Iceland (in Icelandic: Ísland; AFI: ['islant]) is a country located in the extreme northwest of Europe, whose territory includes the homonymous island and some small islands and adjacent islets in the Atlantic Ocean, between the rest of Europe and Greenland .3 It has a population of about 331,000 inhabitants and an area of ​​103,000 km².4 Because of its location on the mid-Atlantic ridge, it is a country with great volcanic and geological activity; this factor greatly affects the landscape of the Icelandic territory. The interior of the country consists of a plateau characterized by deserts, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow into the sea through the lowlands. Thanks to the effects of the Gulf Stream, it has a temperate climate in relation to its latitude and provides a livable environment.

The first human settlement in Iceland dates from the year 874 when, according to the Landnámabók or "Book of the settlement", the Norwegian leader Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent settler on the island.5 6 Other navigators, such as the Faroese Viking Naddoddr , possible discoverer, visited the island around 860 to spend winter there. However, they never founded a permanent settlement there.7 Throughout the following centuries, human groups of Nordic and Gaelic origin settled in Iceland. Until the twentieth century, the Icelandic population depended on fishing and agriculture, and from 1262 to 1944 it was part of the kingdoms of Norway and, later, of Denmark. In the 20th century, the country gained its independence and the Icelandic economy developed rapidly.