How Iceland's government was brought down by a letter from PM's father demanding paedophile's pardon". The Independent. September 2017. Archived from the original on 19 September 2017 . Retrieved 30 May 2018. Iceland is also the smallest country to ever qualify for Eurobasket, having done so in both 2015 and 2017. However, they have not managed to win a single game in the European Basketball final stages. Some 500 Icelanders under the leadership of Erik the Red settled Greenland in the late tenth century. [215] The total population reached a high point of perhaps 5,000, and developed independent institutions before disappearing by 1500. [216] People from Greenland attempted to set up a settlement at Vinland in North America, but abandoned it in the face of hostility from the Indigenous residents. [217]

Compulsory education, or grunnskóli, comprises primary and lower secondary education, which often is conducted at the same institution. Education is mandatory by law for children aged from 6 to 16years. The school year lasts nine months, beginning between 21 August and 1 September, and ending between 31 May and 10 June. The minimum number of school days was once 170, but after a new teachers' wage contract, it increased to 180. Lessons take place five days a week. All public schools have mandatory education in Christianity, although an exemption may be considered by the Minister of Education. [199] Iceland vote: Centre-right opposition wins election". BBC News. 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018 . Retrieved 22 June 2018. Komoot for planning and guidance. GPS Computer: Wahoo ELEMENT ROAM. We come from the land of the ice and snow Jón R. Hjálmarsson (1993). History of Iceland: From the Settlement to the Present Day. Iceland Review. In contrast to other Nordic countries, Icelanders place relatively great importance on independence and self-sufficiency; in a public opinion analysis conducted by the European Commission, over 85% of Icelanders believe independence is "very important", compared to 47% of Norwegians, 49% of Danes, and an average of 53% for the EU25. [243] Icelanders also have a very strong work ethic, working some of the longest hours of any industrialised nation. [244]Sport is an important part of Icelandic culture, as the population is generally quite active. [283] The main traditional sport in Iceland is Glíma, a form of wrestling thought to have originated in medieval times. In 1946, the US Defence Force Allied left Iceland. The nation formally became a member of NATO on 30 March 1949, amid domestic controversy and riots. On 5 May 1951, a defence agreement was signed with the United States. American troops returned to Iceland as the Iceland Defence Force and remained throughout the Cold War. The US withdrew the last of its forces on 30 September 2006. Rivers and Lakes". Iceland.is. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010 . Retrieved 19 April 2010.

See also: Energy in Iceland The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station services the Capital Region's hot water and electricity needs. Virtually all of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable resources. [181] Iceland electricity production by source The 13th century was an era of great literary production, but it was also around this time when the Free State imploded – bloodily and dramatically. As decades passed, power in the country had been concentrated among a small number of families. Now they wanted more power. The result was 40 years of brutal civil war, an era that became known as the Sturlung Age, after the most prominent of the warring families. Saga accounts of the terrible battles and house burnings often read like journalists’ war reports, but they also include supernatural portents that foreshadow terrible events to come. According to one saga, “many dreams were dreamed” that warned of bloody deaths to come. One man dreams that he enters a house where there are two women sitting inside. Like a scene from a horror film, the saga states: The elections for the president, the Althing, and local municipal councils are all held separately every four years. [114]

Reykjadalur Hot Springs, Hveragerdi

CCP Games, developers of the critically acclaimed EVE Online and Dust 514, are headquartered in Reykjavík. CCP Games hosts the third-most populated MMO in the world, which also has the largest total game area for an online game, according to Guinness World Records. [270] Iceland has many geysers, including Geysir, from which the English word is derived, and the famous Strokkur, which erupts every 8–10minutes. After a phase of inactivity, Geysir started erupting again after a series of earthquakes in 2000. Geysir has since grown quieter and does not erupt often. [76] By 1264, the Norwegian king had taken full advantage of the political turmoil and seized control of Iceland. The Free State was over.