Demographics of Iceland
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Most Icelanders are descendants of Norwegian settlers and Celts from Ireland, and the population is remarkably homogeneous. According to Icelandic government statistics, 99% of the nation's inhabitants live in urban areas (localities with populations greater than 200) and 60% live in Reykjavík and the surrounding area. Of the Nordic languages, the Icelandic language is closest to the Old Norse language and has remained relatively unchanged since the 12th century. Because of its small size and relative homogeneity, Iceland holds all the characteristics of a very close-knit society.
About 91% of the population belong to the state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, or other Lutheran Churches. However, Iceland has complete religious liberty, and other Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations are present (about 3.5%), along with small communities of major world religions. The most notable religious community in Iceland, and in 2003 the fastest-growing one, is Ásatrúarfélagið, or the Ásatrú community, a legally recognized revival of the pre-Christian religion of Iceland.
Most Icelandic surnames are based on patronymy, or the adoption of the father's first given name, followed by "son" or "daughter". For example, Magnús and Anna, children of a man named Pétur Jónsson, would have the full name Magnús Pétursson and Anna Pétursdóttir, respectively. Magnús's daughter Sigríður Ásta would be Sigríður Ásta Magnúsdóttir, and would remain so for the rest of her life regardless of marriage. An Icelandic patronymic is essentially only a designation of fatherhood, and is therefore redundant in Icelandic social life except to differentiate people of the same first name - the phone directory, for example, lists people by their given name first, patronymic second. Thus it has little in common with traditional surnames except for its position after the given name. It is legally possible in Iceland to rework the patronymic into a matronymic, replacing the father's name with the mother's. Use of the patronymic system is required by law, except for the descendants of those who had acquired family names before 1913 (about 10% of the population). One notable Icelander who has an inherited family name is football star Eiður Smári Guðjonsen.
See also: Icelandic naming conventions
Icelandic National Registry
All living Icelanders, as well as all foreign citizens with permanent residence in Iceland, have a personal identification number (kennitala) identifying them in the National Registry. This number is composed of 10 digits, whereof the first six are made up of the individual's birth date in the format DDMMYY. The next two digits are chosen at random when the kennitala is allocated, the 9th digit is a check digit, and the last digit indicates the period of one hundred years in which the individual was born (for instance, '9' for the period 1900-1999). An example would be 120102-3389. While similar, all-inclusive personal registries exist in other countries, the use of the national registry is unusually extensive in Iceland. For example, some video rentals register their customers using the registry identification numbers. It is worth noting that the completeness of the National Registry eliminates any need for censuses to be performed.
Cultural Achievements
See also: Culture of Iceland
The Icelandic Sagas, almost all written between 1180-1300 A.D., remain Iceland's best known literary accomplishment, and they have no surviving counterpart anywhere in the Nordic world. Based on Norwegian and Icelandic histories and genealogies, the Sagas present views of Nordic life and times up to 1100 A.D. The Saga writers sought to record their heroes' great achievements and to glorify the virtues of courage, pride, and honor, focusing in the later Sagas on early Icelandic settlers.
Unlike its literature, Iceland's fine arts did not flourish until the 19th century because the population was small and scattered. Iceland's most famous painters are Ásgrímur Jónsson, Jón Stefánsson, and Jóhannes Kjarval, all of whom worked during the first half of the 20th century, and Erró (Guðmundur Guðmundsson). The best-known modern sculptor, Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982), drew his inspiration from Icelandic folklore and the Sagas for many of his works.
The best known Icelandic writer of the 20th century is the Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness. The literacy rate is 100%, and literature and poetry are a passion with the population. Per capita publication of books and magazines is the highest in the world. In 2000, a population of around 280,000 enjoyed three daily newspapers and 101 other newspapers and periodicals.
The bass Kristinn Sigmundsson and the tenor Kristján Jóhannsson are Iceland's most famous opera singers, whilst pop singer Björk is probably the country's best known artist in this century.
Population: 293,966 (July 2004 estimate), of whom 179,781 (61%) live in the Reykjavík metropolitan area.
Age structure:
0-14 years:
22.5% (male 33,522; female 32,489)
15-64 years:
65.8% (male 98,091; female 95,450)
65 years and over:
11.7% (male 15,552; female 18,862) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total:
33.8 years
male:
33.3 years
female:
34.3 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.97% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 13.83 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 6.57 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.04 males : 1 female
under 15 years:
1.03 males : 1 female
15-64 years:
1.03 males : 1 female
65 years and over:
0.83 males : 1 female
total population:
1 male : 1 female
(2004 estimate)
Infant mortality rate: 3.31 deaths : 1,000 live births (2004 estimate)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
80.18 years
male:
78.18 years
female:
82.27 years
(2004 estimate)
Total fertility rate: 1.93 children born : 1 woman (2004 estimate)
Nationality:
noun:
Icelander(s)
adjective:
Icelandic
Ethnic groups: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norwegians and Celts
Religions: Lutheran 87.1%, Protestant 4.1%, Roman Catholic 1.7% and other 7.1% (2002)
Languages: Icelandic
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99.9% (1997 est.)
male:
NA%
female:
NA%