Population

Iceland was settled by a mixed stock of Norsemen from Scandinavia and Celts from the British Isles. The ruling class was Nordic, so that both the language and culture of Iceland were purely Scandinavian from the outset. But there are traces of Celtic influence in some of the Eddaic poems, in names, and in the appearance of present day Icelanders who have a higher percentage of dark-haired people than the other Nordic nations.

The early blending of Nordic and Celtic blood may account for the fact that the Icelanders, unlike other Nordic peoples, produced great literature in the Middle Ages. The immigration of other nationalities has been minimal since the first settlement, and there are no Inuits (Eskimos) in Iceland, contrary to common belief.

Around the year 1100 the population, then entirely rural, is estimated to have been about 70,000 -80,000. It declined below 40,000 three times during the eighteenth century but by the year 1900 it had reached 78,000. In 1925 it had passed the 100,000 mark, in 1967 it reached 200,000 and in 2006 the population was around 300.000. Population density per square kilometre in Iceland is 2.8 making the country the most sparsely populated country in Europe (seventh in the world).

The average life expectancy for men is 78 years and for women 82 years - one of the world's highest averages.

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