Iceland Travel Blog

Get to know more about Iceland from our Nordical experts

Welcome to the Nordical Iceland Blog!

Here is where you will find all kinds of interesting things about Iceland

On our Travel Blog you will find interesting articles about Iceland. Some things you might already know, some things you didn’t know, and some you wished you had known! Iceland is a fascinating place where A LOT of stuff happens, so this Iceland Travel Blog is here to tell you all about it.

We will tell you lots of fascinating tidbits about Iceland’s incredible geology, from the grumbling, deep slumber or violently beautiful nature of our volcanoes. From shifting continental plates, to boiling water exploding from the earth. Talking of water, Iceland has lots and lots and lots of it. Waterfalls beyond count, raging ocean swells that shape the coastline and some of the biggest glaciers in Europe. In fact, 11% of Iceland’s landmass is ice!

Iceland also has a fascinating history. This lonely island was discovered by Norse explorers who settled here in search of better lives, giving Iceland a rich history and culture. Many tales have been written about the Viking age. Tales of love and murder, gods and monsters, war and passion, ghosts and trolls and everything in between.

This Iceland Travel Blog will also give you lots of practical information about when to come, what to do, what to see, what to eat, etc. We got you covered. In fact, why don’t we kick things off with some fun facts about Iceland:

Iceland is on two continents. Iceland is situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is the separation point between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Iceland is one of the youngest land masses in the world. The island was formed around 20 million years ago because of undersea volcanic eruptions. So, in geological terms, Iceland has really only just been born!

Iceland has the oldest surviving parliament in the world called the Alþingi. This began in Þingvellir National Park, or “Parliament Plains” and it was founded in 930. Nearly 1100 years later, they still can’t agree on anything.
11% of the country is ice, as Iceland has Europe’s two largest glaciers. Vatnajökull and Langjökull. However, because of global warming, this figure is decreasing.
Our national sport, despite our impressive football team, is actually handball.
Icelanders do not have traditional surnames, like most other nations. Everyone’s second name is normally the first name of their father and then ‘son’ or ‘dóttir’, but sometimes it can be their mother’s name.
Icelandic is the closest living language to Norse. This is thanks to Iceland’s isolated position on the map, which preserved the language.
Icelandic has no darkness in the summer. During the months of June to August, the sun never sets. Which is great for Vitamin D, but not for insomnia. However, in the deepest of winter, we only get around 3.5 hours of daylight, because we can’t have everything, you know?
Iceland is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights, and many people come here during the winter with hopes of catching them.

We have a volcanic eruption approximately once every 4-5 years. Sometimes it doesn’t do so much damage, but sometimes it stops the world, like the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (How did you do? Here’s a little help. It is Ey-ya-fyat-la-yoo-koo-tl). The most devastating of Iceland’s eruptions of the last century was Laki, in 1784. This caused untold damage, wiped out crops and livestock and changed weather patterns across Europe and America. The agricultural and economical impact was so severe that it even led to the French Revolution five years later. Sorry about that, France!