Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, covering 103,000 km² with a deeply indented coastline and no land borders; its capital and largest city is Reykjavík. According to Statistics Iceland, the resident population was 389,444 on 1 January 2025 and 393,160 by the end of the third quarter of 2025. The official language is Icelandic, and the currency is the Icelandic króna (ISK). Iceland is a unitary parliamentary republic with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. CIA World Factbook,
Statistics Iceland,
Statistics Iceland,
Central Bank of Iceland.
Geography and environment
- –Iceland lies astride the Mid‑Atlantic Ridge between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Greenland Sea, with active rift zones and extensive volcanic and glacial landscapes. The country’s highest point is Hvannadalshnjúkur (≈2,110 m) in the Öræfajökull volcanic system within Vatnajökull National Park.
Britannica,
Wikipedia.
- –Vatnajökull National Park—inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019—covers over 1.4 million hectares (nearly 14% of Iceland) and represents the dynamic interaction of fire and ice within a rifting plate boundary.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
- –Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site associated with the founding of the national parliament and with visible tectonic rift features.
- –The island of Surtsey, formed by eruptions in 1963–1967, is protected as a natural laboratory documenting primary ecological succession.
History
- –Settlement by Norse seafarers and people from the British Isles began in the late 9th century; the Althing (Alþingi), a national assembly, was founded at Þingvellir around 930 CE. It met there until 1798, was reconvened in Reykjavík in 1845, and proclaimed the republic on 17 June 1944.
U.S. Office of the Historian.
- –Sovereignty in personal union with Denmark was achieved by the Act of Union on 1 December 1918; full independence as the Republic of Iceland was declared on 17 June 1944, now commemorated as the national day.
Government and politics
- –Iceland is a unitary parliamentary republic under a written constitution first adopted in 1944. The parliament (Alþingi) is unicameral (63 seats). The constitution recognizes the Evangelical Lutheran Church as the state church (Article 62), alongside guarantees of freedom of religion.
Alþingi,
Constitute Project,
- –Halla Tómasdóttir took office as President on 1 August 2024, while Kristrún Frostadóttir has served as Prime Minister since 21 December 2024.
Office of the President of Iceland,
Prime Minister’s Office,
Reuters.
International affiliations
- –Iceland is a founding member of NATO (1949) and uniquely has no standing army; defense is provided through cooperation with allies, with national capabilities centered on the Coast Guard and air surveillance.
NATO,
- –Iceland is not an EU member but participates in the European Economic Area (since 1994) and the Schengen Area (since 2001), ensuring access to the single market and passport‑free travel.
European Commission,
EEAS.
- –Iceland is an OECD member and an Arctic Council member state.
OECD,
Arctic Council.
Demographics
- –Statistics Iceland reports 383,726 residents on 1 January 2024, 389,444 on 1 January 2025, and 393,160 at the end of Q3 2025; foreign citizens comprised 17.7% by Q3 2025.
Statistics Iceland,
- –Icelandic is the official and national language; Icelandic Sign Language has protected status under Act No. 61/2011.
Act on the Status of the Icelandic Language and Icelandic Sign Language.
- –The country code top-level domain is .is; the calling code is +354.
IANA,
Economy
- –Iceland is a high‑income, advanced economy; nominal GDP was about US$31.3 billion in 2023, with World Bank–based trackers indicating roughly US$33–34 billion in 2024 and high GDP per capita relative to global averages.
Worldometer (World Bank series),
TheGlobalEconomy (World Bank series),
- –Fisheries and fish products remain important export earners; marine product exports totaled about 347 billion ISK in 2024 (down 1.8% y/y), with cod the most valuable species. Aquaculture (mainly Atlantic salmon) reached ~54,800 tonnes in 2024, with export value near 54 billion ISK.
Statistics Iceland.
- –Tourism plays a major role; Statistics Iceland’s short‑term indicators show strong visitor flows and employment in tourism through 2024–2025 (e.g., 667,044 hotel overnights in August 2025, up from 608,748 a year earlier).
Statistics Iceland.
- –Monetary policy is conducted by the Central Bank of Iceland (Seðlabanki Íslands); policy rates were reduced in 2025 while inflation trended down from earlier peaks.
Central Bank of Iceland,
Iceland Monitor (rate decisions).
Energy and resources
- –Nearly all electricity is generated from renewables—chiefly hydropower and geothermal—and the share of renewables in gross final energy consumption is among the world’s highest (EEA: ~99.9% renewable electricity and ~79.5% total energy from renewables in 2022).
European Environment Agency.
- –Iceland’s National Energy Authority and state utility data indicate that power‑intensive industry (notably aluminum smelting and related metals) consumes the bulk of electricity; Landsvirkjun sells roughly 85% of generated power to such industries.
Landsvirkjun,
Orkustofnun / National Energy Authority.
- –Household energy consumption is dominated by geothermal district heating; around 70–77% of household energy was from renewable sources in 2014–2023.
Society and culture
- –The Althing is often cited as one of the world’s oldest national parliaments, founded circa 930 at Þingvellir and later reconvened in Reykjavík.
- –Article 62 of the constitution recognizes the Evangelical Lutheran Church as the national church while protecting freedom of religion; debates over church–state relations and language policy continue to evolve.
Volcanism and hazards
- –Iceland experiences frequent volcanic activity where the Eurasian and North American plates diverge. The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption disrupted European air traffic and led to new aviation ash‑risk protocols.
USGS,
- –Since 2021 the Reykjanes Peninsula has seen repeated fissure eruptions; an episode on 16 July 2025 marked the twelfth outbreak in the area since 2021, with limited impact on national air travel. Icelandic authorities emphasized safety measures and barrier construction near Grindavík.
Infrastructure and identifiers
- –Iceland observes UTC (no daylight saving time). Its calling code is +354 and internet ccTLD is .is (managed by ISNIC).
CIA World Factbook,
Internal links: Reykjavík, Althing, NATO, European Economic Area, Schengen Area, Vatnajökull National Park, Surtsey, Eyjafjallajökull.