Iceland is extremely protective of their language, instead of loaning words from other languages they repurpose old ones, telephone is ‘simi’, meaning thread, jet plane is ‘thota’, meaning to zoom and the word for computer, ‘tölva’ translates to number priestess or numbers witch. 00
100% of Iceland’s population has…
100% of Iceland’s population has the internet, the only country in the world. 10
In 2016, Reykjavik’s City Council decided…
In 2016, Reykjavik’s City Council decided to turn off city lights in order to allow residents to enjoy a fantastic Northern Lights display without artificial light pollution. 10
In Iceland books are exchanged on Christmas Eve and you spend…
In Iceland books are exchanged on Christmas Eve and you spend the rest of the night reading. Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country; & new books are typically published only during the Christmas season. This frenzy is called Jólabókaflóð, or “Christmas Book Flood.”
On October 24 1975, 90% of Iceland’s women refused to work…
On October 24 1975, 90% of Iceland’s women refused to work, cook or look after children. Every ten years, on the anniversary of this initial strike, women stop all work to demonstrate their important positions and continue the struggle for equality.
In 2013, the government of Iceland asked several FBI agents to leave…
In 2013, the government of Iceland asked several FBI agents to leave after they lied to the local government and told them they were investigating terrorist hackers. It turned out they were investigating Wikileaks.
The last McDonalds hamburger sold in Iceland (from 2008) is…
The last McDonalds hamburger sold in Iceland (from 2008) is rotting in a museum. And you can watch the livefeed.
Babies in Iceland are routinely left outside, alone, in below-freezing…
Babies in Iceland are routinely left outside, alone, in below-freezing temperatures…to nap.
Iceland has such a small population that an Icelandic company has released….
Iceland has such a small population that an Icelandic company has released an “Anti-incest app” which prevents Icelanders from accidentally dating their relatives.
Icelandic has changed so little in the last 1,000 years that present-day…
Icelandic has changed so little in the last 1,000 years that present-day Icelanders can read 12th Century texts without any difficulty.