Iceland
Europe ยท Capital: Reykjavik
How it is run: Iceland is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Iceland is home to 392,404 people in Northern Europe, where people speak Icelandic.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
392,404 people
That is about 48 people out of every million on Earth (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
103,000 kmยฒ
Roughly the size of Italy or the state of Arizona.
๐๏ธ How crowded
Only about 3.8 people per square kilometre โ lots of wide open space between towns.
๐ Size in its region
41st most people in Europe
16th largest by land in Europe.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
Icelandic
๐ฐ Money
Icelandic krรณna (kr)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
82.8 years on average
One of the healthier countries โ good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$98,323
A high-income country: most families can afford cars, travel and new technology.
๐ข Living in cities
94.2% of people
Mostly a city country โ think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
๐ Kids under 15
17.5% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+354
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.is
๐ง People here are called
Icelander
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
รsland
Also written: Island, Republic of Iceland, Lรฝรฐveldiรฐ รsland.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Western European and Others Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
Iceland has no land borders at all. It is surrounded by water, so boats and planes are the way in and out.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Islandia
French
Islande
Arabic
ุขูุณููุฏุง
Chinese
ๅฐๅฒ
Japanese
ใขใคในใฉใณใ
Russian
ะัะปะฐะฝะดะธั
Portuguese
Islรขndia
German
Island
Put it in perspective ๐
- Russia โ the most populated country in Europe โ has about 365.7ร as many people as Iceland.
- Iceland covers roughly 981 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Iceland lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 196 km.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: Iceland is close to the line of 0ยฐ longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Iceland
๐๏ธ Capital
Reykjavik
๐ Region
Europe ยท Northern Europe
๐ค Country code
IS
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about Iceland ๐
Gullfoss waterfall
Glacier meltwater crashes down two steps into a canyon. In the 1900s a farmer's daughter campaigned to stop it becoming a power plant.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
65.0ยฐ N, 18.0ยฐ W
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Western hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC-1 โ when it is noon in London it is about 11:00 in Reykjavik.
- ๐ฎ๐ธ is the flag of Iceland. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is IS.
- Iceland is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly โ the same as every other member, big or small.
- Iceland is close to the line of 0ยฐ longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
- Iceland reaches far toward the pole, so its summer days are extremely long and winter days very short.
- Iceland sits in Northern Europe, in the northern and western half of the globe.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- Iceland has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Iceland can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Iceland spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Iceland?
Reykjavik
Which money do people spend in Iceland?
Icelandic krรณna (kr)
How many countries share a land border with Iceland?
None โ no land neighbours at all.
Roughly how many people live in Iceland?
392,404 people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.