There is an island right now floating around the Atlantic Ocean that is about the size of Kentucky. This is an amazing island that goes by the name of Iceland. Even though the name can be misleading, Iceland is not made out of ice, but of amazing locals, landmarks, and food.

Iceland was discovered by vikings and their slaves in 806 AD. However, it was not settled until 1904. When the settlers first came to Iceland, it was covered in snow and ice, hence the name Iceland.

The capital of Iceland is Reykjavik (Rey-kya-vick) and has a population of 124,800 people. The most monumental landmark of the city is the Church. This Church is in the middle of the city and towers over it. Inside, you can climb over 3 sets of stairs and see all of Reykjavik at the top. At the bottom floor, you can see the inside of the Church where services go on. Standing in front of the Church, is a statue of Leif Eiricsson. Eiricsson was converted to Christianity by the Norwegian King, and spread Christianity for the rest of his life.

Aside from the amazing culture, shops, and food inside of Reykjavik, there is a port that you can do anything on. There is puffin tours, whale watching, and many restaurants to enjoy.

Farther away from the city, there is a bridge that connects the North American plate and the European plate. This is in the area of Reykjanes that is 35 minutes and 43.3 kilometers (26.96751 miles). The bridge stands fifteen meters in the air (fifty feet). This bridge overlooks an endless amounts of black sand.

Iceland is filled with amazing landmarks and filled with nature. Just driving on the roads outside of the city, you can see gorgeous rocks, water forms, and many views of snow capped mountains.

In the southwest part of Iceland, in the Olfusa river, there is one of the most famous Iceland tourist location, Gullfoss waterfall. Gullfoss translates to “golden river”, which is what the famous waterfall looks like when the sun reflects upon it. This waterfall has a total of two drops, and the longest is 21 meters (68.8976 feet). Although the waterfall is gorgeous, it also has its dangers. In July 2017 a 22 year old man from Georgia fell into the waterfall and died.

East of Reykjavik, there is a well known national historic park that is called Þingvellir (thing-vill-ir). This park sits in a river valley that is formed from the separation of two tectonic plates. In the park, there is rivers, old churches, stone houses, rocky cliffs, and fissures. One of the most monumental water forms in Þingvellir is the drowning pool. One of the punishments the Vikings had was death by drowning. This cruel execution method was for women that were guilty of ‘loose morales’. From the seventeenth century onwards eighteen women were drowned in the drowning pool.

One of the most famous geothermal spas/hot springs lie on Iceland’s southwestern coast. This spa is named the blue lagoon, which was named after the naturally blue water. When stepping into the water, it is naturally warm and full of minerals. In fact, many people who visit the Blue Lagoon come with the intention of helping their skin disease, most commonly psoriasis. The temperature averages between 37-39 degrees celsius (99-102 degrees fahrenheit). When entering the spa, you can swim around and get a silica face mud mask that comes with every package. The lagoon is 7,000 square meters (22,966 feet). Most visitors tend to spend three to four hours in this luxurious spa.

Along with the stunning natural resources, there are tours that go with them. One of them is a tour into a glacier. For instance, Into the Ice gives two hour long tours inside of the Langjokull glacier. In addition, all water in Iceland comes from the 239 plus glaciers.

A famous attraction in Iceland is the well-known northern lights. The northern lights take place in iceland from September to mid-April. This is the time of year when Iceland is dark 24/7.

Geysir is a geyser that is part of the well known Golden Circle. Geysir erupts every six to ten minutes and reaches up to 40 meters in height (131 feet). It is a fountain geyser, which means that Geysir erupts from a pool of water. Also, every other geyser is named after Geysir including the well known Yellowstone National Park.

Iceland is filled with amazing attractions and gorgeous nature. It is one of the kind and everywhere you look proves it.Hopefully everyone has a chance to see this gorgeous island!