The Home of 24 Hour Golf

This exciting destination offers golf from May until September. For 2 months you have the opportunity to play golf 24hours a day!!! Also Iceland has the most northern golf course in the world which hosts the world famous Arctic Open. Come to Iceland and enjoy this uniquely beautiful and challenging golfing experience!!!

 

 

Things to know about Iceland

Facts at a glance:
Full country name: Republic of Iceland
Area: 103,000 sq km
Population: 272,000
Capital city: Reykjavik (pop 170,000)
People: 97% Icelanders
Language: Icelandic (as well as English and German)
Religion: 95% Evangelical Lutheran, 3% other Protestant denominations, 1% Roman Catholic, & some followers of Asatru, an ancient Norse religion
Government: Democratic republic
President: Olafur Ragnar Grimsson

Environment

Iceland, the second largest island in Europe, boils and splutters in the Atlantic Ocean north-west of Scotland, west of Norway and south-east of Greenland. The main island, which stretches 500km east to west and 300km north to south, is characterised by desert plateaus, sandy deltas, volcanoes, lava fields, and glacial icecaps. Over half the country is above 400m, with the highest point, Hvannadalshnukur, rising 2119m. Only 21% of the land, all near the coast, is considered arable and habitable. The bulk of Iceland's population and agriculture is concentrated in the south-west between Reykjavik and Vik.

Iceland is a relatively young land mass subject to periodic rumbling by volcanic activity. Earthquakes are as exciting as breakfast here, with people only bothering to tip their fur hats to proper explosions, ones that pose an island where once there was ocean, ones that sculpt the earth anew. It's hardly surprising with all this rumbling, shaking and spouting that the landscape is remarkable devoid of trees (though, in fairness, massive reforestation means the country now enjoys a few recreational forests and patches of scrubby birch). What the country does have, however, is large expanses of tundra, grassland, bogs and barren desert. The only indigenous land mammal is the Arctic fox, although polar bears, which occasionally drift across from Greenland on ice floes, would be indigenous if they weren't considered so undesirable. Introduced animals include the reindeer, mink and field mice. The country has a wealth of birdlife, especially sea birds, and its seas are rich in marine mammals and fish. Freshwater fish are limited to eels, salmon, trout and Arctic char.

Iceland's southern and western coasts experience relatively mild winter temperatures thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, though it still tends to rain an awful lot. In January, for instance, Reykjavik enjoys an average of only three sunny days (in July, one fine day is the norm). July and August are the warmest months and, in general, the chances of fine weather improve as you move north and east. It's sunniest around Akureyri and Lake M_vatn in the central north and warmest around Egilssta_oir in the east, yet neither place seems to be free of an uncomfortably chilly wind. While they're more prone to clear weather than the coastal areas, the interior deserts can experience other problems such as blizzards, and high winds which whip up dust and sand into swirling, gritty maelstroms.

History

Iceland's first inhabitants were Irish monks, who regarded the island as a sort of hermitage until the early 9th century. They were followed by Iceland's first permanent settlers who came from Norway. This was the Age of Settlement, traditionally defined as the period between 870 and 930, when political strife on the Scandinavian mainland caused many to flee.

After escaping political strife in Scandinavia, Iceland's settlers were in no mood for a monarchy and opted instead for a parliamentary system of government. A district assembly and Althing (National Assembly) were founded, and a code of law prepared. Iceland became a Christian country in 999, which engendered some semblance of national unity at a time when squabbles were arising among its leaders and allegiances were being questioned. The country flourished during the next century, and established a thriving agrarian economy with little unrest.

Iceland then became a launching pad for explorations of the North Atlantic: Eric the Red, who grew up in Iceland as the son of a Norwegian exile, colonised Greenland in 982; and Eric's Icelandic son, Leif Eriksson, is popularly held to be the first European to explore the coast of North America - which he named Vinland the Good. One of the more reliable Icelandic sagas, however, suggests that Leif Eriksson learned of Vinland from another Icelander, Bjarni Herjolfsson, who had sighted it some 14 years earlier. Whatever the truth is, these voyages of exploration became the source material of one of Europe's great literary flowerings.

The first literary tradition to emerge was poetry, which tended to be heroic in theme. Poetry was displaced during the Saga Age of the late 12th to late 13th centuries, when epic and dramatic tales of early settlement, romance, dispute and the development of Iceland were recorded. These provided both a sense of cultural heritage for Icelandic commoners and entertaining yarns on bitterly cold winter nights.

By the early 13th century, the enlightened period of peace that had lasted 200 years came to an end. The country entered the infamous Sturlung Age, a turbulent era of political treachery and violence. The opportunistic Norwegian King Hakon Hakonarson promptly stepped in, and Iceland became a Norwegian province to be plundered mercilessly. To add insult to injury, the volcano Mt Hekla erupted in 1300, 1341 and 1389, causing widespread death and destruction. Recurring epidemics also plagued the country, and the Black Death that struck Norway in 1349 effectively cut off trade and supplies.

At the end of the 14th century, Iceland was brought under Danish rule. Disputes between church and state resulted in the Reformation of 1550, and the imposing of Lutheranism as the country's religious doctrine. Throughout the next two centuries, Iceland was crippled by rampant Danish profiteering, beset by international pirates and subject to an increasing number of natural disasters.

Denmark's grip on Iceland was broken in 1874 when Iceland drafted a constitution and was permitted to handle its own domestic matters. Iceland was released from Danish rule in 1918, making it an independent state within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining responsibility for defence and foreign affairs. However, in 1940, Denmark was occupied by Germany. Iceland realised that the Kingdom was in no position to continue overseeing its affairs and, a year later, requested independence. It was granted on 17 June 1944.

After the occupation of Denmark and Iceland's declaration of sovereignty, the island's vulnerability became a matter of concern for the Allied powers. In response, British and US troops were moved in. The Americans still remain, much to the chagrin of a growing number of Icelanders who want them out. The Brits incurred Icelandic wrath when they refused to recognise Iceland's expanded territorial fishing rights in the 1970s. For a few years, stoushes between Icelandic gunships and British warships during the so-called Cod Wars became a regular feature of the fishing season.

In recent years, Iceland's economy has looked shaky: fishing quotas have been cut back, unemployment has risen and the krone devalued. Clashes between environmental organisations and the Icelandic whaling industry, which split from the International Whaling Commission in 1992, also haven't helped matters. However, the economy now seems to be taking a turn for the better, while better communications and a more urban population have reduced the impact of natural disasters considerably.

Economic Profile

GDP: US$6.2 billion
GDP per head: US$23,700
Annual growth: 1.7%
Inflation: 4.9%
Major industries: Fishing, aquaculture, aluminium smelting & geothermal power
Major trading partners: UK, Germany, USA & France

Culture

Superimposed on Iceland's rugged terrain is a resilient and independent culture, fashioned over the years by the descendants of the farmers and warriors who fled the tyranny of medieval Scandinavia. Their flight to a new and empty country resulted in the building of sturdy settlements and farms, and the beginning of a rich literary tradition dominated by the sagas - fact-based accounts of struggles, battles, heroics, religion and occupations - which are considered the finest of all Western medieval works. The country has also thrown up some significant contributors to modern literature, with Halldor Laxness, Iceland's best known writer, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955. Traditional music - usually cowboy songs and tear-jerking lullabies - remains popular, while giddy international success has greeted the Sugarcubes and that band's impish former lead singer, Bjõrk.

Although Iceland is officially Christian, the ancient Norse religion known as Asatru is gaining popularity, not only as a novelty but as an officially recognised sect. A sheep farmer revived Icelandic Asatru in the 1970s; it focuses on the natural forces and the harmony of nature represented by the ancient gods.

Traditional Icelandic food is not as bad as it sounds: in fact several dishes are actually edible. The one glaring exception is hakarl, putrefied shark meat that has been buried for up to six months to ensure sufficient decomposition. Slightly more palatable is hrutspungur, ram's testicles pickled in whey and pressed into a cake, and svi_, singed sheep head (complete with eyes) sawn in two, boiled and eaten either fresh or pickled. You could also try slatur, a mish-mash of sheep leftovers tied up in the stomach and cooked. Less bizarre foods include: har_fiskur, (haddock); bleikja, (char); lundi (puffin); and, if you haven't any objections to eating them, whale blubber, whale steaks and seal meat. The unique Icelandic treat is skyr, a yogurt-like concoction made of pasteurised skim milk and bacteria culture. Coffee is a national institution, while beer, wine and spirits are available, though expensive. The traditional Icelandic brew is brennivin, a sort of schnapps made from potatoes and flavored with caraway.

Events

The largest nationwide festival of the year is Independence Day (17 June), a time of colorful parades, street music and dancing, outdoor theatre and general merriment. Other nationwide celebrations include: Sjomannadagurinn (first week in June), which is dedicated to seafarers, and has participants competing in swimming contests, tugs-of-war and sea rescues; Midsummer (24 June), when tradition has it that Midsummer Night's dew possesses magical healing powers and that to roll in it will cure 19 different health problems; and Sumardagurinn Fyrsti (the third Thursday in April), a carnival-style celebration on the first day of summer. Among the local festivals is Pjodhati_ Vestmannaeyjar (August; Vestmannaeyjar), an earth-shaking event of immense bonfires, outdoor camping, dancing, singing, eating and getting uproariously drunk. Elsewhere in Iceland Verslunarmannahelgi (August also) is celebrated with barbecues, horse competitions, camping out, family reunions and excessive alcohol consumption.