16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark)
Religions
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
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
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite
External Debt
$125,700,000,000 $
$124,500,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (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
0.500%
0.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
3
1
Location
Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK
Area
1,964,375 km sq
103,000 km sq
Coastline
9,330 km
4,970 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers
