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GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONSGEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONSThis year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.

For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio athttp://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of Geography Connections.

1) Even though the name of the country is Iceland, only about 11% of the country iscovered in glacial ice and it contains close to 200 volcanoes.

2) Iceland is one of the least-populated countries in the world. At around 320,000 people,the entire population of Iceland is less than the population of Anaheim, California!

3) Iceland is one of the “greenest” countries in the world. About 85% of Iceland’selectricity and heating come from hydroelectric power and geothermal water reserves.

4) The Viking, Leif Erikson, was born in Iceland and is believed to have been the firstEuropean to set foot in North America over 400 years before Christopher Columbus.

5) Iceland is located just below the Arctic Circle; however, the climate is relatively mildbecause of the Gulf Stream and warm southwesterly winds.

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DID YOU KNOW?DID YOU KNOW?

The volcano, Bardarbunga, located in Northeastern Region, Iceland began eruptingon August 31, 2014 and just recently ended on February 28, 2015. It was Iceland’sbiggest volcanic eruption in centuries. Locate Bardarbunga on the map of Iceland.The last major volcanic eruption in Iceland was the volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, in October2010. This eruption dispruted air travel in northern andwestern Europe for a week.Locate Eyjafjallajokull on the map. The worst volcaniceruption in Iceland history was Laki, in 1783-1784. Itwiped out ½ of Iceland’s entire population.Locate Laki on the map.

Known as the “the land of fire and ice,” Icelandcontains some of Europe’s largest glaciers and theworld’s most active volcanoes. It is also the landof light and darkness because in the summer,daylight lasts for almost 24 hours, but in thewinter, daylight lasts for only a few hours. Duringthe fall and winter months, the beautiful sight ofthe northern lights, also known as Aurora Borealis,draws thousands of tourists to Iceland each year.When Iceland was discovered is a mystery. Thereare some theories dating back to the year 330BC, when an explorer named Pytheas discoveredan island in the northern seas. The first peoplebelieved to have settled in Iceland were Irishmonks in the early 800s; however, the settlementof Iceland is known to have started with the arrivalof the Vikings in 874. It was a Viking namedFlóki who climbed a high mountain to check onapproaching weather, when he spotted drift fjordsfilled with ice below and named the land, Iceland.In 1944, Iceland became independent andthe Republic of Iceland was formed when itended its union with Denmark. Reykjavikis the capital of Iceland and every year thecity hosts the Reykjavik Arts Festival, whereperformances of contemporary and classicalworks provide thousands of people with a trulyremarkable cultural experience. The officiallanguage of Iceland is Icelandic, which resemblesNorwegian and Faroese, with a slight mix ofCeltic influence. The major religion of Iceland isEvangelical Lutheran, which is a form of ProtestantChristianity.One more thing; many Icelanders believe inmythological creatures. If you ever visit Iceland,be sure to listen to folk tales from the locals aboutthe ghosts, elves and trolls that they believe youmight encounter as you journey through thecountry.

Just like Iceland, cities and other countries are finding ways to use renewable energy sourcesfor electricity, heating and fuel. There are towns in Connecticut that are currently, or planning touse renewable energy. You can read more about these towns on www.courant.com. Renewableenergy is highly efficient because the supply will never run out and it produces very little, if any, airpollution. Using www.courant.com, make a list of all of the renewable energy sources you can findand what they are being used for. For example, there is an article about a solar powered plane!

Online Resources:Iceland Facts- http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/iceland-facts/http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-icelandhttp://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/iceland.htmlhttp://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Iceland.htmlhttp://www.discover-the-world.co.uk/blog/did-you-know-icelandIceland’s official website and travel website-http://www.iceland.is/http://www.visiticeland.com/discovericelandHistory of Iceland- http://www.travelnet.is/history-of-iceland.html?itemid=c9cbcf25-a52c-4b81-820e-718a883fc69d

Common Core Curricular ConnectionsCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.4CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.10CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7

Location - Iceland is anisland located to the east ofGreenland and northwest ofthe United Kingdom in theNorth Atlantic Ocean.

Place - The area of Icelandis 39,768 square miles. Theentire island is about the sizeof Kentucky.

Human - EnvironmentInteraction- Fishing is oneof Iceland’s largest exports.Iceland also producespotatoes, turnips, cattle, andsheep.

Movement -Most people travelthrough Iceland in cars orbuses. There are no railwaysin the country. Iceland hasone airport in the capitalReykjavik that connects tomost major destinations.

Region - Iceland contains 8different regions, each with aunique landscape from city toglaciers to lava beds.

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ICELANDRobert LuceUniversity of New HavenInterning in the Branford School District