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Iceland definitions

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CIA World Factbook, 2008

Background
Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.

Location
total: 103,000 sq km land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km

Area - comparative
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier)

Natural resources
arable land: 0.07% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.93% (2005)

Irrigated land
Total: 0.17 cu km/yr (34%/66%/0%) Per capita: 567 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards
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

Geography - note
0-14 years: 21.4% (male 32,759/female 31,845) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 102,161/female 99,411) 65 years and over: 11.8% (male 16,162/female 19,593) (2007 est.)

Median age
total: 34.5 years male: 34 years female: 35 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.029 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.028 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.825 male(s)/female total population: 1.002 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
total: 3.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 80.43 years male: 78.33 years female: 82.62 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate
noun: Icelander(s) adjective: Icelandic

Ethnic groups
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lydveldid Island local short form: Island

Government type
name: Reykjavik geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions
chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Geir H. HAARDE (since 7 June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: president, largely a ceremonial post, is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON 85.6%, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9%

Legislative branch
elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 36.6%, Social Democratic Alliance 26.8%, Progressive Party 11.7%, Left-Green Movement 14.3%, Liberal Party 7.3%, other 3.3%; seats by party - Independence Party 25, Social Democratic Alliance 18, Progressive Party 7, Left-Green Alliance 9, Liberal Party 4

Judicial branch
chief of mission: Ambassador Albert JONSSON chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653 FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Carol VAN VOORST 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

Flag description
agriculture: 5.3% industry: 26.3% services: 68.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force
agriculture: 5.1% industry: 23% services: 71.4% (2005)

Unemployment rate
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index
revenues: $9.495 billion expenditures: $8.432 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt
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)

Radio broadcast stations
total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 94 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 63 (2007)

Roadways
total: 13,028 km paved/oiled gravel: 4,241 km (does not include urban roads) unpaved: 8,787 km (2005)

Merchant marine
total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,704 GRT/729 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2 registered in other countries: 41 (Antigua and Barbuda 9, Bahamas 1, Belize 1, Faroe Islands 4, Gibraltar 1, Malta 7, Norway 3, St Vincent and The Grenadines 15) (2007)

Ports and terminals
males age 18-49: 69,038 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 56,777 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP
0% (2005 est.)

Military - note
under a 1951 bilateral agreement, Iceland's defense was provided by a US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered in Keflavik; in October 2006, all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn; nonetheless, the US and Iceland signed a Joint Understanding to strengthen their bilateral defense relationship, including regular security consultations, military communications in the event of national emergencies, annual bilateral exercises on Icelandic territory, and future bilateral and NATO support to four Iceland Air Defense System (IADS) radar sites

Disputes - international
Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an island republic on the island of Iceland; became independent of Denmark in 1944 [syn: Iceland, Republic of Iceland]
2: a volcanic island in the North Atlantic near the Arctic Circle

Merriam Webster's

or Danish Island or Icelandic Ísland geographical name island between the Arctic & the Atlantic SE of Greenland; a republic, formerly (1380-1918) belonging to Denmark, later (1918-44) an independent kingdom in personal union with Denmark capital Reykjavik area 39,702 square miles (102,828 square kilometers), population 255,855 • Icelander noun