Iceland was settled by Norwegian and Celtic immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries. The country was independent for over 300 years but then subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. In 1874, Iceland received a constitution from the Danish king and control of its own finances. In 1904 Iceland received home rule and finally in 1918 sovereignty. On 17th of June 1944, the Republic of Iceland was formally proclaimed at Þingvellir.

The country's written and spoken language is Icelandic, a Nordic language very similar to that spoken by Iceland's first settlers. Icelandic is one of the oldest living languages in Europe. English and Danish are mandatory subjects in school. Very few Icelanders have original surnames and therefore celanders call each other by their first names.

Iceland is about midway between New York and Moscow. Iceland has a total area of 103,000 square km (39,756 square miles). Iceland is a very young country, geologically, and the process of its formation is still going on. Iceland has a relatively mild coastal climate. In Reykjavik The average summer temperature  is 10.6°C/51°F and average winter temperature is 0°C/32°F.

Daily flights, link Iceland with more than 20 gateways in Europe and North America. Flight time is 3 hours to Western Europe and 5 hours to east coast of North America. Domestic services operate to Iceland's main regional communities.

A fundamental principle of the Icelandic educational system is that everyone should have equal opportunities to acquire an education, irrespective of sex, economic status, residential location, religion, possible handicap, and cultural or social background.

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 the dark-haired type than the other Nordic nations.