Geography
.

Location:

65°N, 18° W
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK

Flag:

Description: blue with a red cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Area:

total area: 103,000 km²
land area: 100,250 km²

Boundaries

land boundaries:	0 km
coastline:	4.988 km
territorial sea:	12 nm
exclusive economic zone:	200 nm

International disputes: Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Ireland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)

Climate:

temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

Terrain:

mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

Altitudes:

lowest point:	Atlantic Ocean	0 m
highest point:	Hvannadalshnukur	2.119 m

Natural resources:

fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use:

arable land:	1%
permanent crops:	0%
meadows and pastures:	20%
forest and woodland:	1%
other:	78%

Environment:

current issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment

Natural Hazards:

earthquakes and volcanic activity

international 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