10 Surprising Icelandic Facts

Iceland is a a country full of wonder and I am constantly discovering all the little quirks that make this small European country so unique. A few months ago I shared a list of 10 Icelandic Quirks, today I am adding to this list with 10 more facts, about this beautiful country I now call home.

1. Lava covers 11% of Iceland. This 11% is also one-third of all lava in the world.

Lava fields near the Blue Lagoon

2. Family names are not common in Iceland. Instead, children are named after their fathers first name with either a son or dottir added to the end based on the gender. For example, if a man named Ragnar had a child it would be named either Ragnarsson or Ragnardottir.

3. More Coca-Cola is drank in Iceland per capita than anywhere in the World.

4. The English word “geyser” comes from Iceland’s Great Geysir in Haukadalur.

Geysir on the Golden Circle

5. Movie theaters have 10 minute intermissions halfway through the movie. At first I use to not like this fact but now I miss having that break when I watch movies in America. It is the perfect time for a bathroom break, popcorn refill, or to just check your phone!

6. McDonalds, Burger King or Starbucks, you won’t find one of them in Iceland. While I would love a Starbucks I really like the fact that there is not the usual fast food burger joints all over town. They do of course have a few fast food restaurants but nothing like you see in most cities.

7. There are no mosquito’s (or very rare if you do see one) in Iceland. There is a lake in the north of Iceland, Lake Mývatn, that is known as “mosquito lake”. Just steer clear of that area and you can enjoy an evening outside mosquito free.

Enjoy the beautiful countryside sans mosquitos

8. One in Ten Icelanders will publish a book. In fact, Iceland has more writers, more books published and more books read, per person, than anywhere else in the world!

9. There are no paper seat covers in public restroom. At least I have yet to go to a public restroom that has paper seat covers. Until I am proven wrong I have decided there are no such thing as toilet seat covers in Iceland.

10. Iceland’s parliament was formed in 930 AD making it the oldest parliament in the world.

Þingvellir, the meeting place of Parliament in 930 AD

Iceland is one interesting place to live!

Question of the Day?
What fun facts or quirks is your country known for?

June 17, 2014 by Kiki

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http://www.tothedayslikethis.com/ Sammy @ Days Like This

Wow! That is surprising about the coca cola!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  I was really surprised!
http://www.elegance-revisited.com/ TiinaL

This goes to show how little I know about my fellow Nordics… no mosquitos?!? What’s their secret?
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Cold weather :)
Phoebe Thomas

My Iceland trip is now less than 3 weeks away and I CAN’T WAIT!!! These are cool facts, though are you sure there aren’t mosquitos in Myvatn? I certainly remember being eaten alive by some little bugs up there 30 years ago! I also remember the interval at the cinema!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  How exciting only a few more weeks! They are technically a type of biting black flies up in Myvatn but those little bugs are super annoying! I sure don’t miss the mosquitoes everywhere in the US!
http://www.elenastravelgram.com/ ElenasTravelgram

Okay and what happens when a man named Ragnarsson wants to name his son Rangar too? :)

Fun facts indeed. Iceland is still a bit of a mystery place for me!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Ragnarsson would only be a last name for a person but it is often you see someone named Ragnar Ragnarsson!
  - http://www.elenastravelgram.com/ ElenasTravelgram
    
    We’ve got a the same things sometimes in Ukraine. A man can be named Ivan and have a surname Ivanov. And he use patronymic names too. So in case Ivan’s Dad is Ivan too, it would be Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov :)
    
    One of my teachers in Uni was named so.
    - http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
      
      How interesting! Sounds really similar to hear and often you find a son named after his father as well.
http://www.travel-vanberry.blogspot.com/ Van @ On the Road again

I did know that about the names but not about the lava…..and then it’s weird how they can drink so much coca-cola but don’t even have a McDonalds…..and paper seat cover for toilets? Are they common in the US? I’ve never seen them anywhere….
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  They are everywhere in the US, I always saw them in Australia as well. Must be a European thing I just never noticed it until living in Iceland.
Marco K.

This is a wonderful article and brings it very nicely to the point :)
I would only add some things as I’m an expat in iceland, too, but coming from Europe.

Having breaks during the movies is something that started also in my home country (Germany) about 10 years ago. I think, this is nothing very icelandic, but european. I found it more interesting that movies in Iceland are subbed, but not dubbed. This makes it really fun to go to the cinema in a country that speaks icelandic. And I think I will find it difficult to watch the dubbed movies when I’m back in Germany :)

The same goes for paper seat covers. I’m from Germany and I was in Poland, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and China, and I’ve never seen something like a paper seat cover in the toilets. Maybe this is because I’m male, but I do know that ladies use to build their own covers from the tissues. However, this seems to be an incredibly useful innovation.

And oh, one late autumn day in Iceland last year, my partner found a tiny red spot on my chest. It was not really itching, but she found that it looked like bite from a mosquito, but much smaller. Later that day, she killed a tiny and half-starved mosquito in our apartment here in Reykjavík :)
Technically, there are biting mosquitos, and even wasps and ticks in Iceland. This comes with the changed climate that makes even Iceland becoming a warmer place. The other thing is, you should really visit lake Mývatn (“mosquito lake”) in northern Iceland. We plan it for our summer holidays. It must be incredibly beautiful, with a great hot pool for bathing and a manifold of birds, living from the many insects over there. I was told that there are really much mosquitos, but luckily, they all do not bite.

I am looking forward for your next blog entry :)
http://djseaward.tumblr.com/ Cynthia

I feel pretty knowledgeable about Iceland, having gone there and researched a ton, but I had no idea about fact number one- totally blew my mind. The lava is truly what makes Iceland so unique. Sometimes you feel like you could be on the moon….
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  I agree, sometimes it totally feels like your on the moon!
http://www.rhymeandribbons.com/ Amanda @ Rhyme & Ribbons

Cool facts! What if someone wanted to name their son after himself, but they had already been named after their dad (so they already have the dotir) then what would it be? x
- http://confuzzledom.wordpress.com/ bevchen
  
  It’s the surname. Like if someone was called Williamson in ancient times it was because their dad was William, so they’d be like Tom Williamson (Tom, son of William). The Ragnarsdottir thing is the same - Maya Ragnarsdottir is Maya the daughter of Ragnar (so every member of a family could have different surnames unless there are 2 sisters, then both a whatever-dottirs!).
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  I think Bev answered it well! You often see someone named Ragnar Ragnarsson so they have their Dad’s name in both their first name and surname!
http://hemborgwife.wordpress.com/ Bailie @ The Hemborg Wife

I wonder if I can move just for the no mosquitos thing, I get the worst reaction to them!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Me too! It has been great sitting outside and not worrying about having a bunch of bites all over.
http://www.deutsch-bitte.net/ Natalye

#5 and #9 are also true in Germany. It definitely takes some getting used to! Also, I am very jealous about the mosquitos bit. What a dream to not have to deal with them! Are there any sorts of weird or strange bugs that you do find there?
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  It does take some getting use to but I so enjoy the movie breaks now! They do have bugs here, there are these small black flies that are really annoying. You often see them by the water in big swarms.
http://daydreamsofsummertime.blogspot.co.uk/ Sarah I

What interesting facts, I do so love reading your posts about Iceland, it is definitely a place I would like to go someday :)
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Thank you Sarah!
http://prettythingandco.com/ Madaline

The CocaCola one surprised me the most!!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Me too! Some stores have such a big section of Coca-cola!
http://confuzzledom.wordpress.com/ bevchen

I knew about the names. I think no paper seat covers is a European thing. I think I’ve seen them maybe once at an airport?

I just read on Wikipedia that Iceland became independent from Denmark 70 years ago today.
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Yesterday was their independence day :) It was a really rainy day so we didn’t check out to many activities going around the city.
Jessica Shannon

These are such cool facts! I had no idea about all that lava, and the family names!! Also, I am super jealous of the intermission, I always have to go to the bathroom during the movies (probably because of the large soda/icee I drank during the previews, ha!) but I am afraid I’m going to miss something!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  The intermission is such a great thing, I always have to go to the bathroom as well so I love having that little break and not worrying about missing something!
http://agirlandhertravels.com/ Polly

I want to know who was the person who figured out how much lava there was in the world. Who are these people?!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Haha seriously!
http://www.therandomwritings.com/ Rachel G

I think I really like the no mosquitoes thing! And the intermissions in movies actually sounds kind of nice to me! It’s really cool to learn a little more about a country that I really know almost nothing about!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Glad you liked it Rachel! The movie break is really a great idea I love having a break halfway through!
http://movebyyourself.com Kelley @ Move By Yourself

No mosquitoes! That is awesome. Paraguay is full of mosquitoes and they love me so it can be hard sometimes!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Mosquitoes love me as well so I am really enjoying not having to be constantly swatting them off of me!
http://thethingsiamcrazyfor.wordpress.com/ Camila

That is so cool! I’m so surprised by a lot of these but they are very cool facts! I love that it’s a country full of books and writers and with no mosquitoes and no american fast food chain, sounds like heaven to me!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  I love how creative people are here! And not having a bunch of American fast food chains everywhere is really nice.
http://anothercleanslate.com/ Kate @ Another Clean Slate

I would love to live somewhere with no mosquitoes! And the movie break thing would def be nice when I’m downing a huge soda!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  The no mosquitoes is wonderful!
http://thepumpkinshead.wordpress.com/ Betty J. Ogburn

…Fascinating-I’m particularly struck that there’s no McDonald’s, Burger King, or Starbucks (AMAZEBALLS)!!…And it’s nice how literary Icelanders are, :-)…
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  It seems like everyone in Iceland is super creative, I love it!
http://meetatthebarre.blogspot.com/ Amanda Elizabeth

I’m sure the obesity rate is so much lower there as well…..I wish we could get rid of Mcdonalds from the States!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Many people are quite fit here! Since everything has to be imported in there are nowhere near as many processed food or items in the grocery stores which I also love!
http://treasuretromp.com/ Nicole @ Treasure Tromp

you had me at “no mosquitoes”.

Man, I really want to get there one day!!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  It is a great place to visit, exploring without the worry of mosquito bites is wonderful!
http://pondertheirrelevant.com/ Meredith

Love these posts! Always interesting to learn about some of the fun, quirky things that make a place unique :) I’m especially in love with the movie intermissions! And the whole no-McDonalds thing. I thought they pretty much had the market everywhere!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  McDonalds was in Iceland for a few years but after the financial crash left. I am glad they are gone!
Rachel Murphree

I LOVE learning fun facts like this. I like how it has such a literary environment. And I could get used to intermissions at the movies. I mostly watch movies at home, and often pause for my own intermission for snacks, bathroom breaks, etc. :)
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Going to the movies I think is more enjoyable when you get a little break in-between. Especially during those really long movies!
http://www.amyandthegreatworld.com/ AmyMacWorld

Thanks for the great facts! I love learning little things like that about different countries. I can’t believe how much lava is located in Iceland! Crazy!! Also, I’ve always wanted to publish a book…maybe I should move to Iceland!!!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Yes, Iceland is a great place to be inspired and creative!
http://inkandadventure.blogspot.tw/ Jamie | ink + adventure

I think the lava fact is really cool! the most coca cola and yet no fast food doesn’t seem to make sense but it’s definitely interesting :)
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  They do have fast food, just their own chains and not very many. The Coca cola really surprised me as well, it is per capita though and in a country this small that is easy to do the most of!
http://www.foodboozeandbaggage.com/ Food Booze & Baggage

Fascinating that 1 in 10 will write a book…that is really neat. I love the idea of a 10 minute break at the movies, that makes a lot of sense.
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  I love how creative people are here! And the movie breaks are wonderful.
http://voyageofthemeemee.com/ Amanda MeeMee

I bet I could outdrink them when it comes to Coke… ;P
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  :) I bet many would accept your challenge :þ
http://hannahonthemap.com Hannah Wasielewski

Coca Cola is from my home town of Atlanta, so that definitely surprises me. I thought the US would have more coke drinkers :) interesting facts!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  It is the most coa-cola per capita so that is probably why they are the country with the highest amount. I am sure the US has many more coke drinkers!
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http://englishgirlcanadianman.blogspot.ca/ Holly Nelson

Wow…so interesting, especially that fact about 1 in 10 icelandics having published a book! When I was in Iceland there were loads of Mosquitos - we had to wear nets over our riding helmets to keep them off of us - this was a required piece of kit for the ride!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kiki
  
  Really! Were you in the north? They have these annoying black flies but the only place mosquito are in the country is around one lake known as mosquito lake in the North of Iceland.
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Really! Where you in the North of Iceland? They have the mosquito lake there but for the most part that is the only place you find them. They do have these pesky “black flies” everywhere though!
  - http://englishgirlcanadianman.blogspot.ca/ Holly Nelson
    
    No, not the North - we rode in the area around Landmannalauger. Maybe they were only black flies then? There were loads and loads of them - but no one got bitten. And I am the type to get bitten!!
    - http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
      
      Yes those pesk black flies are everywhere! At least from what I have read and heard the mosquitoes that bite everyone are usually only in the North and they can stay up there because I am the person as well who gets bitten all the time!
http://independenttravelcats.com/ Jessica - Independent Travel C

How fascinating, would not have guessed the Coke or lava pieces at all! I think I need to move to Iceland to write a book!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  I think it is such a neat fact how many writers there are in Iceland. It is really common to give someone a nice book for Christmas as well and then after the opening of gifts on the 24th you go to bed reading your new book.
http://www.justathriftygypsy.blogspot.com Katrina Elisabet

As I sit here fussing over my mosquito bites, I’m SO READY to pack my bags and move to a mosquito-free Iceland!!! Sign me up! :P
P.S. Is there a theme for next week’s travel tuesday?
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Yes the theme for next week is Your Travel Style! Sorry we didn’t have it until a bit later :)
http://www.thebartlettsabroad.blogspot.com/ Erica @ thebartlettsabroad

That’s fascinating! Especially about the amount of writers! The no-mosquito thing sounds pretty good too!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  Isn’t that so interesting how many writers there are in Iceland! Love that fact.
http://www.notentirelyperfect.com/ Stephanie

All new information to me! I like the idea of the movie break. Pretty smart.
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  The movie breaks are wonderful, my popcorn consumption may have increased since I moved to Iceland:)
http://www.routebliss.com/ Christina McCall

I think the fact about mosquitos just won me over on moving Iceland up a few spots on my must visit list (it was already in the top 5) …
The one thing I’ve always wondered with the last names as they are, how does anyone do genealogy research?!?!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene Spence
  
  They have this book that you can trace your family tree, I know H’s mom traced hers back to 13 generations! I still find it confusing though not having family names!
Krista

When we lived in Iceland in the early 90’s there was a McDonalds… They stopped taking the american dollar. A value meal was approx $15 dollars at that time and you payed more for condiments, Yikes!!
- http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kaelene @ Unlocking Kiki
  
  Oh wow so pricey! I think McDonalds left right after the crash but they have a fast food place called Metro that is basically McDonalds minus the name.
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10 Surprising Icelandic Facts

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