1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark)
Religions
indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Lutheran Church of Iceland 82.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2.4%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.3%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.6%, other Christian 2.8%, other religions 0.9%, unaffiliated 2.6%, other or unspecified 5.5% (2006 est.)
Languages
French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
Exports
diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco
fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite
External Debt
$469,500,000 $
$124,500,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar 438.77 (2008 est.), 481.8 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)
Icelandic kronur (ISK) per US dollar - 85.619 (2008 est.), 63.391 (2007), 70.195 (2006), 62.982 (2005), 70.192 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.600%
0.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
1
Location
Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK
Area
622,984 km sq
103,000 km sq
Coastline
0 km
4,970 km
Climate
tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers
