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Iceland Is A Country Of Iceland

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Iceland is a country that is misleading in many ways and is often underestimated. The name Iceland, itself is often debated and joked about, however the origin of the name Iceland is credited to a story by a Scandinavian sailor in the “Book of Settlements” (Shanin). Many often joke that the country of Iceland is greener than one may be led to believe in more ways than one. The island was first inhabited by Nordic people around 870 AD in what is now modern-day Reykjavik (Valgardsson). The city of Reykjavik is the heart of Iceland in more ways than one. The city is home to approximately 120,000 people this contributes to the 60% of the Icelandic population who live in the Reykjavik city area (Scrivener). In addition to housing the largest population in the country, the city is also the home of the Icelandic government, the country’s biggest industries, and Icelandic culture (Valgardsson). This is what makes Reykjavik so unique as the city itself is an embodiment of the country of Iceland as a whole. And while it is the fastest growing urban area among Nordic countries, what sets it apart from other homogeneous nordic cities is its approach to the environmental sustainability and its goal to be carbon neutral by 2020. Reykjavik is consider one of the greenest cities in the world. What makes it so significantly sustainable is how it harnesses energy. Almost all the energy Reykjavik uses is derived from hydroelectric power and geothermal energy (Gipe). The use of geothermal and

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