Iceland Passport

[Country Name] Iceland (Iceland, Iceland).

【 Area 】 103000 square kilometers.

[Population] 383000 (as of January 2024). The vast majority are Icelandic and belong to the Germanic ethnic group. Icelandic is the official language and English is the common language. 85.4% of residents believe in the Lutheran faith.

Reykjavik, the capital city, has a population of 252000 (as of January 2024). The average temperature in January is 1.4 ℃, the average temperature in July is 11.7 ℃, and the average temperature in October is 4.8 ℃.

Head of State: President Halla T ó masd ó ttir

）Appointed on August 1, 2024.

National Day: June 17th.

[Currency] Icelandic krona (Í slensk kr ó na), 1 US dollar is equivalent to 136 Icelandic krona (January 2024).

【 Overview 】 Located in the central North Atlantic, near the Arctic Circle, it is the second largest island in Europe. The coastline is approximately 4970 kilometers long. It belongs to the cold temperate maritime climate, influenced by the warm current of the Gulf of Mexico, and has a relatively mild climate. Adjacent to the Arctic Circle, the summer sunshine hours are close to polar day, and the winter climate is cold with fierce wind and snow. Multiple volcanoes and geothermal fountains.

At the end of the 8th century, Irish monks first migrated to Iceland. In the second half of the 9th century, Norway began to immigrate to Iceland. In 930, a parliament and the Icelandic Federation were established. In 1262, I belonged to Norway. In 1380, Bing and Nuotong returned to Danish rule. Obtained internal autonomy in 1904. In 1918, Bingdan signed a federal law that designated Bingdan as a sovereign state, but foreign affairs remained under Dan's control. In 1940, Denmark was occupied by Germany, and the ice Danish relationship was interrupted. In the same year, the British army entered, and the following year, the American army replaced the British army in the ice. On June 16, 1944, the Ice Council officially announced the dissolution of the Ice Dan Alliance and established a parliamentary independent state on June 17.

The Constitution was promulgated on June 17, 1944 and has been revised multiple times since then. The constitution stipulates that Iceland implements a parliamentary democracy. The parliament and the president jointly hold legislative power, the courts hold judicial power, and the president and the government jointly hold executive power. The president is elected directly for a term of four years and can be re elected.

The parliament was originally divided into two houses, upper and lower, and merged into one house in October 1991. There are 63 members of parliament with a term of four years. The current parliament was elected after the September 2021 general election and is composed of 8 political parties, including the Independence Party with 17 seats, the Progressive Party with 13 seats, the Left Green Movement Party with 8 seats, the Social Democratic Alliance with 6 seats, the People's Party with 6 seats, the Pirate Party with 6 seats, the Renewal Party with 5 seats, and the Centre Party with 2 seats. Speaker Birgir Á rmannsson (Independence Party).

In September 2021, the current Icelandic government was established, with the Independence Party, Progressive Party, and Left Green Movement Party forming a right, center, and left coalition government. In April 2024, the government will undergo a restructuring, with key members including Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson (male, Independence Party), Foreign Minister Th ó rd í s Kolbr ú n Reykfj ö rd Gylfad ó ttir (female, Independence Party), Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Sigur ð ur Ingi J ó hannsson (male, Progressive Party), and Social Affairs and Labor Minister Gu ð mundur Ingi Gu ð brandsson (male, Left Green Movement). Party). In October 2024, Prime Minister Benediksson announced the dissolution of the government and will hold early elections in November.

【 Main website 】 Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.mfa.is Parliament: http://www.althingi.is .

Since January 2018, the judicial system has implemented a three-level trial system consisting of local courts, appellate courts, and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has a total of 7 justices appointed by the President for life. The President of the Supreme Court is elected by all the Grand Justices of the Supreme Court for a term of 5 years. Current Dean Benedikt Bogason. In addition, there are two special courts: the Labor Court and the National Impeachment Court.

[Political Party]

(1) Independence Party: The ruling party. Established in 1929. Advocate making the bilateral defense cooperation agreement between the United States and Iceland the cornerstone of security and defense policies, while strengthening cooperation with other NATO member countries, especially Nordic and Western European countries; Until Iceland is allowed to retain control over fisheries and other natural resources, it will not join the European Union or the Eurozone; Emphasize environmental protection; Advocate for the privatization of state-owned enterprises. Chairman Bidny Benediksson.

(2) Left Green Movement: abbreviated as Green Party. The ruling party. Established in 1999. Advocate for an independent foreign policy, oppose joining any military organization, and oppose foreign troops stationed in ice; Oppose joining the European Union and the Eurozone; Emphasize environmental protection and safeguard the interests of low-income individuals. Chairman Svandis Svavarsd ó ttir.

(3) Progressive Party: The ruling party. Established in 1916. Advocate for further strengthening ties with the European Union, and when conditions are ripe, consider joining the European Union and the Eurozone; Advocate for economic privatization and improve social welfare. Chairman Sigur ð ur Ingi J ó hannsson.

(4) Liberal Reform Party: The opposition party. Established in 2016. Separated from the Independence Party. Advocate for timely accession to the European Union; Support agricultural subsidy reform and protective tariff measures; Support green economy policies and pay attention to social welfare. Chairman Sorgerdi Katrin Gunnarsd ó ttir.

(5) Pirate Party: The opposition party. Established in 2012. It advocates the information revolution and calls for freedom of speech, political transparency on the Internet and the legalization of online information sharing. Chairman Halld ó ra Mogensen.

(6) Social Democratic Alliance: opposition party. Established in 2000. Formed by the merger of the Social Democratic Party, People's Alliance, and Women's List. Support the reform of the social welfare system and advocate for joining the European Union and the Eurozone. Chairman Logi M á r Einarsson.

(7) Centre Party: The opposition party. Established in 2017. Separated from the Progressive Party. Oppose joining the European Union, emphasize neutrality, adopt an open attitude towards the governance philosophy of both left and right political parties, and strengthen social security while protecting individual rights. Chairman Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson.

(8) People's Party: The opposition party. Established in 2016. Advocate for the elimination of poverty, take a tough stance against external threats such as terrorism, and emphasize the protection of Icelandic language and culture. Chairman Gu ð mundur Ingi Kristinsson.

[Important Person] Hadra Tomasdottir: President. Icelandic female entrepreneur and investor. Born on October 11th, 1968. He has obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Auburn University in Alabama and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Thunderbird Global School of Management. In August 2024, she became the second female president in Icelandic history.

Bidny Benediksson: Prime Minister. Born in 1970. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Iceland in 1995 and a Master's degree in Law from the University of Miami in the United States in 1997. Since 2003, he has served as a member of the Icelandic Parliament, serving on various committees including the economy, taxation, industry, and foreign affairs. In 2009, he became the chairman of the Icelandic Independence Party. From April 2013 to January 2017, he served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs of Iceland. He served as the Prime Minister of Iceland from January to November 2017. Served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs of Iceland from November 2017 to October 2023. Appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland in October 2023. In April 2024, he will once again serve as the Prime Minister of Iceland.

The fishing industry is the backbone of the economy, with high energy consuming industries such as aluminum smelting and the processing of fishery products being the main industries. High dependence on foreign trade. Joined the European Free Trade Association in 1970, joined the European Economic Area in 1994, and became a founding member of the World Trade Organization in 1995. From 1995 to 2000, Iceland's economy entered a period of rapid growth, with an average annual GDP growth rate of nearly 4%, ranking among the top in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In September 2008, the three major banks of Bing went bankrupt due to high-risk investment failures and were nationalized, plunging Bing into a serious economic crisis. The ice government implements strict foreign exchange control measures, actively seeks assistance from foreign countries, and has reached a RMB 3.5 billion currency swap agreement with China, receiving a USD 2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund and assistance from other Nordic countries; We will fully respond to the crisis internally, save administrative expenses, strive to rebuild the financial system, stabilize the economic order, and encourage traditional industries to produce and engage in foreign trade. Since 2011, the ice economy has gradually stabilized and resumed growth. Starting from June 2015, comprehensive measures to gradually lift capital controls will be implemented. In March 2017, the Bing government officially announced the end of all capital control measures targeting citizens, businesses, and pension funds, and Bing returned to the international financial market. In 2020, the Icelandic economy suffered heavy losses due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, and began to stabilize and recover in 2021. The main economic data for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 31 billion US dollars

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 4.1%

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 80000 US dollars

[Resources] Fishery, hydropower, and geothermal resources are abundant, while other natural resources are scarce, and petroleum and other products need to be imported. The exploitable annual hydroelectric power generation is 64 billion kWh, and the annual geothermal power generation can reach 7.2 billion kWh. Currently, nearly 100% of heating comes from geothermal sources.

Except for light industries such as fish product processing and knitting, the main industries are the aluminum refining industry and the pharmaceutical industry.

The agriculture and animal husbandry industry is located at a high latitude with less winter sunshine, and only a few farms in the southern region produce 400-500 tons of crops annually. The arable land area is 1000 square kilometers, accounting for 1% of the total area in the country. Animal husbandry plays a major role, and most of the agricultural land is used as feed grassland. The corresponding woolen and leather industries are relatively developed. We are self-sufficient in meat, milk, and eggs, and rely mainly on imports for grain, vegetables, and fruits. In 2022, the agricultural output value accounted for 4.07% of the gross domestic product.

Fishing is Iceland's pillar industry. The total catch of Icelandic fishing vessels in 2023 was 1.379 million tons, a decrease of 3% compared to 2022. The main fishing species are cod, mackerel, herring, etc. In January and February 2024, the export value of Icelandic aquaculture products was 13.3 billion Icelandic kronor, a year-on-year increase of 35%, reaching the highest amount in Icelandic aquaculture history during the same period. Among them, salmon exports account for over 90%.

The service industry plays an important role in the national economy. In 2023, Iceland's total service exports amounted to 911.5 billion Icelandic kronor, a year-on-year increase of 20%. The total import value of services was 623.2 billion Icelandic kronor, a year-on-year increase of 11%.

Since 1980, the tourism industry has been vigorously developed. Currently, it is the largest industry in the ice industry. In 2014, the number of foreign tourists exceeded one million for the first time. In 2017, it reached a new historical high of 2.2 million visits. In 2018, there were 2.3 million foreign tourists, with a slower growth rate. In 2019, due to the bankruptcy of Iceland's WOW airline and the grounding of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, passenger capacity significantly decreased, resulting in a 14.2% decrease in the number of foreign tourists visiting Iceland, to less than 2 million. Affected by the COVID-19, 3.3 million tourists stayed overnight in 2020, down 70.4% year on year. In 2021, Iceland's tourism industry recovered with 5.1 million registered overnight stays, a year-on-year increase of 55%. In 2022, the number of overnight stays for tourists reached 8.8 million, a year-on-year increase of 77%. The main tourist attractions include glaciers, volcanic landforms, geothermal fountains, and waterfalls.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, Iceland's exports of goods amounted to approximately 236.3 billion Icelandic kronor, while imports amounted to 318.6 billion Icelandic kronor. The countries with the largest import trade volume of goods in 2023 are Norway, Germany, and China. From January to July 2024, the bilateral trade volume between China and Iceland was 240 million US dollars. China has maintained Iceland's position as the largest trading partner in Asia for 16 consecutive years.

The amount of foreign aid in 2022 is approximately 0.34% of the Gross National Income (GNI). Mainly used by the Icelandic Development Agency to provide assistance to African countries and participate in important international aid projects of multilateral organizations such as UNICEF, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, and the World Food Programme.

According to the Constitution, ice does not have a military force. Joined NATO in 1949 and signed a defense agreement with the United States in 1951, with the United States responsible for its defense. NATO has military bases in the ice, with over 1700 US troops stationed there. In 2006, the US withdrew its military base in the ice and returned the land and facilities within the agreement area to the ice. Ice has a marine patrol team of about 100 people, equipped with 3 patrol boats, 2 search and rescue helicopters, and some small aircraft, responsible for fishing area protection and maritime rescue work. There are over 700 police officers nationwide. In March 2010, the ice government announced the gradual dissolution of the Defense Bureau, and its functions were shared among multiple departments including the Coast Guard.

The cultural and educational level of the entire population is relatively high. Implement 10 years of free compulsory education. Education funding accounts for approximately 7.7% of government spending, and there are 15 higher education institutions in the country, with the University of Iceland being the largest comprehensive university.

National newspapers include Morning Post, News Daily, and 24-hour Daily, with the largest circulation being Morning Post. There is one national radio station and one television station, among which the national radio station broadcasts five programs. There are 10 private television stations, of which 3 can cover the whole country, and there are also several private radio stations.

[External Relations] Not yet a member of the European Union, but a member of the European Free Trade Association and the Schengen Area, actively cooperating with the EU within the framework of the European Economic Area. Maintain traditional close relationships with Nordic countries. Actively participating in international affairs, it is one of the founding members of NATO. Currently, ice has embassies in 18 countries, consulates general in 3 countries, and permanent missions in 5 cities.