7 Surprising Facts About Iceland

In my recent podcast, we talked about Icelandic history. Talking about my roots made me realize that I haven’t written a lot about the little country in the far north. Iceland has a very unique history. Today, it’s also gained a lot of attention thanks to shows like Game of Thrones being filmed there, as well as thanks to the ever industrious nature of the Icelandic people. After all, for such a small country, Iceland has made a pretty big splash! They have great spring water (you can find it pretty much anywhere) and even better yogurt. If you haven’t come across the wonder that is Skyr, then I don’t know what to tell you. Here are seven surprising things you may or may not know about Iceland.

The Viking Connection

First and foremost, Iceland is proud of its Viking heritage. Although not technically part of Scandinavia, Iceland was first settled by ambitious Viking explorers. Overtime, it became sort of a rich Viking retirement home. Many wealthy Vikings also fled to Iceland to avoid the unification of Norway that happened under Harald Fairhair. Today, the majority of Icelanders still can trace their roots and genes back to these norse kings of the sea. In fact, some of the most famous figures of the Viking age were Icelanders, including the renowned explorer, Leif Eriksson and his father, Erik the Red.