Most Icelanders are descendants of Norwegian settlers and Celts from Ireland, brought over as slaves during the age of settlement. Recent DNA analysis suggests that 80 percent of the male settler-era population was of Norse ancestry, whereas the female population was 60 percent Irish.^[1] The Icelandic population today is remarkably homogeneous. According to Icelandic government statistics, 99% of the nation's inhabitants live in urban areas (localities with populations greater than 200) and 60% live in Reykjavík and the surrounding area. Of the Nordic languages, the Icelandic language is closest to the Old Norse language and has remained relatively unchanged since the 12th century. Because of its small size and relative homogeneity, Iceland holds all the characteristics of a very close-knit society. A Celtic cross. ... Location Location in Iceland Government Constituency Reykjavík North Reykjavík South Geographical characteristics Area  - City 274. ... The North Germanic languages (also Scandinavian languages or Nordic languages) is a branch of the Germanic languages spoken in Scandinavia, parts of Finland and on the Faroe Islands and Iceland. ... Icelandic (íslenska) is a North Germanic language spoken in Iceland. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...

About 84% of the population belong to the state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, or other Lutheran Churches. However, Iceland has complete religious liberty, and other Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations are present (about 3.5%), along with small communities of major world religions. The most notable new religious community in Iceland, and in 2003 the fastest-growing one, is the Ásatrúarfélagið, a legally recognized revival of the pre-Christian religion of Iceland. The National Church of Iceland, or Þjóðkirkjan, formally called the Evangelical Lutheran Church, is the state church in Iceland. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of conservative Christianity, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Protestantism is one of three primary branches of Christianity. ... In Christianity, the term Catholicism (from Greek: καθολικός (katholikos), meaning general or universal) has two main ecclesiastical meanings, described in Websters Dictionary as: The whole orthodox Christian church, or adherence thereto. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið Icelandic fellowship of Æsir faith (Ásatrú) is an Icelandic new religious movement with the purpose of reviving the pre-Christianization religion of Scandinavia. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the Gospels. ...

Most Icelandic surnames are based on patronymy, or the adoption of the father's first given name, followed by "son" or "daughter". For example, Magnús and Anna, children of a man named Pétur Jónsson, would have the full name Magnús Pétursson and Anna Pétursdóttir, respectively. Magnús's daughter Sigríður Ásta would be Sigríður Ásta Magnúsdóttir, and would remain so for the rest of her life regardless of marriage. An Icelandic patronymic is essentially only a designation of fatherhood, and is therefore redundant in Icelandic social life except to differentiate people of the same first name — the phone directory, for example, lists people by their given name first, patronymic second. Thus it has little in common with traditional surnames except for its position after the given name. It is legally possible in Iceland to rework the patronymic into a matronymic, replacing the father's name with the mother's. Use of the patronymic system is required by law, except for the descendants of those who had acquired family names before 1913 (about 10% of the population). One notable Icelander who has an inherited family name is football star Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen. A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the name of ones father. ... A matronymic is a personal name based on the name of ones mother. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen, known in the English-language media as Eidur Gudjohnsen (born 15 September 1978 in Reykjavík), is an Icelandic football player who is currently a striker for the English Premiership club Chelsea and the captain of the Iceland national team. ...

See also: Icelandic naming conventions Iceland shares a common cultural heritage with the Scandinavian states of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. ...

Icelandic National Registry

All living Icelanders, as well as all foreign citizens with permanent residence in Iceland, have a personal identification number (kennitala) identifying them in the National Registry. This number is composed of 10 digits, whereof the first six are made up of the individual's birth date in the format DDMMYY. The next two digits are chosen at random when the kennitala is allocated, the 9th digit is a check digit, and the last digit indicates the period of one hundred years in which the individual was born (for instance, '9' for the period 1900–1999). An example would be 120102-3389. While similar, all-inclusive personal registries exist in other countries, the use of the national registry is unusually extensive in Iceland. For example, some video rentals register their customers using the registry identification numbers. It is worth noting that the completeness of the National Registry eliminates any need for censuses to be performed.

Cultural Achievements

See also: Culture of Iceland Iceland has many famous authors, including Halldór Laxness, Tómas Guðmundsson, Davíð Stefánsson, Jón Thoroddsen, Guðmundur G. Hagalín, Þórbergur Þórðarson and Jóhannes úr Kötlum. ...

The Icelandic Sagas, almost all written between 1180–1300 AD, remain Iceland's best known literary accomplishment, and they have no surviving counterpart anywhere in the Nordic world. Based on Norwegian and Icelandic histories and genealogies, the Sagas present views of Nordic life and times up to 1100 AD The Saga writers sought to record their heroes' great achievements and to glorify the virtues of courage, pride, and honour, focusing in the later Sagas on early Icelandic settlers. The Norse sagas or Viking sagas (Icelandic: Íslendingasögur), are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, about migration to Iceland, and of feuds between Icelandic families. ... Events April 13 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter November 18 - France Emperor Antoku succeds Emperor Takakura as emperor of Japan Afonso I of Portugal is taken prisoner by Ferdinand II of Leon Artois is annexed by France Prince Mochihito amasses a large army and instigates the Genpei War between... Events February 22 - Jubilee of Pope Boniface VIII. March 10 - Wardrobe accounts of King Edward I of Englanddo (aka Edward Longshanks) include a reference to a game called creag being played at the town of Newenden in Kent. ... Overview map of the region. ... Events William II of England dies in a hunting accident - Henry I becomes King of England King Henry I proclaims the Charter of Liberties, one of the first examples of a constitution. ...

Unlike its literature, Iceland's fine arts did not flourish until the 19th century because the population was small and scattered. Iceland's most famous painters are Ásgrímur Jónsson, Jón Stefánsson, and Jóhannes Kjarval, all of whom worked during the first half of the 20th century, and Erró (Guðmundur Guðmundsson). The best-known modern sculptor, Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982), drew his inspiration from Icelandic folklore and the Sagas for many of his works. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ásgrímur Jónsson (1876 – 1958) was an Icelandic painter. ... The Icelandic painter Jóhannes S. (Sveinsson) Kjarval was born in 1885 and died in 1972, He is one of the most famous artists of Iceland The works of this painter are very different in style. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Erró (born Guðmundur Guðmundsson in 1932 in Ólafsvík, Iceland) is a postmodern artist. ... The Icelandic sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893 - 1982) had studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sweden. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... National motto: None Official language Icelandic Capital and largest city Reykjavík President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 107th 103,000 km² 2. ...

The best known Icelandic writer of the 20th century is the Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness. The literacy rate is 100%, and literature and poetry are a passion with the population. Per capita publication of books and magazines is the highest in the world. In 2000, a population of around 280,000 enjoyed three daily newspapers and 101 other newspapers and periodicals. Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ... Halldór Laxness Halldór Kiljan Laxness (born Halldór Guðjónsson) (April 23, 1902 – February 8, 1998) was a 20th century Icelandic author of such novels as Independent People, The Atom Station, Paradise Reclaimed, Icelands Bell, The Fish Can Sing and World Light. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

The bass Kristinn Sigmundsson and the tenor Kristján Jóhannsson are Iceland's most famous opera singers, whilst pop singer Björk is probably the country's best known artist in this century. Other notable Icelandic acts include múm, hard rock band Minus, Hardcore punk band Fighting Shit, and internationally renowned post-rock band Sigur Rós. A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... Bass-baritone Kristinn Sigmundsson is one of Icelands foremost opera singers and one of only a handful to have gained an international reputation. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... Björk Guðmundsdóttir (IPA: ) (born November 21, 1965 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Icelandic singer/songwriter and composer (formerly the lead singer of alternative rock band The Sugarcubes), with a great expressive range and an interest in many kinds of music including pop, trip hop, alternative rock... múm (pronounced moom; in IPA, /mu:m/) is an experimental Icelandic musical group whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional instruments. ... Hardcore punk—also known as hardcore in the punk rock and heavy metal scenes—is a faster, heavier version of punk rock, characterized by short, loud, and often passionate songs. ... Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical and minimalist elements. ...

Statistics

Population: 293,966 (July 2004 estimate), of whom 179,781 (61%) live in the Reykjavík metropolitan area.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.5% (male 33,522; female 32,489)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 98,091; female 95,450)
65 years and over: 11.7% (male 15,552; female 18,862) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.8 years
male: 33.3 years
female: 34.3 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.97% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 13.83 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 6.57 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 males: 1 female
under 15 years: 1.03 males: 1 female
15–64 years: 1.03 males: 1 female
65 years and over: 0.83 males: 1 female
total population: 1 male: 1 female (2004 estimate)

Infant mortality rate: 3.31 deaths: 1,000 live births (2004 estimate)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.18 years
male: 78.18 years
female: 82.27 years (2004 estimate)

Total fertility rate: 1.93 children born: 1 woman (2004 estimate)

Nationality:
noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic

Ethnic groups: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norwegians and Celts

Religions: As of 2002: Lutheran 87.1%, Protestant 4.1%, Roman Catholic 1.7% and other 7.1% (Asatru is officially recognized with some 0.3% as of 2005) For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... satr , also known as Odinism, describes a number of attempts to reconstruct the indigenous religions of Northern Europe. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Languages: Icelandic

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.9% (1997 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

References

1. ^ mtDNA and the Islands of the North Atlantic: Estimating the Proportions of Norse and Gaelic Ancestry, Agnar Helgason, Eileen Hickey, Sara Goodacre, Vidar Bosnes, Ka´ri Stefa´nsson, Ryk Ward, and Bryan Sykes, Am. J. Hum. Genet. 68:723–737, 2001, http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v68n3/002146/002146.web.pdf and mtDNA and the Origin of the Icelanders: Deciphering Signals of Recent Population History, Agnar Helgason, Sigrún Sigurðardóttir, Jeffrey R. Gulcher, Ryk Ward, and Kári Stefánsson, Am. J. Hum. Genet., 66:999-1016, 2000, http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v66n3/991226/991226.html

See also

• Iceland

External links

• Statice the national statistical institute of Iceland