Iceland- business card
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The name "Iceland" is quite misleading. Iceland is an island full of green landscapes & many wide spaces, and one cannot escape a great sensation of freedom once he arrives and pays a visit. At first glance, what is most noticeable is the space, the lack of crowdedness. If one wishes to compare it to Tel-Aviv in the middle of a warm and moistly summer day, well... it's quite the opposite.
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Some statistics...Location: Iceland is a state constituted from one main island and several surrounding islands at the North between Greenland, Norway and Scotland. Its territory is 135,000 square kilometers, and despite its enormous territory, the population counts only about 320,000 people. In comparison- Israel's territory is only 22,072 square kilometers, and it populates about 7 million residents. One resident over a little more the three square meters. In Iceland it is one resident over more than three square kilometers.
The low crowdedness is the main factor contributing to the great spacious feeling. Moreover- the city of Reykjavík, the capital of the state, inhabits a population of 118,000 people, a little more than a third of all Iceland's population.
Iceland- the land and its attractions
One of the most wonderful things in Iceland is the weather at summer time. The climate is temperate, thanks to the Gulf Stream, allowing the welcome existence of tourism. Sure enough, Iceland is one of the most toured countries in the world. Tourism is one of the best foreign currency sources, except for fish export. The Geysers, which are an integral part of the view that is so characteristic to Iceland, constitute a main and valuable attraction sites.
However, one must bear in mind that no matter how interesting, beautiful, and some say- curing they may be, Geysers are mostly evidence to the fact that the island is relatively young (barely 200,000,000 years old), still undergoing transformations. To this day, the earth is volcanic and every once in a while an active volcano erupts.
The best time of the year in Iceland is June to August. The weather is relatively warm and welcoming, yet the long days leave plenty of time for traveling and visiting a variety of attractions such as the lakes, fiords and the well-known Geysers, of course.
Economic crisis- from crisis to better times
A brief look the Economy shows that Iceland is definitely a phenomenon. The destruction and death which followed world war two all over the world, actually made grace with Iceland & brought enhanced economic prosperity. It is most clearly visible given the name Iceland's residents chose for the war- "The Blessed War".
The economic tide in Europe during 1990-2007, did not escape Iceland, turning it into an investor's paradise. However, in 2008 Iceland experienced a colossal economic crisis, the banking network collapsed and the country basically went bankrupt. Unlike the measures taken in other countries, the government did not provide any assistance to its banking system, and let it collapse, taking care & offering guarantees only to its civilian's savings. Out of the ruins came a new, strong and trusty Iceland- trying to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Iceland is not a place worth learning about from books, but from visits. The local residents & natives are very welcoming, the views are indescribable and it is never too hot.