什么是冰岛

正式名称冰岛共和国（Republic of Iceland）

冰岛语作ísland

北大西洋岛国，位於挪威和格陵兰之间。面积102,819平方公里。人口约284,000（2001）。首都︰雷克雅未克。人民几乎都是北欧人种。语言：冰岛语（官方语）。宗教︰基督教路德派新教（国教）。货币︰冰岛克朗（ISK）。冰岛是世界上火山最活跃的一个地区，包括两百多座火山，熔岩流占有全球的1/3。1/10的陆地覆盖了冰冷的熔岩床和冰川，其中包括瓦特纳冰原。海岸线崎岖，长达6,000公里。经济以渔业和鱼制品为主，不过水力发电、畜牧和铝加工业也很重要。政府形式为共和国，一院制。国家元首是总统，政府首脑是总理。

西元9世纪时挪威海员就在冰岛定居，1000年冰岛已基督教化。930年创立的立法机构艾尔辛（Althing）是世界上历史最悠久的立法机构之一。1262年冰岛并入挪威，1380年并入丹麦。1918年为丹麦一个独立的州，1944年始断绝这些关系，成为独立的共和国。1980年芬博阿多蒂尔（Vigdis Finnbogadottir）任冰岛总统，为世界上第一位民选的女性国家元首。1990年代经济上大部分的成长是靠铝制品的生产量扩增。

Iceland

IcelandicíslandIsland country, located in the northern Atlantic Ocean, lying between Norway and Greenland. Area: 40,000 sq mi (100,000 sq km). Population (1997) est.: 271,000. Capital: Reykjavik. The people are overwhelmingly Nordic. Language: Icelandic (official). Religion: Evangelical Lutheranism (official). Currency: krona. One of the most active volcanic regions in the world, Iceland contains about 200 volcanoes and accounts for one-third of the earth's total lava flow. One-tenth of its area is covered by cooled lava beds and glaciers, including Vatnaj?kull. Its rugged coastline is 3,700 mi (6,000 km) long. The economy is based heavily on fishing and fish products but also includes hydropower production, livestock, and aluminum processing. It is a republic with one legislative house; its chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Iceland was settled by Norwegian seafarers in the 9th century and was Christianized by 1000. Its legislature, the Althing, was founded in 930, making it one of the oldest legislative assemblies in the world. Iceland united with Norway in 1262 and with Denmark in 1380. It became an independent state of Denmark in 1918, but severed those ties to become an independent republic in 1944. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became the world's first female elected president in 1980. Much of Iceland's 1990s economic growth was in the expansion of its aluminum production capacity.