12 Facts Normal for Icelanders That Might Be Quirky for Some People

Iceland is perhaps best known for having been the land of the Vikings, as well as one of the most beloved countries for landscape photographers, as it preserves a good repertoire of the most wonderful natural environments on the planet. These extraordinary settings are home to a very particular population, ranked in 2022 as the third happiest nation in the world.

We, from awesome.club, we want you to know more about this place, so we have prepared a list of facts about Iceland to make you realize that it is a country with much more peculiarities than just beautiful landscapes. In the end, one bonus awaits you with some unique facts, responsible for making Iceland an authentic country.

In Iceland, there are 800,000 sheep and 364,000 inhabitants, which means there are at least two sheep per person. It is a very pure breed of sheep, the animals are strong and resistant, due to the environmental conditions, and very appreciated for their meat and wool.

The city of Reykjavík, capital of Iceland, has received several awards, such as the greenest city in the world by the Green City Times and the Nordic Prize for Nature and Environment. A high percentage of energy comes from renewable resources, minimizing its dependence on fossil fuels as much as possible.

Interestingly, Iceland has the largest banana plantation in Europe, but it also produces other tropical fruits such as tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers. Icelanders take pride in their fruit and vegetable production as their growing methods are respectful of the environment. It also has greenhouses that run on geothermal energy and are lit by hydroelectric power. Your plants are watered with the purest water in the world, free of chemicals.

According to a 2007 University of Iceland study, more than half of the Icelandic population believes in the existence of these creatures. There is an elf school, where you can learn about gnomes, dwarfs, fairies, trolls, mountain spirits, as well as other nature spirits and mythical beings from Iceland and other countries.

In addition, you can find small elf houses integrated into the landscape throughout Iceland. One user commented that “these little houses are called álfhól and are built for the Huldufólk (elves). It’s a place to feel safe with so many people around you. You can find them all over the country.”

There is only one type of horse in Iceland, similar to ponies, and although they are short in stature, these animals are strong. They can be found all over the island, making them one of the purest breeds in the world. They are also known for their noble and hardworking character. They are useful not only for leisure and sport, but also as a source of meat production.

If you want to have a coffee in Iceland and find a pram with a baby outside, don’t worry, it’s a custom in Nordic countries to let babies sleep outside, even in sub-zero temperatures. The population believes that cold winds strengthen the immune system of children.

Does anyone want to think about the kids!? This would be considered irresponsible and even inhumane in other parts of the world, but Icelanders have been doing it for generations, and the health of the little ones has never been affected. On the contrary, their life expectancy is one of the highest, with ten years above average. Although it may seem dangerous, don’t worry, Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world.

This is how the AFP agency portrayed this fact in the tweet: “A decade after the closure of McDonald’s in Iceland, thousands of users follow online and live the slow decomposition of the last order: an apparently indestructible hamburger with fries protected by a showcase at Snotra House, a hostel in Thykkvibaer”.

This year marks 13 years since the McDonald’s restaurant chain withdrew from Iceland, motivated by high import costs and the economic crisis of 2008. According to an AFP report, a man decided to buy a hamburger and put it in a window, “I had heard that McDonald’s sandwiches never go bad, so I wanted to see if that was true or not.” Over a decade later, the combo looks edible.

Icelanders are not just passionate about reading, they also love to write. Iceland is the country with the highest number of writers, published works and books read per capita. At least one in ten people publish a literary work. Reykjavík was declared a City of Literature by UNESCO.

In addition, they have a curious Christmas tradition, called Jolabokaflod or “Flood of Christmas books”, in which the most anticipated gifts are books. In an interview, the president of the Icelandic Publishers Association, Kristjan B. Jonasson, said: “Usually, we give the gifts on Christmas Eve, the 24th, and people spend the night reading.”

The presence of these small insects has a huge impact on the world’s population: annually, they take the lives of at least 830,000 people due to the spread of diseases and viruses with their bite. That is why it is a great advantage that they cannot survive in Iceland, as rapid climate changes prevent their life cycle from completing.

Although it may seem a little authoritative, Icelanders are very proud of their culture, so it is very important for them to regulate names as a way of preserving their cultural identity. There is a naming committee, which is responsible for checking that proper names are appropriate before authorizing them.

But that’s not all, in Iceland first name prevails. Even phone books are organized this way. An Icelandic surname acquires a suffix, according to the father’s name and the person’s gender: son for sons or dóttir for daughters, which mean “son/daughter of”.

Skyr is a typical Icelandic dairy dessert, ranging from yogurt to cream cheese. It has been consumed for a thousand years and, just over ten, it left the country to be tasted in other parts of the world, becoming very popular in cities like New York. It has been called a “superfood” because it is a great source of protein, in addition to being fat-free and low in sugar.

Yule lads visit Icelandic children for 13 days before Christmas Eve. The story comes from a folktale, in which an ogress named Grýla comes down from the mountains with her 13 troll children to take away children who have misbehaved. Although it sounds sinister, the belief has been adapted so that children, instead of being scared, receive gifts every day in a shoe that they leave in the window, expressly for this purpose.

What did you know about Iceland? What myths or supernatural beings are popular in your area? Tell us in the comments!