But even before the war, scientists and adventurers were fascinated with the geological wonders and wild terrain of the island. In addition to frequent earthquakes, Iceland has examples of nearly every type of volcano found on earth. The eruption in 1783 of the Laki crater row, located southwest of Vatnajokull, poured out the greatest lava flow formed on earth in historical times, covering 220 square miles (570 sq. km) with lava, and causing great famine. Also southwest of Vatnajokull is Hekla, an active volcano which is believed to have erupted 20 times since Iceland was settled, the biggest taking place in 1104. Hekla has erupted four times in the 20th century - as recently as 1991. A submarine eruption off the southeast coast in 1963 gave birth to a new, small island, Surtsey. In 1973 Vestmannaeyjar, a major fishing port on the nearby island of Heimaey, was evacuated when the volcano Kirkjufell became active. Nineteenth-century French writer Jules Verne was also fascinated with Iceland; his classic tale of Journey to the Center of the Earth features descriptions of Reykjavík and the Snæfellsjökull volcano, which his adventurers used as an entrance to the center of the earth.
In spite of its name and its ice fields, Iceland is not an arctic country. The bulk of the island lies below the Arctic Circle, and its climate is milder than one may expect. The terrain is varied, with large expanses of tundra, grassland, bogs and barren desert. Over 11 percent of the country is covered by glaciers, including Vatnajökull, the largest in Europe. There are also waterfalls, black sandy beaches and breathtaking scenery. The highland interior is uninhabited (and uninhabitable); the roads running through it are mostly seasonal. The population is concentrated around the coast, with about half of the quarter million population residing in the capital city of Reykjavik - which, incidentally, was named by American magazine Outside as one of the ten best cities in the world to live.
Sites to Visit
Halldor Laxness lived in Mosfellsbaer for many years, in a place called Gljufrasteinn, just outside the town. His widow still resides there, so the house is not open to the public. However, when he wrote his novel Eldur i Kaupmannahofn ("Fire in Copenhagen"), he was staying in Eyrarbakki, a small village not far from Selfoss. The house where he resided is called "The House of Merchants" and for decades it was the home of Danish merchants and their families. Today it is a Folk Museum.
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