Iceland
Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean
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World Factbook
CIA reference data · 4 sections
Geography
Location
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the United Kingdom
Climate
temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers
Terrain
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
Natural resources
fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite
People & Society
Languages
Icelandic, English, Polish, Nordic languages, German
Religions
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 58.6% Roman Catholic 3.8%, Independent Congregation of Reykjavik 2.6%, Independent Congregation of Hafnarfjordur 1.9%, pagan worship 1.5%, Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association 1.4%, other (includes Zuist and Pentecostal) or unspecified 18.7%, none 7.7% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
unitary parliamentary republic
Independence
1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark; birthday of Jon SIGURDSSON, leader of Iceland's 19th-century independence movement)
National holiday
Independence Day, 17 June (1944)
Legal system
civil law system influenced by the Danish model
Economy
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$26.561 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$65,600 (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
0.5% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.9% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate
3.2% (2024 est.)
Exports - partners
Netherlands 27%, Germany 11%, USA 10%, UK 8%, Norway 6% (2023)
Imports - partners
Norway 11%, China 9%, Germany 9%, Netherlands 8%, USA 7% (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook · public domain (US gov work, 17 USC §105) · fetched 2026-05-06
Summary
Iceland is an island country[1]. Iceland draws 140,405 Wikipedia views per month (island country category, ranking #2 of 7).[2]
Key Facts
- Member of: United Nations[3], European Economic Area[4], Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development[5], Council of Europe[6], World Trade Organization[7], Nordic Council[8], Arctic Council[9], European Free Trade Association[10], NATO[11], Council of the Baltic Sea States[12], Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe[13], International Bank for Reconstruction and Development[14], International Development Association[15], International Finance Corporation[16]
- Country: Iceland[17]
- Head of government: Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir[18]
- Continent: Europe[19]
- Instance of: sovereign state[20], country[21], country sometimes considered transcontinental[22]
- Head of state: Halla Tómasdóttir[23]
- Capital: Reykjavík[24]
- Official language: Icelandic[25]
- Currency: Icelandic króna[26]
- Shares border with: Greenland[27], Faroe Islands[28], Svalbard[29]
- Top-level Internet domain: .is[30]
- Anthem: Lofsöngur[31]
- Basic form of government: parliamentary republic[32]
- Named after: ice[33]
- Contains the administrative territorial entity: Northeast[34], Northwest[35], Reykjavík North[36], Reykjavík South[37], South Constituency[38], Southwest[39]
- Follows: Kingdom of Iceland[40]
- Flag: flag of Iceland[41]
- Legislative body: Althing[42]
- Executive body: Government of Iceland[43]
- Highest judicial authority: Supreme Court of Iceland[44]
- Coat of arms: Coat of arms of Iceland[45]
- Part of: Nordic countries[46]
- Commons category: Iceland[47]
- Licence plate code: IS[48]
- Located in time zone: UTC±00:00[49], Atlantic/Reykjavik[50]
Body
Cultural Significance
Things named for Iceland include Icelanders[51], a human population[52] and East Iceland Current[53], an ocean current[54].
Why It Matters
Iceland has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[55] Iceland is known by 45 alternative names across languages and contexts.[56]
Entities named for Iceland include Icelanders[51], a human population[52] and East Iceland Current[53], an ocean current[54].