Physical Regions-
This picture is of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and they are slowly separating at a rate of about three millimeters a year. This creates a spot for earthquakes and volcanoes.
Apa Citation:
Volcanoes case study. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/A-level/AQA/Year 13/Plate Tectonics/Volcanoes/MEDC case study.htm
This picture is of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and they are slowly separating at a rate of about three millimeters a year. This creates a spot for earthquakes and volcanoes.
Apa Citation:
Volcanoes case study. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/A-level/AQA/Year 13/Plate Tectonics/Volcanoes/MEDC case study.htm
Physical Regions-
This map shows the climate of Iceland. The climate of Iceland is marine subtropic meaning that its location puts it between the Tropical Origin winds and the Polar winds, two wind currents. Because the island is also stuck between two ocean currents, the Gulf stream and the East Greenland Current. Because of these two factors Iceland has relatively the same climate year around.
APA Citation:
Climate Of Iceland. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://icelandic-habitat.e-monsite.com/pages/climate-of-iceland.html#
This map shows the climate of Iceland. The climate of Iceland is marine subtropic meaning that its location puts it between the Tropical Origin winds and the Polar winds, two wind currents. Because the island is also stuck between two ocean currents, the Gulf stream and the East Greenland Current. Because of these two factors Iceland has relatively the same climate year around.
APA Citation:
Climate Of Iceland. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://icelandic-habitat.e-monsite.com/pages/climate-of-iceland.html#
Cultural Region-
This map shows how the people of Iceland utilize the land around them to fund their economy. Note how majority of everything lies around the coast line. One of their biggest economic factors is fishing because they are an island. The next biggest thing is is grazing and and agriculture. Almost all of what is considered the waste land has little to no human activity.
APA Citation:
Download Free Iceland Maps. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.mapcruzin.com/free-iceland-maps.htm
This map shows how the people of Iceland utilize the land around them to fund their economy. Note how majority of everything lies around the coast line. One of their biggest economic factors is fishing because they are an island. The next biggest thing is is grazing and and agriculture. Almost all of what is considered the waste land has little to no human activity.
APA Citation:
Download Free Iceland Maps. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.mapcruzin.com/free-iceland-maps.htm
Physical Characteristics
This picture shows the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland. As beautiful as the landscape looks it brings along lots of issues for Iceland such as changing of the geography of Iceland. Though the Mid-Atlantic ridge is the cause of the creation of Iceland in the first place. Scientists measurements have suggested that the floor of the valley shown above has widened 230 feet (70 m) and sunk by 131 feet (40 m) in the span of 10,000 years. Not only is the mid-ocean ridge changing the geography of Iceland, it’s also responsible for the volcanic activity which created the island
APA Citation: EPOD - a service of USRA. (2010, August 17). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2010/08/mid-atlantic-ridge-in-iceland.html Iceland has three major glaciers on it. These glaciers affect where people are able to live because their terrain is not accepting of human life. While many people are able to hike and explore these glaciers there is no one living on them. This glacier above is the Vatnajökull Glacier. The glacier offers campsites, huts, visitor cenetrs and hiking trails for hikers and visitors. The glacier also partially covers the Öræfajökull volcano which includes Hvannadalshnjúkur (Iceland’s highest peak).
APA Citation: Vacation Getaway Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://v.gg/iceland-sightseeing-glaciers-259/ |
This picture shows snow in Iceland. Because of the location of Iceland the island has snow fall about 100 days per year in the northwest and about 40 days in the southeast. The shifts of temperatures and seasons are typically the result of different weather fronts crossing from the Northeast and South of Iceland. As a result of this temperatures and climates do not vary much throughout the continent.
APA Citation: Wallcoo.net. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.wallcoo.net/human/hdr_iceland_landscape/html/wallpaper12.html This map shows the soil erosion in Iceland. Note that the red areas where there happens to be the most soil erosion, there also happens to be very little human activity except for the red along the coasts. Most of the severe erosion is associated with the deserts in Iceland and particularly the sandy deserts. These deserts are mostly associated and around the active volcanic belt that runs from Southwest to Northeast Iceland as well as around the glacier margins.
APA Citation: Soil Erosion in Iceland - Results. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.rala.is/desert/4-1.html |
The majority of Iceland's physical features are determined by the fact that it is completely surrounded by water. Because it is surrounded by large bodies of water the climate is affected. Iceland has two ocean currents the Gulf Stream (from near the Equator) and the East Greenland Current. The East Greenland Current can sometimes carry Arctic drift ice to Iceland’s northern and eastern shores. This can make the temperatures drop here.
APA Citation: Cartographic services, professional map drawing service. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015. |
Human Characteristics
This picture shows the population distribution of Iceland. Note that the population is centered around the coast. That is because the terrain in the middle of the island is not suitable to human living.
APA Citation: Iceland Density Map. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.lahistoriaconmapas.com/atlas/map-density/Iceland-density-map.htm This is the Geothermal Power Plant in Reykjavik. The Hellisheidi power plant in Iceland is currently the world’s largest combined heating and power geothermal plant. It utilizes the hot springs in the surrounding area in order to create geothermal energy.
APA Citation: Reykjavík Geothermal. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.reykjavikgeothermal.com/en/home |
Compared to bigger continents Iceland has very few airports. With only four international airports and 10 domestic airpots it has almost no airports compared to areas like China and the US. Two of the biggest international airports reside by the capital.
APA Citation: Airports in Iceland. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/international-airports/europe/iceland.html The blue Lagoon is a lagoon created for tourist purposes. The geothermal water originates 2,000 meters below the surface, where freshwater and seawater combine at extreme temperatures. The water is then harvested to make lagoons for spa purposes. The geothermal water has a unique composition that contains three active ingredients being silica, algae and minerals. It is said that there are many health benefits to the water.
APA Citations: Blue Lagoon & Golden Circle Tour | Guide to Iceland. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from https://guidetoiceland.is/book-holiday-trips/the-blue-lagoon--golden-circle-tour |
Iceland has a few large cities. The city above is Reykjavik the capitol of Iceland. This is also the place where the first known permanent settler, Ingólfur Arnarson and his family. Majority of the big cities are along the coast which is no different for this one. The name of this city translates to steam bay after the steam from hot springs close to the area.
APA Citations: New Page 1. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.rontravel.com/travel_photo_pages/pictures_iceland_happy_cannibal.htm |
Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity
Iceland has carried on many traditions up to today. Many of the Nordic beliefs are still preserved in the countryside of Iceland. Much of Iceland’s culture and landscapes have been shaped by its harsh environment. Icelandic language is the official language of the country. The language is a subgroup of North Germanic languages and has his of Norwegian, Faroese, and hits of the Celtic language. Because Iceland is fairly isolated the language does not have much influence from other languages which has allowed it to be preserved and carry on with tradition (Culture).
Many in the countryside of Iceland still carry on much of the traditional Pagan and Nordic beliefs. The Norse mythology believes in many Gods and believes there are two types of Gods. The first type of God being Aesir who are the gods believed to be the source of war, power and death. The second type of God believed in is the Vanir who are believed to be responsible for the fertility. Along with these Gods it is believed by some that dwarfs, elves, fairies, and giants still exist because of the way some of the landscaping that still stands in Iceland. Iceland offers tours around Iceland to find the elves around towns like Hafnarfjörður which is a city outside Reykajavik and has a popular hollow lava rock landscape where it is believed by local farmers that elves still roam. At one point Icelandic authorities had to divert projects from this area due to the superstition of the elves putting spells on the equipment which is why no roads or buildings cut through many of the biomes with the suspicion of the magical creatures. While there was no set animal or plant connected to any of the traditional Icelandic beliefs, many of the practices involved sacrificing animals for different ceremonies or if something was needed how ever is did not affect the biodiversity because they were mostly domesticated animals like sheep, goats, and cows. Today there is still a following of paganism and some of the ritual and temple sites can still be seen standing among some of the landscapes in Iceland (Elves).
While much of these cultural beliefs have Because the climate of Iceland is cold and it is considered tundra, only certain species or plans, animals, and other organisms can live there. When the country was first settled the only native land mammal was the Arctic Fox however when Iceland was settled more domesticated animals were brought in. Currently the domesticated animal groups residing in Iceland are the Icelandic dog, arctic fox, Icelandic sheep, Icelandic horse, cattle, chicken and goats. The wild animals are the mink, the arctic fox, mice, rabbits, reindeer, and occasionally polar bears from greenland that traveled on icebergs. Because Iceland is surrounded by the ocean it has a vas amount of marine life as well. The main marine life include seals, whales, dolphins and over three hundred species of fish (Wildlife). About 470 types of vegetation reside in Iceland and about half are though to be survivors of the ice age. Some of them include lots of mosses and grasses that are able to live in Iceland however there are some very large birch trees. When the country was first settled it contained lots of forestry however the new human activity as well as other instances in nature disturbed the delicate ecosystem (Vegetation).
Overall the isolation of this country has allowed it to preserve much of its traditions and biomes (Icelandic). Iceland also does a good job of preserving its fisheries because the economy is so dependent on the exports of seafood. The government has made a quota for the fisheries based on what environmental scientists deemed ok. Iceland is also an advocate for pollution in the oceans and has one of the cleanest oceans in the world. While the biodiversity here stays fairly preserved, there is one environmental issue concerning the biodiversity in Iceland: wind erosion. In order to combat this Iceland had started vegetating these areas and hope to amount to close to two percent of the land. They are also fencing some lands to keep the sheep out (Environment). Because of Iceland biodiversity, climate, environment, and isolation much of its cultural diversity and tradition has been able to be preserved by many of the Icelandic natives.
Many in the countryside of Iceland still carry on much of the traditional Pagan and Nordic beliefs. The Norse mythology believes in many Gods and believes there are two types of Gods. The first type of God being Aesir who are the gods believed to be the source of war, power and death. The second type of God believed in is the Vanir who are believed to be responsible for the fertility. Along with these Gods it is believed by some that dwarfs, elves, fairies, and giants still exist because of the way some of the landscaping that still stands in Iceland. Iceland offers tours around Iceland to find the elves around towns like Hafnarfjörður which is a city outside Reykajavik and has a popular hollow lava rock landscape where it is believed by local farmers that elves still roam. At one point Icelandic authorities had to divert projects from this area due to the superstition of the elves putting spells on the equipment which is why no roads or buildings cut through many of the biomes with the suspicion of the magical creatures. While there was no set animal or plant connected to any of the traditional Icelandic beliefs, many of the practices involved sacrificing animals for different ceremonies or if something was needed how ever is did not affect the biodiversity because they were mostly domesticated animals like sheep, goats, and cows. Today there is still a following of paganism and some of the ritual and temple sites can still be seen standing among some of the landscapes in Iceland (Elves).
While much of these cultural beliefs have Because the climate of Iceland is cold and it is considered tundra, only certain species or plans, animals, and other organisms can live there. When the country was first settled the only native land mammal was the Arctic Fox however when Iceland was settled more domesticated animals were brought in. Currently the domesticated animal groups residing in Iceland are the Icelandic dog, arctic fox, Icelandic sheep, Icelandic horse, cattle, chicken and goats. The wild animals are the mink, the arctic fox, mice, rabbits, reindeer, and occasionally polar bears from greenland that traveled on icebergs. Because Iceland is surrounded by the ocean it has a vas amount of marine life as well. The main marine life include seals, whales, dolphins and over three hundred species of fish (Wildlife). About 470 types of vegetation reside in Iceland and about half are though to be survivors of the ice age. Some of them include lots of mosses and grasses that are able to live in Iceland however there are some very large birch trees. When the country was first settled it contained lots of forestry however the new human activity as well as other instances in nature disturbed the delicate ecosystem (Vegetation).
Overall the isolation of this country has allowed it to preserve much of its traditions and biomes (Icelandic). Iceland also does a good job of preserving its fisheries because the economy is so dependent on the exports of seafood. The government has made a quota for the fisheries based on what environmental scientists deemed ok. Iceland is also an advocate for pollution in the oceans and has one of the cleanest oceans in the world. While the biodiversity here stays fairly preserved, there is one environmental issue concerning the biodiversity in Iceland: wind erosion. In order to combat this Iceland had started vegetating these areas and hope to amount to close to two percent of the land. They are also fencing some lands to keep the sheep out (Environment). Because of Iceland biodiversity, climate, environment, and isolation much of its cultural diversity and tradition has been able to be preserved by many of the Icelandic natives.
This image shows the rugged terrain of Iceland and shows how only certain specials of plants, animals, and organisms could survive there. You can also see how even the biodiversity still revolves around the coastal regions.
APA Citation: Ash as far as Husavik! (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.rusring.net/island/ash-as-far-as-husavik/ |
This image shows one of the indigenous species to Iceland. When the first settlers arrived these were the only mammals to be found. They are through to have come over a large glacier during the ice age.
APA Citation: JHP Blog - August 9, 2013 - Arctic Fox Kits on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.jameshagerphoto.com/blog/?date=2013-08-09 |
This map shows the protected areas in Iceland. The green represents the protected nature reserves. Iceland has some of the biggest protected nature reserves in the country.
APA Citation: Nature protection and biodiversity - State and impacts (Iceland). (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/countries/is/nature-protection-and-biodiversity-state |
APA Citations:
Culture and Society. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.visiticeland.com/discovericeland/about-iceland/people-and-language
Elves, Vikings and Norse Gods in Iceland | Guide to Iceland. (2013, January 24). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/elves-vikings-and-norse-gods-in-iceland
Environment. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.iceland.is/the-big-picture/nature-environment/environment
Icelandic culture. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.visiticeland.com/discoverIceland/themes/cultural-iceland
Vegitation & Wildlife. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.iceland.is/the-big-picture/nature-environment/vegitation-wildlife
Wildlife and Animals in Iceland | Guide to Iceland. (2013, February 19). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from https://guidetoiceland.is/nature-info/wildlife-and-animals-in-iceland