Alþingi (English: Althing) is the national parliament: literally, the "all-thing" (or General Assembly) of Iceland. It was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, (the "assembly fields"), situated some 45 km east of what would later become the country's capital, Reykjavík, and this event marked the beginning of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Even after Iceland's union with Norway, the Alþing still held its sessions at Þingvellir until 1799, when it was discontinued for some decades. It was restored in 1844 and moved to Reykjavík, where it has resided ever since. The present parliament building, the Alþingishús, was built in 1881, of hewn Icelandic stone. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The debating chamber or hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels. ... A ting, also thing or þing, was the governing assembly in Germanic societies, made up of the free men of the community. ... Events With the establishment of the Icelandic Althing, now the worlds oldest parliament, the Icelandic Commonwealth is founded. ... Þingvellir in autumn Þingvellir ( Icelandic Þing: parliament, vellir: plains) is a place in the southwest of Iceland near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. ... In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... See also: Reykjavík, Manitoba in Canada Reykjavík is the capital of Iceland, its largest city and the northernmost capital city of a nation. ... The Icelandic Commonwealth refers to the state existing in Iceland between 930 (the establishment of the Althing) and 1262 (the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king). ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Alþingishúsið (The Parliament House) is a classical 19th century structure which stands in the center of Reykjavík, Iceland. ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

The constitution of Iceland provides for six electoral constituencies with the possibility of an increase to seven. The constituency boundaries are fixed by legislation. Each constituency elects nine members. In addition, each party is allocated seats based on its proportion of the overall national vote in order that the number of members in parliament for each political party should be more or less proportional to its overall electoral support. A party must have won at least five percent of the national vote in order to be eligible for these proportionally distributed seats. Political participation in Iceland is very high: usually over 85% of the electorate casts a ballot.

Unbeknownst to the ancient participants of Alþingi, Þingvellir is located between the rims of the North American and the European continental plates — perhaps a fitting symbol of Iceland's position today with its strong ties to both the Old and the New World. World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... The Continental Crust is the layer of granitic and sedimentary rock which forms the continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves. ... The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus: Europe, Asia, and Africa. ... The New World is one of the names used for the continents of North and South America and adjacent islands collectively, in use since the 16th century. ...

External links

• Alþingi (http://www.althingi.is/vefur/upplens.html) - Official site
• General information on Althingi on the Working and History pages (http://www.althingi.is/ekysag/)
• Alþingi picture gallery from www.islandsmyndir.is (http://www.islandsmyndir.is/html_skjol/sudvesturland/reykjavik/althingishusid/althingishusid_yfirlit1.htm)