CAPITAL REYKJAVIK - POPULATION 301,931 - AREA 103,000 SQ KM -OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ICELANDIC
Life's good in Iceland – officially. The UN has decreed it the world's most desirable country in which to live, but visiting is pretty good too. In 2008, glacier-full Vatnajokull National Park became Europe's largest protected area, great for watching geysers spew and ice fields shimmer. Conservation is key countrywide: with car hire companies offering hydrogen-fuelled vehicles and businesses powered by geothermal power, tourists can be almost carbon neutral. This is a great excuse to head beyond ice-cool Reykjavik into the remote but dramatic West Fjords and maybe hike around Mjoifjorur in overlooked east Iceland. |
