A young population leaving the countryside
In view of the many uninhabitable areas (inland deserts), population density remains very low, at around 3.4 inhabitants per km². By way of comparison, metropolitan France has a population density of around 117 inhabitants per km².
Iceland's population is very young by European standards: 20% of the population is under the age of 15 (2018), in line with one of the highest fertility rates in Europe. The youthfulness of the population is evident in the omnipresence of children and teenagers on the streets, and in the impressive energy felt in Reykjavík. The majority of young people are trying to leave the countryside for a city life, and the impact of this exodus is influencing the way of life. The capital's lively nightlife is due in no small part to the large numbers of young people who have come to live here.
While almost three-fifths of the population live in and around Reykjavík, the country is undergoing a massive rural exodus. Young people are leaving the countryside. A worrying trend for a country that is also governed by the many farms that cover it. Social inequalities are still very rare.
But the need for manpower and the opening up to the world had begun to change the situation before the crisis hit. Poles in particular, who now form a sizeable minority - Poland opened an embassy in Reykjavík in 2008. Nevertheless, Iceland remains renowned for its highly homogeneous population. It is thanks to this particular feature that the DeCode Genetics company has been able to make numerous discoveries in the health field, announcing that it knows the genes responsible for multiple sclerosis or asthma. When it was announced that the population would be registered, the response was overwhelmingly in the affirmative.
The Icelanders, a population proud of its origins
To better understand the Icelanders and their beliefs, it's necessary to go back in time and discover their origins. Their origins can be traced back to the Vikings, the first navigators from western Norway to leave their homeland in the 9th century, including Ingólfur Arnarson, one of the first settlers to visit Ingólfshöfði and discover the bay he named Reykjavík. Icelanders show great hospitality. Initially cold, they turn out to be particularly warm-hearted when visitors want to know more about their origins and particularities. Many don't hesitate to confide their little secrets, the location of little-known places whose beauty they reserve for themselves.
Travelling to Iceland means discovering not only the country, but also its people. Indeed, most places have a history that tells us a great deal about the habits and customs of the island's inhabitants. Aware of their small numbers, Icelanders fight to preserve their cultural identity. However, the consumerist era that has taken hold of Icelandic society and the Americanization of the way of life nuance this observation. Icelanders are strongly influenced by American culture and lifestyle, and the two nations enjoy a privileged relationship. The country has no army of its own, but there are agreements with allied countries such as Norway and Denmark, and a number of surveillance systems keep a watchful eye on the country's skies and coasts.
ég tala ekki íslensku* !
Icelandic(íslenska) is known as one of the most difficult languages in the world, mainly due to its grammar with its complex declensions. For a tourist, it is also complicated to learn certain terms because of the difference between the way words are written and how they are pronounced.
Take, for example, one of the most famous sites in the Golden Circle, Þingvellir or "Thingvellir". If you ask an Icelander about its location and say "sing-veu-lire", he or she might not understand you! Because its Icelandic pronunciation actually sounds like "sink-vet-lif". Remember, too, that "hv" is pronounced "kv" as in Hveragerdi. For practice, feel free to search for certain words on forvo.com.
Now let's look at the origins of Icelandic. This Germanic language is related to the Scandinavian languages, but has its origins in Old Norse. The country's isolation, coupled with a strong written tradition (unlike other northern languages, which have long remained dialects), has resulted in a unique preservation of the original language in both its oral and written versions. Icelandic therefore has few regional variants, and the language differs very little from that spoken in the Middle Ages. As a result, Icelandic schoolchildren can read 13th-century sagas with relative ease!
In order to adapt to changes in vocabulary without losing the purity of the language, terminologists are tasked with creating new words or, conversely, updating old words that have fallen into disuse. It should be noted that the Latin alphabet, imposed by the Catholic Church, replaced the runic script, of which only two signs remain today: the "ð" and the "þ", both of which correspond to the English "th".
No need to panic if you want to make yourself understood: English, which is compulsory at school, and Danish, the historical language of the administration, are almost systematically spoken or understood in Iceland! In fact, some Icelandic writers, such as Gunnar Gunnarsson, have chosen to write in Danish.
* "I don't speak Icelandic" ... in Icelandic!
Why do Icelanders all have the same surname?
A question as polemical as it is deliberately exaggerated! It's true, however, that most Icelanders have kept the tradition of deriving their surname from their father's first name.
In order to define the name in the case of men, the noun son ("son") is added to the father's first name, followed by an S (the genitive to signify belonging), while in the case of women, the procedure remains the same, changing the noun to dóttir ("daughter"). Thus, the son of a man whose first name is Jón will be called Jónsson. The daughter of the same man will be called Jónsdóttir. Assuming that the aforementioned son has the first name Halldór, his son will be called Halldórsson and his daughter Halldórsdóttir. Knowing that these names are in fact patronymics, we tend to call each Icelander by his or her full name, and not by his or her patronymic, which may correspond to that of multiple individuals. It should be noted that when two Icelanders marry, the bride does not take her husband's name, but keeps her own.
