Iceland, The Land of fire and Ice

ICELAND OUR NEIGHBOR TO THE NORTH

Imagine an island about 100 times smaller than the United States in land mass and 1000 times smaller in population…but with 100 times more tourists than residents and 130 active volcanos…one of which stopped air traffic across Europe for 6 days when it erupted in 2010.
That’s Iceland.
A clean, cold, virtually crime-free island filled with natural beauty (think the Colorado Rockies above the tree line), geysers, waterfalls, and black sand beaches. The coastline and sky could be dramatic and the cities were clean and calm, with no evidence of homeless or “street” people. The people I met were friendly – including the police officers that pulled my colleague over for speeding – which is not surprising in a small, homogeneous country.


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Iceland’s interior is uninhabitable, so the population of just over 300,000 lives primarily in towns and villages situated on the coast. Almost half the population lives in the capitol, Reykjavik and the surrounding southwestern areas. Towns are linked by a primary road that hugs the coast around the island’s perimeter. Settled by the Vikings in the 9th century, the people still speak the language of their ancestors, with some accommodation for modern vocabulary additions.
Thanks to natural hot water, most of the population enjoys access to cheap, pollution-free hot water and inexpensive hydropower. The availability of abundant geothermal energy allows huge greenhouses to produce everything from bananas to strawberries in Iceland’ extreme climate, with enough surplus that some items are exported. I had the pleasure of enjoying a tomato-based meal (it was delicious, despite the sound of it!) in a warm, lovely restaurant-greenhouse surrounded by the largest, tallest tomato plants I’ve ever seen.
With no large native predators, sheep, horses, and cows tend to roam freely once you leave the larger towns and cities. The Icelandic horse is a small, long-lived and hardy breed. I was lucky enough to spend some time in a stable with these beauties. Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return. The breed is still used for traditional sheepherding work as well as for leisure, showing, and racing. In fact, people visit Icelandic farms in order to participate in sheep round- ups.

Iceland’s economy combines a capitalist structure and free-market principles with an extensive welfare system. Fishing is the main industry, although wool products and, more recently, tourism are also contributor. Iceland was reportedly “discovered” as a tourist destination after qualifying for the World Cup in 2018.  Everywhere I went, the tourists outnumbered the native Icelanders. Tour buses and cruise ships pumped lines of Asian, European, Indian, and American tourists -bundled against the fierce Icelandic winds – into the key natural attractions. They often scurried into a setting for a quick picture and dashed back to their vehicles for the next stop.
Historically, immigration has not been an issue in Iceland. Immigration policies were formerly focused on assimilation – the concept that immigrants and other ethnic minorities leave their original culture and language behind and adopt those of their new country. As more people became interested in immigrating to Iceland, the Icelandic government launched a special immigration policy whose goal was to protect immigrants’ rights, while teaching them about their rights and obligations as members of Icelandic society. The policy’s objective was to give immigrants the opportunity to be independent and active members of Icelandic society, and to be on equal footing with native Icelanders.
The northern lights are supposed to be spectacular in September (unfortunately, it was too overcast to see them), and the weather is still friendly enough to allow for outdoor adventures…but bring water and wind-proof clothes…you’ll need them!


By Wendy Gloffke , guest travel writer.