G3-247 Report ICELAND
ICELAND: Vital Statistics Capital:Reykjavik Land Area: 103,000 sq km Population: 315,281 Median Age: 36.2 years Ethnic Groups: Afro Caribbean, European, Indo-Caribbean, Chinese Caribbean, Amerindians. Religions: Lutheran Church of Iceland (80%), Roman Catholic (2.5%), others Languages: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German Currency: Icelandic Kronur (IKR) Government: Constitutional Republic Chief of State: President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson Head of Government: Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson Cabinet:Cabinet appointed by the prime minister Elections: President elected by popular vote for four years. Last election held in 2012 and next due in 2016. The leader of the majority party is usually chosen as prime minister.
LOTTERY:UIL; SIBS; DAS & Islensk Getspa LOTTERY OUTLETS: 220 (Getspa) LOTTERY REVENUE: IKR520m (turnover Getspa) SPORTS BETTING: Islenskar Getraunir IKR1.6bn (turnover) VLTS: 650 (Islandsspil) and 500 (UIL) VLT OUTLETS: 140 (Islandsspil) and 35 (UIL)
Iceland’s small, compact and closely monitored gaming
sector, which was set up years ago, seems to function extremely successfully.
Hofudborgarsvaedi, Nordurland Eystra, Nordurland Vestra, Sudurland, Sudurnes, Vestfirdir and Vesturland. There are then 23 coun- ties, 26 magistrates and 75 municipalities.
Iceland of course is volcanically and geologically active and has many geysers. In March 2010 the
country became famous when its volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted followed by an additional eruption in April resulting in volcanic ash being sent skyward which brought air travel to a stand- still in Europe.
A year later in May 2011 the Grimsvotn volcano erupted and hurled ash and lava some 20km into the atmosphere again creating a large ash cloud.
Meanwhile the story of Iceland’s discovery began when Swedish Viking explorer Gardar Svavarsson was the first to circumnavigate the island in AD870. He stayed over winter and left the follow- ing summer. One of his men remained with two slaves and became a permanent resident.
Meanwhile in 874 Ingolfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norse settler on the island when he built himself homestead in Reykjavik. Over the years Norsemen settled here and between 1262 and 1918 the country was part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies.
In the 17th and 18th centuries Denmark imposed harsh trade restrictions on Iceland whilst natural disasters decimated the population and pirates raided its coastal settlements.
A smallpox epidemic in the 18th century killed around a third of the population and in 1783 the Laki volcano erupted with devastating effects. With over half the livestock on the island wiped out this then resulted in famine and a loss of a quarter of the population.
In 1814 following the Napoleonic Wars Denmark 4 7
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