Fun Facts About Iceland

Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson • Dec 16, 2014

Did you know…

Iceland was the chosen destination for scenes in many famous movies. Recognise any of these (to name a few):

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Starring Angelina Jolie. Most of the Icelandic scenes were shot on a glacier, and on icy lagoons full of floating icebergs.
Die Another Day (2002), Starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry, was shot primarily in the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Spain.
Batman Begins (2005), Starring Christian Bale, began filming in the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland. The crew built a village and the front doors to Ra's' temple, as well as a road to access the remote area.
Faust (2011), Starring Johannes Zeiler and Anton Adasinsky, has some astonishing shots of Iceland’s geysers.
Game of Thrones (2011), “The wild and mystical landscapes of Iceland and harsh weather set the dramatic stage for the land beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones” - filminiceland.com
Prometheus (2012), “Under the active Icelandic volcano Hekla and at Europes most powerful waterfall, Dettifoss in the North Iceland, Ridley Scott discovered the prehistoric extraterrestrial landscape suited to create the right atmosphere for his film Prometheus” - filminiceland.com
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), Starring Ben Stiller featured Iceland in all it’s glory in a leading role
Oblivion (2013), Starring Tom Cruise was shot in part in the Icelandic Highlands and Vatnajökull National Park
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), “An impressive Iceland black beach with rock formations gives a stark volcanic feeling to a key scene in the film” - filminiceland.com
Noah (2014), Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins was in part shot in Iceland
Interstellar (2014), Icelandic glaciers and barren landscape were considered well suited for this film starring Matthew McConaughey
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), has shot scenes for Star Wars ‘Hoth’ in the Langjökull glacier in Iceland.

Interesting Facts About Iceland

In the Summer, the sun shines almost directly on the upper part of the planet, causing 20 hours of sunlight, which is why Iceland is called Land of the Midnight Sun.
The country of Iceland is 103,000 sq. km which is quite large, but there are only 3 people per sq. km. Most of Iceland’s energy comes from Hydroelectricity.
The currency of Iceland is the Icelandic Kronur.
Snæfellsjökull appeared in the Jules Verne Novel, “The Journey to the Centre of the Earth”. This Volcano last erupted about 1750 years ago.
In the Middle Ages, the Westfjords of Iceland were a stronghold of Witchery and Magic.
In the late 1600s, 20 sorcerers and witches were condemned in this area.
Mývatn is an amazing natural phenomenon host to Volcanoes, Hot springs and Lava-fields, a variety of Birdlife and plenty of mýflugur (mosquito).
It’s so full of bustling alga-culture that it can’t be seen from the air.
Dettifoss is the most powerful Waterfall in Europe.

That’s it for now. We hope you learned something new about our great country.

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