!
Answer: Vigdis Finnbogadottir
Vigdis Finnbogadottir was elected president in 1980 and stayed in office for a full four terms, until her retirement in 1996 when Olafur Ragnar Grimsson was elected. Born in Reykjavik in 1930, Vigdis had previously worked in education, tourism and theatre. Since retiring from the presidency she has been extensively involved with matters of culture and welfare, both in Iceland and on an international level.
From Quiz: Iceland - Way Up North
Answer: 70%
Due to the warm Gulf Stream that rises up towards Iceland, there are places that make for great feeding grounds for fish, so fish is a really big part of their economy.
From Quiz: More Incredible Iceland
Answer: 9th
Iceland has some of the best kept accounts of the Viking sagas from around that time period.
From Quiz: Incredible Iceland
Answer: Denmark
Back in the 13th century, Iceland became a part of Norway. Later, when Norway joined forces with Denmark in 1814, the Danes took over Iceland. On December 1, 1918 Denmark officially recognised that Iceland was a "sovereign state", but the date the Icelanders celebrate as being that of their independence is actually 25 years later, during the occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany.
From Quiz: The Land of Fire and Ice
Answer: It has a flat top and steep sides
A tuya looks a bit like an inverted cupcake, and is formed when lava erupts through an ice sheet or glacier. The name actually comes from Tuya Butte, in the far north of British Colombia in Canada, where a number of tuyas were formed as volcanoes broke through the ice sheet that covered North America during the Pleistocene. Herðubreið and Hlöðufell in Iceland are tuyas that also formed during the Pleistocene, erupting under the thick ice.
From Quiz: Fire and Ice - the Volcanoes of Iceland
Answer: Surtsey Island
As recently as 1963, volcanic activity created a new offshore island, Surtsey, as lava bubbled up from the ocean floor. Its name comes from the word Surtr, which means a fire jotunn or giant from Norse mythology.
From Quiz: Let's Tour Iceland!
Answer: Geothermal springs
The many geothermal springs in this area are well able to supply hot water and power to the area. In Deildartunguhver 180 litres of boiling water bubbles from the ground every second. This is piped to towns in the southeast. It takes 24 hrs for the water to reach Akranes and in the winter will lose 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Other geothermal springs are used to heat greenhouses in Hveragerdi where most of Iceland's vegetables and fruit are grown. You can generally tell if the hot water comes direct from geothermal springs as the water has a sulphurous smell.
Icelanders enjoy swimming and almost every town has a geothermally heated pool which can be used all the year round.
The most famous geothermal pool is the Blue Lagoon near the International Airport. This is not a natural pool but has been constructed as a leisure centre and uses geothermally heated water which has already been used to generate electricity at a nearby power plant. This is a real must for tourists, although I hear it gets a bit crowded in the summer months - not in February though, when the outside temperature is -10C, then it is great!
From Quiz: Iceland for Tourists
Answer: Tomsson
In Iceland, they use the traditional way of their people, they take their father's first name and place 'son' or 'dottir' after the name.
From Quiz: More Incredible Iceland
Answer: constitutional republic
Its constitution was signed June 16, 1944 when it achieved independence from Denmark.
From Quiz: Everything You Didn't Know About Iceland
Answer: 103,000 sq km
Iceland may be fairly large, but there are only three people (on average) per square km.
From Quiz: Incredible Iceland
Answer: A waterfall
Some places which have spectacular waterfalls are simply called "Foss", but perhaps the most famous waterfall is at Gulfoss, part of the Golden Circle. One waterfall I visited in Iceland was Hundafoss - the Dog Falls, so called because this is where the farmers' dogs used to get regularly swept down over the falls into the deep pools beneath them, when their masters were crossing the river. The dogs would then simply jump out, shake themselves off and trot home.
From Quiz: The Land of Fire and Ice
Answer: 18
There are over 130 volcanic mountains on Iceland, 18 of which have erupted since the island was first settled - some of them as many as twenty times - to 2010. It is thought that Icelandic volcanoes have produced a third of the world's total lava output over the last 500 years.
From Quiz: Fire and Ice - the Volcanoes of Iceland
Answer: Dettifoss Falls
Dettifoss Falls is located in Jokulsargljufur National Park of Northeast Iceland. With a flow of about 500 cubic meters per second at high flow, this waterfall is 44m tall and 100m wide.
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From Quiz: Let's Tour Iceland!
Answer: Avalanche
In the early hours of January 16, 1995, an avalanche fell on 15 houses in the small village of Sudavik in the western fjords, claiming 14 lives in total. Several months later, in late October, an avalanche fell on another village in the west, Flateyri, killing 20 men, women and children. In a country with a population of less than 300,000, this was an immense blow.
From Quiz: Iceland - Way Up North
Answer: red, white and blue
The flag is blue with a red cross extending to the flag's ends, with the vertical section of the cross shifted to the left. The red cross is outlined in white. The white is snow, and the red stands for volcanoes. The blue either stands for mountains, the sea, or the sky.
From Quiz: Everything You Didn't Know About Iceland
Answer: Reykjavik
Vatnajokull is a glacier and Breidamerkurjokull is a southern outlet.
From Quiz: Incredible Iceland
Answer: Glacier
Glaciers cover around 11% of Iceland. The largest glacier in Iceland is Vatnajökull in the southeastern part of the country. The highest point of Eyjafjallajökull is 1666 metres above sea level.
From Quiz: The Land of Fire and Ice
Answer: Hofn City
Hofn is an Icelandic fishery town in the southeastern part of the country. The island tour bus stops there about three times a day. The tour starts at Vatnajokull glacier.
From Quiz: Let's Tour Iceland!
Answer: Hydroelectric power plant
Yes this amazing waterfall was going to fall to hydroelectric power production. There were not many people living in the area at that time, and the government may not have been aware of how beautiful the falls were. Permission was granted for foreign investors to go ahead.
Sigridur and her father Tomas Tomasson, the land owners, walked to Reykjavik (over 130 kilometres!) to put their case to rescue Gullfoss. Fortunately they won and Gullfoss was safe. Sigridur is considered Iceland's first tourist guide as she took many tourists to the falls. The falls are now owned by the nation. You may have guessed that foss is Icelandic for waterfall. If you haven't seen this fabulous sight check it out on Wikipedia, there are some good photos there.
From Quiz: Iceland for Tourists
Answer: Lýðveldið Ísland
This translates as The Republic of Iceland.
From Quiz: Iceland - Way Up North
Answer: 63
The Althingi was formed in 930 A.D.
From Quiz: More Incredible Iceland
Answer: almost 300,000
About 93% of these people live in urban areas of the country.
From Quiz: Everything You Didn't Know About Iceland
Answer: Smoky Bay
Reykjavik has a population of approximately 108,000 people.
From Quiz: Incredible Iceland
Answer: Bathe
"Bláa Lónið" is better known as the Blue Lagoon and is a spa where the workers have to cool the water down before it is safe for visitors to bathe in it. It is just south of Keflavik, the airport for Reykjavik.
From Quiz: The Land of Fire and Ice
Answer: Sulphur dioxide and hydrogen fluoride
Sulphur dioxide is the main gas causing that acrid odour noticed around geothermal areas. Laki erupted for eight months, generating more lava than any other Icelandic eruption in the last 500 years. The toxic gases from Laki killed half of Iceland's livestock, leading to the deaths of a quarter of the inhabitants. The clouds of sulphur dioxide and ash rolled across Europe as a thick and deadly haze, killing thousands of people and animals. It entered the upper atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in freak weather conditions. There was a severe winter across North America, causing the Mississippi to freeze over at New Orleans! There was crop failure and famine to Japan, drought in India, and famine in Egypt. It became arguably the deadliest volcanic eruption in historic times, resulting in the deaths of over two million people around the world.
From Quiz: Fire and Ice - the Volcanoes of Iceland
Answer: red, white, and blue
The colors you can see on the flag of Iceland are red, blue, and white. The colors correspond to lava (red), mountains (blue), and ice (white).
(Worldflags101 Website)
From Quiz: Let's Tour Iceland!