Iceland

The island of Iceland was settled by Vikings in the Ninth Century. There are no aboriginal people in Iceland. The capital and largest city of Reykjavik was founded in 1785. Iceland became independent of Denmark, which had ruled it since 1380. It was a monarch, ruled in a personal union with Denmark, from 1918-44. A personal union means that two countries are ruled by the same king, although that does not mean that the two are completely united.

An overlooked fact about Iceland is that it's parliament, the Althing, is nearly 1100 years old and is likely the oldest parliament in the world. Iceland is today one of the most prosperous countries. It is not always as frigid as the name implies and it is sometimes said that Iceland and Greenland should switch names.

During the Cold War, Iceland sometimes served as a neutral ground where the two sides could meet. Iceland hosted the 1972 chess tournament between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. In 1986, it was where Ronald Reagan met with Mikhail Gorbachev.

Laugavegeur is a main street in central Reykjavik. The very tall church is the Hallgrimkirkja but, like the rest of Scandinavia, you can see that Iceland is not fond of skyscrapers.

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https://www.google.com/maps/@64.1432446,-21.9135546,3a,60y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIerSaKE1j32dLdbFXV66ww!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Here is more of central Reykjavik, beginning at the Hallgrimkirkja.

https://www.google.com/maps/@64.1424914,-21.9275647,3a,75y,116.27h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipN-h7l-sL43z7mJNG5sC-iqyt_4Ib_wr8AmpHNb!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipN-h7l-sL43z7mJNG5sC-iqyt_4Ib_wr8AmpHNb%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya341.53308-ro-0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352

This is the modern financial district of Reykjavik.

https://www.google.com/maps/@64.1452652,-21.8977931,3a,60y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sroqQZgFdrZ7Sp3i0dobHAg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This is the area around Perlan, in Reykjavik.

https://www.google.com/maps/@64.1289849,-21.9180033,3a,60y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgoicxi69kLBxcX_21a3Ldw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Here is everyday Reykjavik, away from the central city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@64.1303923,-21.8712563,3a,60y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sDTbnLAfXjazDvBembygYyg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This mall is some distance from central Raykjavik.

https://www.google.com/maps/@64.1296312,-21.8956326,3a,75y,104.1h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPH1oGy-GMFyGNebnvS0XXcLDib4Io5TUzVXRVo!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPH1oGy-GMFyGNebnvS0XXcLDib4Io5TUzVXRVo%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-1.1006316-ya134.34375-ro-2.8405056-fo100!7i5376!8i2688

Here is an area south of the central city of Reykjavik.

https://www.google.com/maps/@64.1096839,-21.9155252,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYYpNc4jf4koUg4eH4A7Big!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Iceland is not all about Reykjavik, even though it is it's only large city. Iceland is also known for it's spectacular natural landscapes. Geologically, Iceland is where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge pokes above the surface of the water. Since the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is continuously forming, that means that Iceland is volcanic in origin and new islands are still being formed. This is a look at a town and natural scenery far in the interior of Iceland.

https://www.google.com/maps/@65.6387388,-16.910534,3a,75y,220h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPmH3tWjmyxU58M7evBqH224zlej-xjr6WBL_Zd!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPmH3tWjmyxU58M7evBqH224zlej-xjr6WBL_Zd%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-20.64289-ya157.22691-ro-4.8715734-fo100!7i5376!8i2688

In the north of Iceland, far away from Reykjavik, is the city of Akureyri.

https://www.google.com/maps/@65.6867975,-18.0893871,3a,60y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQ62qgxapv9Wl1x7pfb6IeA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This is more of Akureyri.

https://www.google.com/maps/@65.6766872,-18.1074284,3a,60y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smXAQQvK-KiL7dVEN0qBtzw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656