Extreme Location
Out of this world locations
Located in the middle of the Atlantic, Iceland has active volcanoes and geothermal hot springs in numerous places around the country. The land is geologically young, largely in its natural state and actually still taking shape on the mid-Atlantic Ridge. In Iceland you can in fact see the effect of the splitting of the continental shelves between America and Europe. Iceland's "out-of-this-world" landscapes were where the US astronauts trained before walking on the moon. Culturally, Iceland is rich in heritage with a long tradition of storytelling, and gave the word "Saga" to the world.
Unique landscapeIceland offers film makers an astonishing spectrum of scenery: black deserts with yellow and red sulphur mountains emitting steam in the background, moors patched with blue ponds, majestic waterfalls, lagoons filled with icebergs, huge glaciers, active and dormant volcanoes and also places of serene beauty. Europe's largest glacier is in Iceland. All these landscapes are easily accessible and good hotel and catering facilities are in most cases within a short distance.
Cool summers and mild winters
The mean annual temperature in the capital, Reykjavík, is -0.5°C in January, which is warmer than New York, and 10.3°C in July. In Iceland wintertime is from November-March, spring is April-May, summer is in June, July and August and autumn is September-October.
| Month |
°C |
°F |
| January |
-1.3 |
29.7 |
| February |
1.0 |
33.8 |
| March |
2.1 |
35.8 |
| April |
4.0 |
39.2 |
| May |
7.2 |
44.9 |
| June |
13.1 |
55.6 |
| July |
15.2 |
59.4 |
| August |
13.3 |
55.9 |
| September |
13.0 |
55.4 |
| October |
6.1 |
43.0 |
| November |
3.7 |
38.7 |
| December |
-0.8 |
30.6 |
Greenwich mean time year-round
Iceland is on Greenwich Mean Time all year around, and does not introduce summer time. At
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Winter |
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Incredible daylight
From mid-May to mid-August the sun only sets for around 3 hours a day, and it is effectively light for the whole 24-hour period. In midwinter, there are around 5 hours of effective daylight. These long and short periods of daylight add drama to the atmosphere with lingering twilight.
| DATE |
SUNRISE |
SUNSET |
| 14.1.2001 |
10:34 AM |
3:59 PM |
| 14.2.2001 |
9:05 AM |
5:38 PM |
| 14.3.2001 |
7:26 AM |
7:07 PM |
| 14.4.2001 |
5:37 AM |
20:38 PM |
| 14.5.2001 |
3:55 AM |
10:12 PM |
| 14.6.2001 |
2:42 AM |
11:32 PM |
| 14.7.2001 |
3.23 AM |
11:00 PM |
| 14.8.2001 |
4:58 AM |
9:22 PM |
| 14.9.2001 |
6:29 AM |
7:33 PM |
| 14.10.2001 |
7:55 AM |
5:48 PM |
| 14.11.2001 |
9:32 AM |
4:09 PM |
| 14.12.2001 |
10:50 AM |
3:12 PM |
Iceland within Reach
Iceland is located midway between Europe and North America. The country maintains highly efficient and regular air and sea links with both continent. Shipping of cargo is easy with regular liner sailings to and from major ports in Europe and the USA. Shipping takes 3-4 days to Europe and 7-8 days to North America. Flight times are 2-3 hours to major gateways in Europe and 5-6 hours to the east coast of North America. Keflavik is the main international airport and a border point for entering Europe under the Schengen Agreement, is in the southwest, located about 50 km west of the capital, Reykjavik. In the domestic market, air services operate regularly (daily) to main regional towns.
Read more about Iceland