Why should we all go to Iceland?

• • This country is full of magnificent landscapes, such as:

• The Golden Circle: Gullfoss Waterfall, the geothermal area of Geysir, Strokkkur Geyser (propelling water into the areas every 5 minutes), Thingvellir National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

• Lake Mynatn: a lot of geothermal activity, and many hot springs

• Explore the interior of the Thríhnjúkagígur volcano (dormant for over 4000 years) and descend to the magma chamber

• Dive between 2 continents: in water so translucent that visibility can reach up to 100m deep, in the Silfra Fissure, you will find yourself right in the middle of 2 tectonic plates (continents), the American Plate, and the Eurasian Plate

• Hiking on the largest glacier - Vatnajokull -, an incomparable experience, which will leave us amazed in front of Mère Nature.

• Hunting for Boreal Auroras!

• Visit the inside of a Natural Ice Cave, only accessible in winter, because in summer they collapse because of the heat, so they are unique caves, and vary in shape and size every year

• And so much more to discover: Dettifoss: the most powerful waterfall in Europe, Latrabjarg: Europe's largest cliff (14km long and 441m high)

 

• • Small country, Big families

With a population of only 338,350 residents (2017 data), Icelanders love to see foreigners arrive, especially if they decide to live on the island for life, because before marrying, a young couple must check the civil status, to find out how close they are to their future spouse. Iceland is a country where immigration is also almost non-existent, it is very likely to marry a person too close (genealogically) so the state forces young couples to do this step

This is why it is interesting to marry a "continental" :) 0% chance of incest

In addition, since April 2013, the Icelandic state has implemented an application "ÍslendigaApp', thanks to the application's "Bump" function, users have the possibility to test their kinship just by crossing their phone

At the origin of this there was since 2010, a huge family tree on the site "Íslendingabók", through this site, the residents of the island had the possibility to find their ancestors up to 1200 years ago.

Then came the application from this site, with an ironic Slogan: "Hit your phones before you hit in bed" according to Friðrik Skúlason, a site employee: "On average, if you take two people at random from the street, you will find that they are linked six or seven generations back."

• • Iceland is ranked 1st among the safest countries in the world (for the 2nd time in a row), and family spirit is important, this is why it is good to live there

• There is no army, the country has always been peaceful, being a member of NATO, the United States, Norway, Denmark (and other NATO member countries) provide Icelandic defence, so it is useless for them to have an army

• Their current President, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, is a professor of history

• This country emerged from a severe crisis on its own, in 2008 it was on the verge of bankruptcy, Iceland has opted for a drastic economic policy, and this has succeeded, without anyone's help, and since 2012 the country's economy has continued to grow, and unemployment to fall

• There are 130 volcanoes on the island, 30 of which are active, which calms the population, and forces them to respect their environment and nature

• They have the coolest police force in the world, with 600 police officers, only about a dozen own a firearm (historical fact, in 2013, for the first time in Iceland's history, police officers used their firearms to stop a madman with an army, killing him on the spot. Since then, no such events have occurred, crime is almost inexistent)

• It is a fairytale country: Many Icelanders believe strongly in the existence of elves and other folk creatures such as fairies, trolls and gnomes. Some, described as mediums, say they see them and communicate with them. If they are an invisible people, the places inhabited by the Huldufolk are preserved, even in the middle of the city, and sometimes the layout of the roads is studied to avoid such places so as not to destroy their living space. The Royal Elven Family is located in the centre of Hafnarfjöjour, a town on the outskirts of Reykjavik.

• Even babies can sleep outside quietly, with no crime, if you want to go for a coffee with friends, you can safely let your baby take a nap outside the building (while keeping an eye on him, they will be fine), so he can wake up in the fresh air rather than being disturbed by the chatter and smell of coffee

• Family reunions are important, it is a true tradition

• Children are at the heart of Iceland's priorities, with one of the highest birth rates in the European Union

• Local products, and the healthy environment contribute in life expectancy, ranked among the highest in the world

   

  • Other important considerations

• Iceland is one of the countries in the top 3 of the world's happiest population ranking.

• Iceland is the best tourist country, according to TripAdvisor, in 2018

• Iceland is the most beautiful country in the world, according to Hintigo, for 2018-2019

• Great films have been made there, such as: Batman Begins, Tomb Raider, Oblivion...

• They have the oldest parliament in the world 'Alþingi', it was founded in 930, this date marks the beginning of the Icelandic nation

• Icelandic is a really beautiful language. In 1955 the Icelandic author Halldor Laxness, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

• The Icelandic language is a bit like a "chant", originally it was made for poets, and it reminds them of their forefathers (rebel and fugitive leaders)
  
  
  

• • The Most Beautiful Women in the World

Iceland has won the International Miss Competition 4 times! Which means they have the most beautiful women per square meter

• Gudrun Bjarnadottir in 1963,

• Holmfridur Karlsdottir in 1985,

• Linda P. in 1988,

• Unnur Birna in 2005

• • • Names and surnames

In Iceland they always decline their identity by reference to their father or mother, and they are called by their first name and not by their surname (this is composed in the most frequent cases by the father's first name: ***-son, and more rarely, by the mother's first name, namely : ***-dóttir)
Example: Óskar Eiríksson's father is Eiríkur Haraldsson. Óskar's surname (i. e. Eiríksson) simply indicates that his father's first name is Eiríkur. Óskar's wife's name is Helga Bjarnadóttir because her father's name is Bjarni Ólafsson. Even after her marriage to Óskar, Helga did not change her name. Óskar and Helga have four children named Sigríður, Gyða Björk, Daði and Bjarni. The first three chose to refer to their father, Óskar, and the fourth to his mother, Helga. Near the front doorbell are the names of all family members:
Helga Bjarnadóttir
Óskar Eiríksson
Sigríður Óskarsdóttir
Gyða Björk Óskarsdóttir
Daði Óskarsson
Bjarni Helguson
This family of six people uses five different surnames

• • Icelandic law

This small island, located in the northern hemisphere of the globe, is the world's leading island in some areas, such as :

• Same-sex union: 1996

• Law to adoption and IVF for same-sex couples: 2006

• Same-sex marriages: 2010

• The possibility of changing their name and identity on their civil status, for Trans and Genderqueer people: 2012

But also, a much more serious and fundamentally current subject, since 1 January 2018, all companies (with more than 25 employees) and administrations are required to comply with a law passed in spring 2017, which obliges them to respect perfect pay equality between men and women, making this country the precursor of equal pay for men and women

(For the short stories, Icelanders have often been pioneers in the fight for equality, with 2 important facts:

• In 1975, 90% of them stopped all activity, both at work and at home, in order to defend their rights

• On October 24, 2016, many left their jobs at 2:38 p.m., considering that beyond that time they were working for nothing, compared to male wages.)

• • The strongest men

The strongest man in the world was also Icelandic, Jon Pall Sigmarsson, who won the world's strongest man's championship four times, in 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990.

But also Magnús Ver Magnússon, who has also won this championship 4 times, in : 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996

And the latest winner of the World Championship for the Strongest Man (2018) is also Icelandic: Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson

 

Here is a part (a tiny part) of all the reasons that should make you change your mind and move to Iceland

• • First Airdrop in the World

And for the little Crypto News, Iceland, in March 2014, decided to launch the very first Airdrop in the history of the Cryptocurrencie (this initiative appeared to them after having emerged from the violent crisis they had experienced a few years earlier)

Baldur Friggjiar Odisson, creator of the AuroraCoin, this digital currency is based on the same protocol as the BitCoin: a computer algorithm allows the currency to gradually increase and finally cap at 21 million Auroracoins. The particularity of this currency lies in its distribution. 

In fact, 50% of the AuroraCoins were paid directly into Icelanders' portfolios on March 25 of the same year, about 38.1 AuroraCoins per resident of the island

March 25, 2014 1 AuroraCoin was worth $12.36

Today, it is only worth $0.04 (a decrease of over 98%).

Thank you all for reading me, I hope you enjoyed this article, feel free to share with me your little anecdotes, or personal acquaintances that are not included in this article

Thanks to all of you

Take care of yourself

Credit Photos : Guide To Iceland​

Credit Information, My personnal acquaintances, Wikipedia, Guide To Iceland, Various sites for information on data and specific dates