Planning an Iceland trip and don't know where to start?
Six questions, in the order they matter: when, how long, who with, budget, car or tours, where to sleep. We point you to the answer for each one.
Facts About Iceland: What a Resident Wants You to Know
Facts About Iceland
A growing collection of things that make the country make sense: history, language, daily life, and why June 17 matters. It began as a countdown to National Day, and it keeps growing from there.
The collection so far
- June 17Day 1
The national day looks nothing like the Fourth of July.
No fireworks, no military parade, no big speeches. Instead: a woman dressed as Fjallkonan, the Lady of the Mountain, recites poetry, families walk into town, kids get balloons, brass bands play, and it usually rains. It is gentle, not loud. That is the point.
- June 16Day 2
June 17 was chosen as a tribute, not a victory.
It is the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, leader of the 19th century independence movement. Iceland did not pick the day it won independence, it picked his birthday.
Source: Jón Sigurðsson, Wikipedia
- June 15Day 3
Full independence only came in 1944, when a 25 year treaty expired.
Iceland got its own constitution in 1874, home rule in 1904, and sovereignty under the Danish crown in 1918. That 1918 Act of Union had a 25 year clause. When it expired in 1943, Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany and Iceland by Allied forces, so the vote to become a full republic was held locally on June 17, 1944. That is why the date matters: it is recent, but it was not sudden.
Source: Government of Iceland, history
- June 14Day 4
When you stand at Þingvellir, you are standing on the edge of a continent, in a rift that is slowly pulling apart.
This is where those laws were read aloud for 800 years before any building existed, on the western edge of the North American plate, in a valley that widens a little every year as the ground rifts open. You will often hear it called the gap between the North American and Eurasian plates. That is the simple version. The plate boundary across Iceland is actually wide and broken into pieces, and the Eurasian plate proper lies many kilometres to the east, out of sight from here. But the rift under your feet is real, and it is growing.
- June 13Day 5
The parliament met outdoors, with no building, for over 800 years.
The Alþingi, founded in 930 AD, is often called the world's oldest existing parliament. But for most of that time chieftains simply rode in once a year, camped in turf booths, and shouted laws across an open field at the Lögberg, the Law Rock, located in what is now Þingvellir National Park. The site is still there. You can walk it for free.
Source: Alþingi (official)
- June 12Day 6
Iceland was ruled by Norway, then Denmark, for almost 700 years.
From 1262 until 1944 it was not its own country. Many older Icelanders today were born in a country that did not yet exist.
Source: History of Iceland, Wikipedia
- June 11Day 7
In 1783, one eruption led to the death of about a quarter of the population.
The Laki eruption lasted 8 months and released a poisonous haze that killed roughly half the livestock, causing a famine called Móðuharðindin, the Mist Hardships. Denmark briefly considered evacuating the whole island. The crater row is still there.
Source: Laki eruption, Wikipedia
- June 10Day 8
Iceland was empty until around 874 AD.
One of the last places on Earth humans settled. Norse settlers led by Ingólfur Arnarson arrived around 874, the traditional date from the medieval Book of Settlements. Some archaeologists, reading volcanic ash layers and radiocarbon dates, argue the first farms may be a few decades older. Either way, before that the island was uninhabited (apart from a few Irish monks who left). Most countries cannot tell you when they began. Iceland can, give or take.
Source: Settlement of Iceland, Wikipedia
- June 9Day 9
For most of its history, Iceland was one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Those picturesque grass roofed turf houses tourists photograph were not a design choice, they were what people had. Families lived in dark, damp, single room turf dwellings, sometimes with their livestock, well into the 20th century.
Source: Icelandic turf house, Wikipedia
- June 8Day 10
In 1900, there were 78,000 people here. Today there are about 400,000.
The country you are visiting essentially built itself in 120 years: roads, ports, hospitals, the airport, modern Reykjavík. When older Icelanders say their grandparents grew up in turf houses without electricity, they mean it literally.
Source: Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa)
- June 7Day 11
A divorced single mother became the world's first elected female president. In 1980.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir won on her first run and served 16 years. No country had ever elected a woman to that office before.
Source: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Wikipedia
- June 6Day 12
85% of homes are heated by volcanoes.
Geothermal energy heats the showers, the radiators, the swimming pools, even the downtown Reykjavík sidewalks, so they do not ice over in winter. It is also the quiet reason the pool culture exists. In a country this cold, with this much free hot water under the ground, most towns and neighbourhoods of any size ended up with a public pool. Going to the pool here is not a fitness thing or a tourist thing, it is what you do on a Tuesday evening, the way other countries go to a café.
- June 5Day 13
Roads get rerouted around elf homes.
The honest version: most Icelanders do not literally believe in the huldufólk (hidden people), but the respect is real enough that road projects have been paused or moved after consultation. Less superstition, more, why disturb something old for no reason.
Source: Huldufólk, Wikipedia
- June 4Day 14
The language has barely changed in 1,000 years.
Icelanders can read the medieval sagas in the original Old Norse, roughly the way we read Shakespeare. New words get built from old roots instead of borrowed: tölva (computer) comes from tala (number) plus völva (prophetess).
- June 3Day 15
An Icelandic horse that leaves can never come home.
It is the only horse breed allowed in the country, by law. Once one is exported it can never return, and no other breed can be imported, to protect a bloodline isolated for 1,000 years. They even have a fifth gait, the tölt, almost no other horse in the world has.
Source: Horses of Iceland (official)
- June 2Day 16
Beer was illegal here until 1989.
Spirits became legal in 1935, but beer stayed banned for another 54 years, on the theory it was too easy to drink casually. March 1 is still celebrated as Bjórdagurinn, Beer Day.
- June 1Day 17
The phone book lists everyone by first name.
Icelanders use patronymics, not surnames. Anna, daughter of Jón, is Anna Jónsdóttir. Her brother is Pétur Jónsson. Their mother has a different last name again, built from her own father's name. The last printed directory came out in 2016, but the national directory at ja.is is still sorted by first name.
Source: ja.is (the national directory)
In 1975, 90% of Icelandic women refused to work for a day, and the country nearly stopped.
On October 24, 1975, women across Iceland walked out of their paid jobs and stopped cooking, cleaning, and minding children for the day, to show how much of the country ran on unpaid and underpaid women's work. Shops, schools, banks, and newspapers struggled to function. It was called Kvennafrídagurinn, the Women's Day Off, and it is widely seen as a turning point on the road to Iceland's reputation for gender equality.
Source: Kvennasögusafn, the Women's History Archive of Iceland
Icelandic women won the vote in 1915, but at first only if they were over 40.
On June 19, 1915, the law gave women the right to vote and stand for parliament, but at first only those aged 40 and over, an age limit found nowhere else in the world. It was lowered over the following years until the right became equal. June 19 is still marked in Iceland as Kvenréttindadagurinn, Women's Rights Day.
Vestmannaeyjar were named after the Irish 'west men'.
The Westman Islands sit off Iceland's south coast. Landnámabók says Norse settlers called the Irish "west men." After Ingólfur's brother Hjörleifur was killed by his Irish slaves, the slaves fled toward the islands south of Landeyjar. Ingólfur pursued them there, and the name Vestmannaeyjar stuck. Many places in the archipelago still carry names tied to those men.
Source: Visit Vestmannaeyjar
Þjóðhátíð began because islanders missed the national party in 1874.
In 1874, Iceland marked 1,000 years since settlement and received its first constitution. Islanders planned to join the national celebration on the mainland, but bad weather kept them home. So they held their own gathering in Herjólfsdalur. Only Vestmannaeyjar kept the tradition alive. It became Þjóðhátíð, the festival that now fills the valley every Verslunarmannahelgi weekend in early August.
Source: Vestmannaeyjar town, Þjóðhátíð
Where possible, sources are official Icelandic institutions (.is). Wikipedia is used for the broader historical context.
The questions people actually ask about Iceland
The searches that land here most, answered plainly. Where it matters, the honest version is included, not just the tidy one.
Why is Iceland called Iceland?
The traditional story is that a Norse settler, Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson, saw a fjord full of drift ice after a hard winter and named the land Ísland. There is also a well-worn theory that early settlers leaned into the cold-sounding name to keep others away, while making green Greenland sound more inviting. Take that second part as folklore, not fact.
Why are there no mosquitoes in Iceland?
Iceland is one of the very few inhabited places on Earth with no established mosquito population. The leading explanation is the unstable climate: the repeated freeze and thaw does not give mosquito larvae a stable enough window to complete their life cycle. You will meet midges near some lakes in summer, but not biting mosquitoes.
Why are there so few trees in Iceland?
Iceland was more wooded when settlers arrived around 874. The woodland was cleared for timber, fuel, and grazing sheep, and the cold, windy, volcanic soil made natural regrowth very slow. Replanting is happening now, but it takes generations. The local joke: if you get lost in an Icelandic forest, just stand up.
Does Iceland get dark in winter?
Yes. Around the winter solstice in late December, Reykjavík gets only about 4 to 5 hours of daylight, and the sun stays low even then. It is dark, not pitch black around the clock. The long nights are also the best window for the northern lights.
Why is Iceland so windy?
Iceland sits in the North Atlantic where weather systems collide, and it is a largely treeless, open island, so there is little to slow the wind. Gusts can be strong and sudden, which is why holding car doors and driving in wind are genuine concerns here, not overcautious warnings.
Does Iceland have the midnight sun?
Yes. Around the summer solstice in June, the sun barely sets and it stays light almost around the clock, especially in the north. It is the flip side of the dark winters, and worth packing an eye mask for.
Why is Iceland so expensive?
Almost everything is imported to a small, remote island, wages and living standards are high, and the busy tourist season is short. Together that pushes up food, fuel, and dining prices. Self-catering from supermarkets and leaning on free nature are the two biggest ways visitors keep costs down.
How many people live in Iceland?
About 400,000 people, one of the least densely populated countries in Europe. Roughly two thirds live in and around Reykjavík, which is why so much of the rest of the island feels empty.
Why are the Westman Islands called Vestmannaeyjar?
Vestmannaeyjar means "the islands of the west men." Norse settlers used "west men" for the Irish. According to Landnámabók, the name was tied to Irish slaves who fled there after killing Hjörleifur, Ingólfur Arnarson's brother, and were pursued by Ingólfur.
A few Icelandic phrases that go a long way
Almost everyone you meet in tourism, shops, and pools speaks excellent English, so you do not need Icelandic to get by. But using a couple of words is almost always met with a smile. It signals respect more than fluency.
| Icelandic | Sounds like | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Takk fyrir | tahk fi-rir | Thank you. The safest default anywhere. |
| Góðan daginn | koh-than dai-in | Good day. Entering a shop, café, or pool. |
| Bless bless | bless bless | Goodbye. Icelanders often say it twice. |
| Já / Nei | yow (rhymes with cow) / nay | Yes / no. Useful for quick questions. |
| Fyrirgefðu | fi-rir gev-thu | Excuse me, or sorry. Bumping into someone, getting attention. |
Pronunciation is approximate. Icelanders will appreciate the attempt either way.
Know a fact we missed?
This is a living page. If you live here, or if your grandparents told you something a visitor should know, we want to hear it. Send it to Fylgja and, if it fits, it goes in. With credit, if you want it.
Send Fylgja a factWhy this kind of page matters before you pack
You can pack a waterproof jacket without knowing any of this. But the trip lands differently when you do. Standing in the rift at Þingvellir means more when you know parliament met there in the open air for 800 years. Watching kids walk into town on June 17 means more when you know it is not a fireworks holiday, it is a quiet one, on purpose.
That is what these facts are for. Not trivia. Context.