1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark)
Religions
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.)
Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004)
Languages
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities
Exports
fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite
External Debt
$124,500,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
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
0.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
10
Location
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK
Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden
Area
103,000 km sq
323,802 km sq
Coastline
4,970 km
25,148 km
Climate
temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers
temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast
