Portal:Iceland/Intro

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Velkomin! Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland, is a volcanic island nation in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Norway, Scotland, Ireland and the Faroe Islands.

Iceland was one of the last large islands uninhabited by humans until it was discovered and settled by immigrants from Scandinavia, Ireland and Scotland during the 9th and 10th centuries.

Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle, which passes through the small island of Grímsey off Iceland's northern coast, but not through mainland Iceland. Unlike neighbouring Greenland, Iceland is considered to be a part of Europe, not of North America. Due to cultural, economic and linguistic similarities, Iceland in many contexts is also included in Scandinavia.

Approximately 10 per cent of the island is glaciated. Iceland is located on both a geological hot spot, thought to be caused by a mantle plume, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This combined location means that the island is extremely geologically active. All this geologic activity helps Iceland to produce 17.5% of it's electricity from geothermal sources.