Iceland is the country that I chose for my entry in the Challenge to Travel Blog Hop. I hope that you find the country as interesting as I do!
Iceland is a
fascinating and diverse country...one that I've always wanted to
visit! In high school, I was
assigned to do a book report about the country of Iceland, so I learned, at 16,
about a radically different country and culture and became very
interested in going for a
visit. Alas! This has so far not happened...and I'm well past my teen
years! :) This is why I pick
Iceland for my country of travel. Please read on to find out some of
the unique facts about
a very 'cool' place!...pun intended!
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| An Icelandic sunrise. |
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| The Icelandic Flag. |
Iceland
is volcanically
and geologically
active. The interior consists mainly
of a
plateau characterized by sand and lava
fields, mountains and glaciers, while
many
glacial rivers
flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by
the
Gulf Stream
and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just
outside
the Arctic
Circle.
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| Eyjafjallajökull glacier, one of the smallest glaciers of Iceland. |
Geologically,
Iceland is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a ridge along which
the
oceanic crust
spreads and forms new oceanic crust. This part of the mid-ocean ridge
is located above a mantle plume, causing Iceland to be subaerial (above
the surface of the sea). The ridge marks the boundary between the
Eurasian and
North
American Plates, and Iceland was created by rifting
and accretion
through volcanism
along the ridge.
I was inspired by the pictures that I have seen on Icelandic landscape to create my necklace and earring set. The fire opal crystal rounds reminded me of the red hot molten lava, in the many eruptions that have taken place there, where as, the Tektite nuggets are reminiscence of the lava after it has cooled. The donuts of Mexican Zebra Jasper that I chose represent what I think of when I saw pictures of the glaciers, the white in them, of the snow and ice and the black, of the rock. I also incorporated clear crystal chips to reflect the abundance of water seen in many of the pictures of Iceland.
Gunmetal Rolo chain was used to make the necklace adjustable from 18" to 21"
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| Dainty earrings. |
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| The finished piece! |
Many
fjords punctuate
Iceland's 4,970 km long coastline, which is also where
most
settlements are situated. The island's interior, the Highlands
of Iceland, is a
cold
and uninhabitable combination of sand, mountains and lava
fields. A geologically young
land, Iceland is located on both the Iceland
hotspot and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs right through it.
 |
| Eyjafjallajökull major eruption, photo taken May 10, 2010 |
This location means that the island is
highly geologically
active with many volcanoes, notably Hekla,
Eldgjá,
Herðubreið
and Eldfell.[37] The
volcanic eruption of Laki in 1783–1784 caused a famine that killed
nearly a quarter
of the island's population;[38]
the eruption caused dust clouds and haze to appear over
most of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa for several months
afterward.[39]
 |
| The Arctic Fox was the only indigenous mammal in Iceland prior to the arrival of human. |
the
ocean waters surrounding Iceland, and the fishing
industry is a major part of Iceland's
economy, accounting for approximately half of the country's total
exports.
Wild mammals include the Arctic
Fox, mink, mice,
rats, rabbits
and
reindeer. Polar
bears occasionally visit the island, traveling on icebergs from
Greenland.
 |
| Icelandic landscape. |
  |
| An Icelandic horse and a geothermal pool. |
Icelandic
culture has its roots in Norse traditions. The country's cultural
heritage
includes
traditional Icelandic
cuisine, poetry,
and the medieval Icelanders'
sagas. Centuries of isolation have helped to insulate the country's
Nordic culture from external influence; a prominent example is the preservation
of the Icelandic
language, which remains the closest to Old Norse out
of any other Scandinavian language except Faroese.
 |
| An page of Njáls saga from Möðruvallabók. The sagas are a significant part of the Icelandic heritage. |
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| A typical Þorramatur assortment! |
Þorramatur is a selection of traditional cuisine consisting of many dishes, and is usually consumed around the month of Þorri, which begins on the first Friday after 19 January. Traditional dishes also include skyr, hákarl (cured shark), cured ram, singed sheep heads, and black pudding.
I
hope that you have enjoyed learning a tiny bit of information about
the country of
Iceland and seeing some pictures that represent it.
**All facts and pictures about
Iceland have
come from Wikipedia.
