Interesting Facts About Icelanders

WanderLearn with Francis Tapon, author of The Hidden Europe and Hike Own Your Own Hike

Iceland is the only European country that I have not visited.

Technically, only about half of the country is in Europe, as it exists right in the middle of the tectonic plate that divides Europe and North America.

Because it lives on a crack in the earth, an astounding amount of geological activity takes place there. Erupting olcanoes, boiling hot springs, and soaring mountains litter the landscape.

I can’t wait to visit it one day. My dream is to walk across it like my friend Jonathan Ley did.

Since I know little about Iceland, I accepted this sponsored post about this fascinating article, written by Allison Turner.

Interesting Facts About Icelanders

All countries and cultures have their own unique quirks, it just seems Iceland has a few more of these quirks than other places. The key to this charming strangeness comes from the people that inhabit the land itself, the native Icelanders. Here are four interesting facts that you may not have known about Icelanders.

Surnames Do Not Exist

The majority of Icelanders (save for a few family names left from foreigners marrying into an Icelandic family) do not have a surname, which is why they call everyone by their first name. The last name is made from their father’s or mother’s first name with the addition of daughter or son. That also means that women keep their last names when they get married.