Iceland

Iceland is a country of vivid contrasts in terms of climate, geography, and culture. Rugged and beautiful mountain ranges are covered with sparkling glaciers, such as Vatnajökull, Europe's largest. An abundance of hot geysers provides the heat for many of the country's homes and buildings, and allow for year-round hothouse agriculture. The off-shore Gulf Stream ensures a remarkably mild climate for a country that is one of the most northerly inhabited places on the planet. Iceland was founded and settled by a mixed Norse and Celtic population more than 1,000 years ago during the Viking Age of Expeditions. The first settlement, composed mainly of Norwegian sailors and adventurers, encouraged additional expeditions to Greenland and the North American coast, which the Vikings called Vinland. Although physically isolated from Europe, Iceland has remained very much part of European civilization throughout its history. The Icelandic sagas are considered one of the finest literary achievements of the Middle Ages. Most of them recount heroic stories from the time when the island was settled. The country lies on the line between the vegetation zones of the tundra, with its treeless plains, and the taiga, with its coniferous forests. Continuous vegetation covers only about one-quarter of the country. The fox was the only land mammal on the island when it was settled, and Iceland has a diverse bird population. People brought pets and livestock and inadvertently brought in rats and mice. Reindeer were introduced later, and many are still found in the northeast highlands.