EUROPE

Iceland

A volcanic island parked between two continental plates, where geysers, glaciers and lava fields share the neighbourhood. Iceland runs almost entirely on the heat and water beneath its own feet.

WHAT THE FLAG MEANS ◢

A blue field bearing a white-edged red Nordic cross. The flag law names the colours rather than interpreting them, and the names carry the reading: the field is heidhblar, sky blue, the outer cross mjallhvitur, snow white, and the inner cross eldraudhur, fire red. The same article sets the white arms at two ninths and the red at one ninth of the flag's width and the proportions at 18 to 25.

Iceland FACTS ◢

Capital	Reykjavík
Continent	Europe
Population	392,404 (2025)
Area	103,004 km²
Population density	4/km²
Currency	Icelandic króna (ISK)
Official language	Icelandic
Calling code	+354
Internet TLD	.is
Time zone	UTC±00:00
Drives on the	Right
ISO codes	IS / ISL

DID YOU KNOW? ◢

Nearly all of its heat and electricity come from geothermal and hydro power, tapping the volcanoes underneath.
It was long one of the very few countries on Earth with no mosquitoes at all, until the first were finally detected there in 2025.
The Althing, founded in 930 AD, is one of the world's oldest surviving parliaments.
The word 'geyser' comes from Geysir, a hot spring in the Icelandic countryside.
It sits astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart.