Iceland Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Iceland?

Overview

Iceland, the second largest island in Europe (39,706 square miles. Three-quarters of the country is a wilderness of deserts, lava fields, glaciers, and extinct volcanoes. This lunar landscape serve as a training ground for American astronauts preparing for the first moon landings. A distinct beauty is found here in the treeless landscape. The combination of crystal clear air and brilliant sunshine creates vistas that can only be described as breathtaking. This is big sky country, where rivers and waterfalls are abundant. In summer the inhabited coastal area is verdant, its pastures filled with sheep, horses, and cows. In the dark of winter, parts of the same area are windswept, sometimes snow-covered, forbidding, and often inaccessible.

Geography - note

Strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe

Iceland Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location	Europe
Total Area	39,768 Square Miles 103,000 Square Kilometers
Land Area	38,707 Square Miles 100,250 Square Kilometers
Water Area	1,062 Square Miles 2,750 Square Kilometers
Coastline	3,088 Miles 4,970 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates	65 00 N, 18 00 W
Terrain	Mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
Highest Point	2,119 Meters
Highest Point Location	Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m (at Vatnajokull glacier)
Lowest Point Location	Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Natural Resources	Fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite
Time Zone	UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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