HI Everybody!!!!!!
It is Your lucky night! We are going to Iceland. WOW-what an Island!
I seem to have a need to see all the Ice in the world before it is all gone. I want to document this for all of Us.
I am happy to hear You are enjoying the You Tube Video LineUps. There are many creative people in the world sharing via the You Tube Site. I made a few videos, but they rank among the worst!! At least I tried it and learned something new. I encourage You all to use your cameras and make some videos for You Tube. It does not matter if no one likes them-it is the process which makes You grow. It is seeing what other people create. And, it is seeing the world and learning about it which enriches life more than sitting around watching TV and the awful commercials!!!!!!!!
Anyway, thank You for your love, comments and emails. You are welcome to leave comments here on the blog also. I am glad You like coming here.

Enough with my blah, blah, blah and On With the Show.
ICELAND: Here we come!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland

Iceland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Iceland

Ísland


Flag	Coat of arms

Anthem: Lofsöngur ("Hymn")

Location of Iceland (dark green)

in Europe (dark grey) — [Legend]

Capital
(and largest city) Reykjavík
64°08′N 21°56′W

Official language(s) Icelandic (de facto)

Ethnic groups 93% Icelandic,
~2.0% Nordic^[1]
~5.0% other
(see demographics)

Demonym Icelander, Icelandic

Government

Parliamentary republic

- President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson

- Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

- Speaker of the Alþingi Ásta Ragnheiður Jóhannesdóttir

Legislature Alþingi

Establishment — Independence

- Settlement 9th century

- Commonwealth 930–1262

- Union with Norway 1262–1814

- Danish monarchy 1380–1944

- Constitution 5 January 1874

- Kingdom of Iceland 1 December 1918

- Republic 17 June 1944

Area

- Total 103,001 km² (108th)
39,770 sq mi

- Water (%) 2.7

Population

- 1 April 2012 estimate 320,060^[b] (175th)

- Density 3.1/km² (232nd)
7.5/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2011 estimate

- Total $12.409 billion^[2]

- Per capita $38,060^[2]

GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate

- Total $14.048 billion^[2]

- Per capita $43,088^[2]

Gini (2010) 25.0^[c] (low) (1st)

HDI (2011) 0.898^[3] (very high) (14th)

Currency Icelandic króna (ISK)

Time zone GMT (UTC+0)

- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC)

Drives on the right

Iceland

ⁱ/ˈaɪslənd/ (Icelandic: Ísland, IPA: [ˈislant])^[4] is a Nordic European island country situated at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.^[5] The country has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km² (40,000 sq mi), which makes it the most sparsely populated country in Europe.^[6] The capital and largest city is Reykjavík,^[7] with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to two-thirds of the country's population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists mainly of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial riversflow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.

According to Landnámabók, the settlement of Iceland began in AD 874 when the chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norse settler on the island.^[8]Others had visited the island earlier and stayed over winter. Over the following centuries,Norsemen settled Iceland, bringing with them thralls (slaves) of Gaelic origin. From 1262 to 1918, Iceland was part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies. The country became independent in 1918 and a republic was declared in 1944. Until the 20th century, the Icelandic population relied largely on fishing and agriculture, and the country was one of the poorest and least developed in the world. Industrialisation of the fisheries and aid from the Marshall Plan brought prosperity in the years after World War II, and by the 1990s Iceland was one of the world's wealthiest countries. In 1994, Iceland became party to the European Economic Area, which made it possible for the economy to diversify into economic and financial services.

Iceland has a free-market economy with relatively low corporate taxes compared to otherOECD countries,^[9] while maintaining a Nordic welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens.^[10] In recent years, Iceland has become one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world. In 2011, it was ranked as the 14th most developed country in the world by the United Nations' Human Development Index,^[3] and the fourth most productive country per capita.^[11] In 2008, the nation's entire banking system systemically failed, resulting in substantial political unrest. Iceland ranks high in economic and political stability, though it is still in the process of recovering from the crisis.^[12]

Icelandic culture is founded upon the nation's Norse heritage. Most Icelanders are descendants of Norse and Gaelic settlers. Icelandic, a North Germanic language, is descended from Old Norse and is closely related to Faroese and some West Norwegian dialects. The country's cultural heritage includes traditional Icelandic cuisine, poetry, and the medieval Icelanders' sagas. Among NATO members, Iceland has the smallest population and is the only one with no standing army.

Climate

The climate of Iceland's coast is subpolaroceanic. The warm North Atlantic Current ensures generally higher annual temperatures than in most places of similar latitude in the world. Regions in the world with similar climate include the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, and Tierra del Fuego, although these regions are closer to the equator. Despite its proximity to the Arctic, the island's coasts remain ice-free through the winter. Ice incursions are rare, the last having occurred on the north coast in 1969.^[46]

There are some variations in the climate between different parts of the island. Generally speaking, the south coast is warmer, wetter and windier than the north. The Central Highlands are the coldest part of the country. Low-lying inland areas in the north are the most arid. Snowfall in winter is more common in the north than the south.

The highest air temperature recorded was 30.5 °C (86.9 °F) on 22 June 1939 at Teigarhorn on the southeastern coast. The lowest was−38 °C (−36.4 °F) on 22 January 1918 at Grímsstaðir and Möðrudalur in the northeastern hinterland. The temperature records for Reykjavík are 26.2 °C (79.2 °F) on 30 July 2008, and −24.5 °C (−12.1 °F) on 21 January 1918.

The erupting Geysir in Haukadalur valley, the oldest known geyser in the world

Geology

A geologically young land, Iceland is located on both theIceland hotspot and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs right through it. This location means that the island is highly geologically active with many volcanoes, notablyHekla, Eldgjá, Herðubreið and Eldfell.^[38] The volcanic eruption of Laki in 1783–1784 caused a famine that killed nearly a quarter of the island's population;^[39] the eruption caused dust clouds and haze to appear over most of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa for several months afterward.^[40]

Iceland has many geysers, including Geysir, from which the English word is derived, and the famous Strokkur, which erupts every 5–10 minutes. After a phase of inactivity, Geysir started erupting again after a series of earthquakes in 2000. Geysir has since then grown more quiet and does not erupt often.

With the widespread availability of geothermal power, and the harnessing of many rivers and waterfalls for hydroelectricity, most residents have access to inexpensive hot water, heating and electricity. The island itself is composed primarily of basalt, a low-silica lava associated with effusive volcanism as has occurred also in Hawaii. Iceland, however, has a variety of volcanic types (composite and fissure), many producing more evolved lavas such as rhyolite and andesite. Iceland has hundreds of volcanoes within approx. 30 volcanic systems active.^[41]

Surtsey, one of the youngest islands in the world, is part of Iceland. Named after Surtr, it rose above the ocean in a series of volcanic eruptions between 8 November 1963 and 5 June 1968.^[5] Only scientists researching the growth of new life are allowed to visit the island.^[42]

On 21 March 2010, a volcano in Eyjafjallajökull in the south of Iceland erupted for the first time since 1821, forcing 600 people to flee their homes.^[43] Further eruptions on 14 April forced hundreds of people to abandon their homes.^[44] The resultant cloud of volcanic ashbrought major disruption to air travel across Europe.^[45]

Another large eruption occurred on 21 May 2011. This time it was the Grímsvötn volcano, located under the thick ice of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. Grímsvötn is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes and this eruption was much more powerful than the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull activity. The eruption hurled ash and lava 20 km (12.43 mi) up into the atmosphere, creating a large cloud that for a while was thought to pose a danger to jet aircraft over a wide area of northern Europe.

Dettifoss, located in northeast Iceland. It is the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of volume discharge, with an average water flow of 200 m³/second.
Welcome to the Video LineUp featuring You Tube Videos. We are heading to Iceland. I will meet you at the Iceland Airport!!! When You are ready to begin tonight's journey, just push play!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POcxAhBIZQ8

Uploaded by dabb on Feb 3, 2008

Standard YouTube License

Bye Everybody! I am taking off!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9MTuT60QZU

...this is brendasue signing off from Rainbow Creek. See You Next Time!!
Peace be with You and Big Hugs to All

Of course, one more great performance
This is incredible photography-
Just Push Play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3uO4j4Lbc4

Published on Sep 22, 2012 by IcelandVideo

ICELAND :: WHEREVER YOU WILL GO :: Over seven hundred years ago, the Poetic Edda, written in Iceland, captured the earliest known lore of the Vikings which had been passed down through word of mouth. Little wonder that this rugged, brooding landscape, alive with fire and frozen with ice, was the birth place of the rich Nordic myths.

Today travellers to Iceland are privileged to witness this same spectacular land, virtually unchanged and barely touched by human progress. Join us as we soar over a magical vista in a journey into the extraordinary, accompanied by the remarkable and haunting electric violin music of Ed Alleyne-Johnson which draws its inspiration from a U2 classic.

The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century onwards has had a powerful influence on later Scandinavian literatures, not merely through the stories it contains but through the visionary force and dramatic quality of many of the poems.

Filmed on location in Iceland, 2012
Original footage available in HD-3D (Stereo) 1080/60i
Camera: SONY HDR-TD20

SHORT LINK: http://bit.ly/ICELAND_VIDEO

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland

Eyjafjallajökull major eruption, photo taken May 10, 2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull_major_eruption_20100510.jpg

Licensing

	This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 Generic license.
	Attribution: David Karnå
	You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).