nternational agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not
ratified - Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life
Conservation

Geographic note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe;
westernmost European country; more land covered by glaciers than in
all of continental Europe

People
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Population: 270,292 (July 1996 est.)
note: population data estimates based on average growth rate may
differ slightly from official population data because of volatile
migration rates

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 33,605; female 31,933)
15-64 years: 64% (male 88,064; female 85,724)
65 years and over: 12% (male 13,916; female 17,050) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.83% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 16.94 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 6.17 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.08 years
male: 77.68 years
female: 82.6 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.24 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic

Ethnic divisions: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norwegians
and Celts

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 96%, other Protestant and Roman
Catholic 3%, none 1% (1988)

Languages: Icelandic

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.)
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government
----------

Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland
local long form: Lyoveldio Island
local short form: Island

Data code: IC

Type of government: republic

Capital: Reykjavik

Administrative divisions: 23 counties (syslar, singular - sysla)
and 14 independent towns* (kaupstadhir, singular - kaupstadhur);
Akranes*, Akureyri*, Arnessysla, Austur-Bardhastrandarsysla,
Austur-Hunavatnssysla, Austur-Skaftafellssysla, Borgarfjardharsysla,
Dalasysla, Eyjafjar