Iceland

• temperate;
• moderated by North Atlantic Current;
• mild, windy winters;
• damp, cool summers

total:

0.17 cu km/yr (34%/66%/0%)

per capita:

567 cu m/yr (2003)

party to:

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

• strategic location between Greenland and Europe;
• westernmost European country;
• Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world;
• more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.83 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

noun:

Icelander(s)

adjective:

Icelandic

conventional long form:

Republic of Iceland

conventional short form:

Iceland

local long form:

Lydveldid Island

local short form:

Island

name:

Reykjavik

geographic coordinates:

64 09 N, 21 57 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996)

head of government:

Prime Minister Johanna SIGURDARDOTTIR (since 1 February 2009);

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections:

• president, a largely ceremonial post, is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits);
• election last held 28 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2012);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister

note: the presidential election of 28 June 2008 was never held because Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON had no challengers; he was sworn in on 1 August 2008

2004 election results:

Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON elected president; percent of vote - Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON 85.6%, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9%;

• Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice);
• eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice)

• Citizens' Movement;
• Independence Party or IP [Bjarni BENEDIKTSSON, Jr.];
• Left-Green Movement or LGM [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON];
• Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon KRISTJANSSON];
• Progressive Party or PP [Sigmundur David GUNNLAUGSSON; Social Democratic Alliance or SDA [Johanna SIGUROARDOTTIR] (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's List)

• People's Voices [Hordur TORFARSON];
• New Times;
• Civic Action Association [Gunnar SIGURDSSON];
• The Association of Military Opponents [Stefan PALSSON]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Hjalmar W. HANNESSON

chancery:

House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW #509, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-6653

FAX:

[1] (202) 265-6656

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Hjalmar HANNESSON

embassy:

Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik

mailing address:

US Department of State, 5640 Reykjavik Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-5640

telephone:

[354] 562-9100

FAX:

[354] 562-9118

• blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag;
• the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag);
• the colors represent three of the elements that make up the island: red is for the island's volcanic fires, white recalls the snow and ice fields of the island, and blue is for the surrounding ocean

agriculture:

3%

industry:

19%

services:

78% (2007)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• potatoes, green vegetables;
• mutton, dairy products;
• fish

• fish processing;
• aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production;
• geothermal power, tourism

general assessment:

telecommunications infrastructure is modern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations, fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband network

domestic:

liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginning in the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in the mobile services segment of the market

international:

• country code - 354;
• the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the Faroe Islands, UK, Denmark, and Germany;
• a planned new section of the Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additional connectivity to Canada, US, and Ireland;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions);
• note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)

total:

13,058 km

country comparison to the world: 129

paved/oiled gravel:

4,397 km (does not include urban roads)

unpaved:

8,661 km (2007)

total:

2

country comparison to the world: 145

by type:

passenger/cargo 2

registered in other countries:

37 (Antigua and Barbuda 12, Bahamas 1, Belize 2, Denmark 2, Faroe Islands 1, Gibraltar 1, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Norway 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7) (2008)

males age 16-49:

62,576

females age 16-49:

61,159 (2009 est.)

male:

2,369

female:

2,349 (2009 est.)

• Iceland has no standing military force;
• under a 1951 bilateral agreement - still valid - its defense was provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik;
• however, all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn as of October 2006;
• although wartime defense of Iceland remains a NATO commitment, in April 2007, Iceland and Norway signed a bilateral agreement providing for Norwegian aerial surveillance and defense of Icelandic airspace (2008)