Iceland is a beautiful country full of scenic views, natural phenomenon’s and a vibrant atmosphere, which makes it the perfect getaway. There’s a lot to know about this country and if you want to learn about Iceland before your holiday (or want some reasons as to why you should visit), here are seven fun facts about Iceland which will make your trip even better.

Fun Facts About Iceland

Tectonic Plates

Being one of the two places on earth you can see two of the planets tectonic plates meeting above the surface. They are located in Þingvellir and are currently moving apart from each other at a rate of around 2cm per year. The only other place you can see this on Earth is in Africa. The geological significance of this fun fact about Iceland means that you can see the North American and Eurasian plates which are just up above the ground.

 

Volcanoes

One of the best fun facts about Iceland is it's volcanically very active. There are over 125 volcanic mountains of which a handful are also very active. In the past, this has led to an eruption once every four years, however, in recent years, Iceland has been experiencing one or more erupting a year. Because Iceland has so many volcanoes, a large portion of the country is covered in lava fields which is a sight unlike most other around the world.

 

Glaciers

Where Iceland isn’t covered in magma and earthquakes, the rest is covered in glaciers, which are simply amazing to see and experience. The glaciers make the terrain one of the most unique all around the world, and it’s rare to find a country where the geography changes so drastically.

 

Forests

To put it bluntly, there are none! A fun fact about Iceland is that it has no forests, which makes sense when you learn that volcanoes and glaciers form the majority of the country. Interestingly, this isn’t the reason why there are no forests in Iceland, when Vikings arrived here, they basically deforested the country by cutting down almost every tree. As trees can grow here in some areas, reforestation is currently being attempted.

 

Eco-Friendly

This isn’t just a fun fact about Iceland, it also inspires environmental change that more countries need to utilise. More than 80% of Iceland is powered by hydro and geothermal energy, which even includes hydrogen buses to travel with. Very few fossil fuels are required in Iceland, and the majority of homes are heated using geothermal water that is pumped underground beneath the cities and towns.

 

The Existence of Elves and Trolls

Over 50% of present-day Icelandic people believe in the existence of elves and trolls, which can lead you to a story of two about the mystical beings if you’re chatting to a local. The Icelandic people go so far as to postpone construction projects if they believe that something is going to be built where elves a known to be currently living. You may also find large fallen rocks are considered to be frozen trolls.

 

Food

If you’re a foody and like to travel to taste than this fun fact about Iceland will get you excited. Iceland is full of unusual traditional foods which include whale, puffin, dried fish, sheep’s head and finally pickled rams testicles. You won't need to research where to find these foods either, they are all very common in Iceland, so bioapatite!