n Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK

Map references: Arctic Region

Area:
total area: 103,000 sq km
land area: 100,250 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Kentucky

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 4,988 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: Rockall continental shelf dispute involving
Denmark, Ireland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a
boundary agreement in the Rockall area)

Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy
winters; damp, cool summers

Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields;
coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

Natural resources: fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 20%
forest and woodland: 1%
other: 78%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate
wastewater treatment
natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not
ratified - Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost
European country; more land covered by glaciers than in all of
continental Europe

@Iceland:People

Population: 265,998 (July 1995 est.)
note: population data estimates based on average growth rate may
differ slightly from official population data because of volatile
migration rates

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (female 31,482; male 32,912)
15-64 years: 65% (female 84,559; male 87,089)
65 years and over: 11% (female 16,554; male 13,402) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.92% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 15.85 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.98 years
male: 76.69 years
female: 81.39 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born