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Iceland

Ten Interesting Facts About Iceland

1. Many Icelanders do not have a family name. The children are given a first name, then the father’s name plus the Icelandic version of “son” to serve as the child’s second name if it is a boy or the Icelandic word for “daughter” if it’s a girl.

For example, if Jon named his son Thor, the child will acquire the name Thor Jonsson. If it is a daughter named Hafdis, she would be Hafdis Jonsdottir.

2. When in Iceland, you don’t have to address people using “mister” or “miss.” You can simply call them by their first names. This goes even with respected individuals, including the president.

3. The list on telephone directories in the country is done alphabetically – using the subscriber’s first name.

4. With so many rivers and a bountiful supply of water, the country has vast reserves of hydroelectric energy. This is why electricity is cheap in Iceland.

5. The country is confident that it is well secured; hence, it has no Coast Guard, army, air force, or navy.

6. The homes in urban areas of the country can survive the coldest seasons even without a furnace or a water heater. Hot water and steam from hot springs and natural geysers are coursed through pipes in the city to reach residential homes and buildings.

7. The country looks green when viewed from the sky, despite the fact that there are not a lot of trees in the land, due to its abundance of water sources.

8. There are many radio, TV and film personalities who come from Iceland. These include actresses Anita Briem and Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir; actress, model and singer Silvia Night; film directors such as Hrafn Gunnlaugsson and Friðrik Þór Friðriksson; and many other successful media personalities both on camera and off camera.

9. Bjork, who made her name in mainstream music as an eccentric pop singer, was born and raised in Iceland.

10. When it comes to dedication to work and productivity, Icelanders must rank highly on the list – the country has one of the longest work weeks in Europe.