Iceland
an island belonging to Denmark; between the North Atlantic and the Arctic oceans, 250 miles from Greenland and about 600 miles W. of Norway; greatest length, E. to W., 300 miles; central breadth, about 200 miles; area with adjacent isles, 39,756 square miles. Pop. (1919) 91,912. The coast line for a considerable extent on S. E. is almost unbroken, but in all other directions presents a continued succession of deep bays, affording a number of natural harbors. The interior is covered by lofty mountain masses of volcanic origin, many of them crowned with perpetual snow and ice, which, stretching down their sides into the intervening valleys, form immense glaciers .
These icy mountains, which take the common name of Jökul, have their culminating point in Oräfajökul, which has a height of 6,409 feet. Among the volcanoes the most celebrated is Mount Hecla, in the S., about 5,000 feet high.
Numerous hot springs or geysers are scattered throughout the island . There are numerous lakes and rivers. The most valuable mineral product is sulphur , of which the supply appears to be inexhaustible.
It was formerly supposed that ice was a brittle substance, and even as recently as 1850 the motion of glaciers was explained by the fine splitting of the ice caused by the weight and pressure of the immense masses resting on the lower layers. The experiments made by Mc- Connell and Kidd in 1888 on the plasticity of ice seemed to establish the fact The climate is mild for the latitude, that single crystals were not plastic and that the plasticity of glacier ice as shown but the summer is too cool and damp for by Pfaff in 1875 was a mistake. The agriculture. In the S. parts the longest discovery made by Koch in 1885 that day is 20 hours, and the shortest 4, but rods of ice laid on two sharp edges are in the most N. extremity the sun at midloaded bent, but recovered their straight- summer continues above the horizon a ness when the weights were removed, whole week, and of course during a correseemed to be explained by the same prin- sponding period in winter never rises. prin-sponding period in winter never rises.
Vol. V-Cyc-H ICELAND MOSS Vegetation is confined within narrow limits. The most valuable crop is grass, on which considerable numbers of live stock (sheep, cattle, ponies) are fed.
The reindeer, though not introduced before 1770, form large herds in the interior. Wild fowl, including the eider duck, whose down forms an important article of commerce, are abundant; the streams are well supplied with salmon, and on the coasts valuable fisheries of cod and herrings are carried on. Manu factures are entirely domestic, and consist chiefly of coarse woolens, mittens, stockings, etc. The exports are wool, oil, fish, horses, feathers, worsted stockings and mittens, sulphur, and Iceand Iceland moss.
The inhabitants are of Scandinavian origin. Iceland is a sovereign state, but the King of Denmark is also King of Iceland. Under the charter of May 1920, the King is chief executive, acting through a cabinet, consisting of Minister of Justice, Minister of Trade and Communication, and Minister of Finance. The Althing, or Parliament, consists of:
Upper House, 14 members; Lower, 28.
Six members of the Upper House are chosen by proportional representation.
The other 36 members of Parliament are elected by universal suffrage. From this number 8 are elected by the Althing to complete the Upper House.
Some settlements of Irish monks had been made in Iceland about the end of the 8th century, but the island received the greatest proportion of its population from Norway. In 870 Harold Haarfager had made himself supreme in Norway, and as he treated the landed proprietors oppressively, numbers left the country and went to Iceland. A settled government was established, a sort of aristocratic republic, which lasted for several centuries. Christianity was introduced in 981, and adopted by law in 1000.
The Latin language and the literature and learning of the West, introduced by Christianity, were all the more warmly received. Previously to this time the ICHNEUMON