Iceland

American  

[ahys-luhnd] / ˈaɪs lənd /

noun

1. a large island in the northern Atlantic between Greenland and Scandinavia. 39,698 square miles (102,820 square kilometers).

2. a republic including this island and several smaller islands: formerly Danish; independent since 1944. Reykjavik.

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Iceland British  

/ ˈaɪslənd /

noun

1. an island republic in the N Atlantic, regarded as part of Europe: settled by Norsemen, who established a legislative assembly in 930; under Danish rule (1380–1918); gained independence in 1918 and became a republic in 1944; contains large areas of glaciers, snowfields, and lava beds with many volcanoes and hot springs (the chief source of domestic heat); inhabited chiefly along the SW coast. The economy is based largely on fishing and tourism. Official language: Icelandic. Official religion: Evangelical Lutheran. Currency: króna. Capital: Reykjavik. Pop: 315 281 (2013 est). Area: 102 828 sq km (39 702 sq miles)

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Iceland Cultural  

1. Island republic in the north Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Arctic Circle, west of Norway and southeast of Greenland. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavik.

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Discover More

A unique combination of glaciers and plate tectonics has resulted in an unusual land surface, dominated by a rugged coastline, hot springs, geysers, and volcano es.

It is a member of NATO.

Iceland proclaimed its independence from Denmark in 1944.

Other Word Forms

• Icelander
  noun

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Iceland

The jet stream is steering the centre of the storm hundreds of miles away from our shores, passing close to Iceland where it will bring the threat of blizzards.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Wind gusts over the sea between Iceland and the Faroe Islands could exceed 110mph but nothing this severe is expected in the vicinity of the UK.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Carson was sipping tea and eating crackers at her seaside home in Iceland — she also resides in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she teaches — after she got the big news.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

On Tuesday, Rubio sought to smooth over such difficulties, stressing that Washington wouldn’t expand its military activities in Iceland without the country’s cooperation and emphasizing U.S. respect for its sovereignty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Not only was Einarsson a member of the Icelandic committee that had helped secure Bobby’s release from imprisonment, he’d also been a leading banker before introducing the Visa credit card to Iceland.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady