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Compare Iceland (2001) - Southern Ocean (2001)
Compare Iceland (2001) z Southern Ocean (2001)
| Iceland (2001) | Southern Ocean (2001) | |
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| Administrative divisions | 23 counties (syslar, singular - sysla) and 14 independent towns* (kaupstadhir, singular - kaupstadhur); Akranes*, Akureyri*, Arnessysla, Austur-Bardhastrandarsysla, Austur-Hunavatnssysla, Austur-Skaftafellssysla, Borgarfjardharsysla, Dalasysla, Eyjafjardharsysla, Gullbringusysla, Hafnarfjordhur*, Husavik*, Isafjordhur*, Keflavik*, Kjosarsysla, Kopavogur*, Myrasysla, Neskaupstadhur*, Nordhur-Isafjardharsysla, Nordhur-Mulasys-la, Nordhur-Thingeyjarsysla, Olafsfjordhur*, Rangarvallasysla, Reykjavik*, Saudharkrokur*, Seydhisfjordhur*, Siglufjordhur*, Skagafjardharsysla, Snaefellsnes-og Hnappadalssysla, Strandasysla, Sudhur-Mulasysla, Sudhur-Thingeyjarsysla, Vesttmannaeyjar*, Vestur-Bardhastrandarsysla, Vestur-Hunavatnssysla, Vestur-Isafjardharsysla, Vestur-Skaftafellssysla
note: there may be four other counties |
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| Age structure | 0-14 years:
23.18% (male 33,238; female 31,191) 15-64 years: 65.01% (male 91,095; female 89,583) 65 years and over: 11.81% (male 14,681; female 18,118) (2001 est.) |
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| Agriculture - products | potatoes, turnips; cattle, sheep; fish | - |
| Airports | 87 (2000 est.) | - |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
12 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
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| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 52 (2000 est.) |
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| Area | total:
103,000 sq km land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km |
total:
20.327 million sq km note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Kentucky | slightly more than twice the size of the US |
| Background | Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards. | A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). |
| Birth rate | 14.62 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Budget | revenues:
$3.5 billion expenditures: $3.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $467 million (1999) |
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| Capital | Reykjavik | - |
| Climate | temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers | sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter |
| Coastline | 4,988 km | 17,968 km |
| Constitution | 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944 | - |
| Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Iceland conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lyoveldio Island local short form: Island |
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| Currency | Icelandic krona (ISK) | - |
| Death rate | 6.89 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Debt - external | $2.6 billion (1999) | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Barbara J. GRIFFITHS embassy: Laufasvegur 21, Reykjavik mailing address: US Embassy, PSC 1003, Box 40, FPO AE 09728-0340 telephone: [354] 5629100 FAX: [354] 5629118 |
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| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Jon-Baldvin HANNIBALSSON chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653 FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656 consulate(s) general: New York |
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| Disputes - international | Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area); dispute with Denmark over the Faroe Islands fisheries median line boundary within 200 NM; disputes with Denmark, the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM | Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary in the Antarctica entry); sections (some overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and UK; the US and most other nations do not recognize the maritime claims of other nations and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west |
| Economic aid - donor | $NA | - |
| Economy - overview | Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system, low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant hydrothermal and geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 12% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to drops in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. The center-right government plans to continue its policies of reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. Growth has been remarkably steady over the past five years at 4%-5%. | Fisheries in 1998-99 (1 July to 30 June) landed 119,898 metric tons, of which 85% was krill and 14% Patagonian toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 1998-99 season landed five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery. In the 1999-2000 antarctic summer 13,193 tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 10,013 the previous year. Nearly 16,000 tourists are expected during the 2000-01 season. |
| Electricity - consumption | 6.574 billion kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - production | 7.069 billion kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
0.07% hydro: 84.64% nuclear: 0% other: 15.29% (1999) |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m |
lowest point:
-7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m |
| Environment - current issues | water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment | increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish
note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries |
| Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation |
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)
note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north |
| Ethnic groups | homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts | - |
| Exchange rates | Icelandic kronur per US dollar - 84.810 (January 2001), 78.676 (2000), 72.335 (1999), 70.958 (1998), 70.904 (1997), 66.500 (1996) | - |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister David ODDSSON (since 30 April 1991) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by Parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 29 June 1996 (next to be held NA June 2004); President GRIMSSON ran unopposed in June 2000 so there were no elections; prime minister appointed by the president election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON elected president; President GRIMSSON ran unopposed |
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| Exports | $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | - |
| Exports - commodities | fish and fish products 70%, animal products, aluminum, diatomite, ferrosilicon | - |
| Exports - partners | EU 64% (UK 20%, Germany 13%, France 5%, Denmark 5%), US 15%, Japan 5% (1999) | - |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | - |
| Flag description | blue with a red cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) | - |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $6.85 billion (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
15% (includes fishing 13%) industry: 21% services: 64% (1999 est.) |
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| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.3% (2000 est.) | - |
| Geographic coordinates | 65 00 N, 18 00 W | 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica, and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude |
| Geography - note | strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe | the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds |
| Highways | total:
12,691 km paved: 3,262 km unpaved: 9,429 km (1999) |
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| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
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| Imports | $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | - |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, petroleum products; foodstuffs, textiles | - |
| Imports - partners | EU 56% (Germany 12%, UK 9%, Denmark 8%, Sweden 6%), US 11%, Norway 10% (1999) | - |
| Independence | 17 June 1944 (from Denmark) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | 1.5% (2000 est.) | - |
| Industries | fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production, geothermal power; tourism | - |
| Infant mortality rate | 3.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | - |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.5% (2000 est.) | - |
| International organization participation | Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNU, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | - |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 7 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | - |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the president) | - |
| Labor force | 159,000 (2000) | - |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 5.1%, fishing and fish processing 11.8%, manufacturing 12.9%, construction 10.7%, other services 59.5% (1999) | - |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | - |
| Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 23% forests and woodland: 1% other: 76% (1993 est.) |
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| Languages | Icelandic | - |
| Legal system | civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | - |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 May 1999 (next to be held by April 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 40.7%, The Alliance (PA, People's Party, Women's List) 26.8%, Progressive Party 18.4%, Left-Green Alliance 9.1%, Liberal Party 4.2%; seats by party - Independence Party 26, The Alliance 17, Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 6, Liberal Party 2 |
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| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
79.52 years male: 77.31 years female: 81.92 years (2001 est.) |
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| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.9% (1997 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
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| Location | Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK | body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica |
| Map references | Arctic Region | Antarctic Region |
| Maritime claims | continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
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| Merchant marine | total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,435 GRT/4,538 DWT ships by type: chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
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| Military - note | defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik | - |
| Military branches | no regular armed forces; Police, Coast Guard; note - Iceland's defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik | - |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $0 | - |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
71,241 (2001 est.) |
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| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
62,704 (2001 est.) |
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| National holiday | Independence Day, 17 June (1944) | - |
| Nationality | noun:
Icelander(s) adjective: Icelandic |
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| Natural hazards | earthquakes and volcanic activity | huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue |
| Natural resources | fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite | probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs, squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes |
| Net migration rate | -2.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | Independence Party (conservative) or IP [David ODDSSON]; Left-Green Alliance [Steinsvimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party [Sverrir HERMANNSSON]; People's Party (Social Democratic Party) or SDP [Sighvatyr BJORGIVINSSON]; Progressive Party (liberal) or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON]; The Alliance (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SVP, People's Movement, Women's List) [Ossur SKARPHEDINSSON]; Women's List or WL [Kristin ASTGEIRSDOTTIR] | - |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
| Population | 277,906 (July 2001 est.) | - |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
| Population growth rate | 0.54% (2001 est.) | - |
| Ports and harbors | Akureyri, Hornafjordur, Isafjordhur, Keflavik, Raufarhofn, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur, Straumsvik, Vestmannaeyjar | McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica
note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) | - |
| Radios | 260,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| Religions | Evangelical Lutheran 93%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic, none (1997) | - |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
adequate domestic service domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) |
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| Telephones - main lines in use | 168,000 (1997) | - |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 65,746 (1997) | - |
| Television broadcast stations | 14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997) | - |
| Terrain | mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords | the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep - its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers |
| Total fertility rate | 2.01 children born/woman (2001 est.) | - |
| Unemployment rate | 2.7% (January 2001) | - |
| Waterways | none | - |
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