III.

People

Icelanders are one of the most homogenous peoples in the world. They are predominantly of Nordic origin, descendants of the hardy people who emigrated from Norway to Iceland in the Middle Ages. There are also some Celtic influences from Irish and Scottish immigrants who arrived from the British Isles (see Celts). The population of Iceland (2007 estimate) is 301,931.

Numerous times in its history, Iceland has suffered major population losses due to epidemics, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Beginning in the mid-20th century, many rural Icelanders began moving to coastal towns and villages. Today, some 93 percent of the people now live in cities and towns. About 60 percent of Iceland’s total population lives in Reykjavík. The overall population density is 3 persons per sq km (7.8 per sq mi).

A.

Principal Cities

Reykjavík (population, 2005 estimate, 113,022) is the capital and chief port. Other towns are Akureyri (16,308), on the northern coast; Kópavogur (25,803), Hafnarfjörður (22,000), and Keflavík (7,637), on the western coast near Reykjavík; and Vestmannaeyjar (4,640), on the tiny island of Heimaey off the southern coast.

B.

Religion and Language

The state church of Iceland is the Evangelical Lutheran church (see Lutheranism). About 90 percent of Icelanders are affiliated with the church. Complete religious freedom exists, however. Free Lutherans and Roman Catholics make up a small minority.

The language is Icelandic, which has remained closer to the Old Norse of Iceland’s original Viking settlers than to the other Scandinavian languages. See Icelandic Language; Icelandic Literature.

C.

Education

Literacy in Iceland approaches 100 percent of the adult population. Education is free through the university level and is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16. The leading institution of higher education is the University of Iceland (1911), in Reykjavík. The country also has a technical college and colleges of agriculture and music as well as teacher-training schools.

The principal libraries of Iceland are the University Library, the National Library, and the City Library, all located in Reykjavík. The capital is also the site of the Museum of Natural History; the National Museum, containing a major collection of Icelandic antiquities; and an art gallery housing the work of the Icelandic sculptor Einar Jónsson.

D.

Literature and Culture

Because the Icelandic language has changed so little over the centuries, Icelanders can read literature produced in Iceland during the 12th and 13th centuries with little difficulty. The most famous Icelandic writings of this period are the sagas. Modern Icelandic writers have produced a substantial body of literature. The Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1955. Laxness adapted the lyrical beauty of the old Icelandic sagas to modern use in his novels about the people of Iceland.

Contemporary Icelanders are prodigious readers. It is said that the people of Iceland read more books per capita than the people of any other country.

In medieval Iceland, the most widely practiced crafts were woodcarving, silversmithing, and sculpturing in stone for church decoration. Folk arts found expression in wood carvings and textiles. Woodcarvings and tapestries from Iceland’s early history have been preserved in the National Museum in Reykjavík.

In medieval times, church choral singing was the dominant form of musical expression. Protestant hymns grew in importance in the 17th century, following Iceland’s adoption of Lutheranism. Choir singing remains very popular. Folk music, derived mainly from Nordic music, has a long history in Iceland. Iceland’s folk traditions inspire vibrant pop and rock genres in modern Iceland, including the music of the singer Björk and the internationally famous folk band Islandica.