Stephen Bruder, age 13, of Annapolis, Md., for his question:
CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT ICELAND?
Iceland is an island republic located in the North Atlantic Ocean about 185 miles east of Greenland and about 620 miles west of Norway. The country's dimensions are about 190 miles from north to south and about 300 miles from east to west.
Iceland is about the same size as Kentucky but it has only about three fifths as many people as the city of Louisville.
Iceland is remarkable for the number of its volcanoes, craters and thermal springs and for the frequency of its earthquakes. More than 100 volcanoes, including at least 25 that have erupted in historic times, are located on the island. Noteworthy among the volcanoes are Mt. Hekla which has erupted many times, including 1766, 1947, and 1980 and nearby Laki, with about 100 separate craters.
Vast lava fields have been created by volcanoes and many eruptions have caused widespread devastation. Laki's eruption in 1783, for example, spread molten lava, volcanic ashes and gases along with torrential floods that resulted in melting ice and snow. It ruined large tracts of arable land, destroyed about 80 percent of the livestock on the island and led to the deaths of more than 9,000 persons.
Fishing and fish processing are the most important Icelandic industries, accounting for about 75 percent of yearly exports and employing about 20 percent of the labor force.
Although less than one percent of the land area is under cultivation, about 15 percent of Iceland's population is engaged in agriculture. Principal crops include hay, turnips and potatoes. Raising livestock is also a major occupation.
Settlers from Norway came to Iceland about A.D. 870. Then in 1380 Iceland came under Danish rule. When German troops occupied Denmark in World War II, British troops landed in Iceland in 1940. Later U.S. troops replace the British forces. Independence came in 1944.
During World War II, Icelanders began demanding more control over their government. In 1944, 97 percent of the people voted to cut all political ties with Denmark. Iceland officially gained independence on June 17, 1944. Iceland joined the United Nations in 1946.
The country has no military forces of its own, except for a small coast guard. Under an agreement, a small United States military force is stationed at an air base near Reykjavik.
The people elect a president who serves for four years. The president is the official head of state, but has little power. The prime minister actually directs the government.
The Althing (parliament) passes laws for the country. The people directly elect 49 of the 60 Althing members. The other 11 seats are divided among the political parties so that the percentage of representative each party has in the Althing is about the same as the percentage of votes each party received in the elections. Althing members serve four year terms.