Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic island country between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is linked culturally and politically with Europe and is the region's most sparsely populated country. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the country's roughly 380,000 residents. The official language of the country is Icelandic.
Some of the key events about Iceland
- 874Norse settlement began, leading to deforestation and soil erosion
- 930The Althing, one of the world's oldest parliaments, was established
- 1000Christianity was peacefully adopted as the official religion
- 1262Iceland entered a union with Norway, ending the Commonwealth period
- 1262Iceland lost its independence and came under Norwegian rule
- 1402The Black Death reached Iceland, killing up to two-thirds of the population
- 1783The Laki volcanic eruption caused widespread famine and disease
- 1874Iceland was granted a constitution and limited home rule from Denmark
- 1875A major volcanic eruption of Askja caused significant ash fall and crop failures
- 1918The Act of Union recognized Iceland as a fully sovereign state in personal union with Denmark
- 1918The Katla volcano erupted, causing destructive glacial floods
- 1944Iceland gained full independence from Denmark and became a republic
- 1973The Eldfell volcano erupted on Heimaey Island, destroying many homes
- 1980The first democratically elected female president in the world took office
- 1986The Reykjavík Summit between the United States and Soviet Union marked a turning point in the Cold War
- 2008Iceland experienced a severe financial crisis, with its banking system collapsing
- 2009The world's first openly gay head of government was appointed as Prime Minister
- 2010Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption brought global attention to Iceland's geological activity
- 2010The Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption disrupted air travel across Europe
- 2021A significant COVID-19 outbreak occurred despite initial success in controlling the pandemic
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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