Editing Icelanders

{{short description|Ethnic group and nation}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Icelanders<br />''Íslendingar''
| image            = Map of the Icelandic Diaspora in the World.svg
| population       = 388,900<ref>{{cite web|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12174|title=Icelander|website=Joshua Project|access-date=8 February 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219104605/https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12174|archive-date=19 February 2017}}</ref>
| popplace         = {{ISL}} 321,246{{smallsup|a}}<ref name="Population January 1">{{cite web|url=https://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Ibuar/Ibuar__mannfjoldi__3_bakgrunnur__Rikisfang/MAN04103.px/table/tableViewLayout1/?rxid=4a57c378-86ad-4996-97fe-ef6cf71e73b1|title=Population figures by country of citizenship|website=www.hagstofa.is|publisher=Statistics Iceland|access-date=8 February 2023|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417123937/https://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Ibuar/Ibuar__mannfjoldi__3_bakgrunnur__Rikisfang/MAN04103.px/?rxid=4a57c378-86ad-4996-97fe-ef6cf71e73b1|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region3          = {{flag|Denmark}}
| pop3             = 9,308
| ref3             =<ref name="Statistikbanken">{{cite web | title=Map Analyser | website=Statistikbanken | url=https://www.statistikbanken.dk/statbank5a/Graphics/MapAnalyser.asp?Maintable=FOLK1C&PLanguage=0&IELAND=5105&OMR%C3%85DE=000&K%C3%98N=TOT&ALDER=IALT&HERKOMST=4 | language=da | access-date=15 May 2020 | archive-date=26 June 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626095426/https://www.statistikbanken.dk/statbank5a/Graphics/MapAnalyser.asp?Maintable=FOLK1C&PLanguage=0&IELAND=5105&OMR%C3%85DE=000&K%C3%98N=TOT&ALDER=IALT&HERKOMST=4 | url-status=live }}</ref>
| region4          = {{flag|Norway}}
| pop4             = 8,274
| ref4             = <ref name="IOM">[https://www.iom.int/world-migration World Migration]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003145722/http://www.iom.int/world-migration |date=3 October 2016 }}. International organization for migration.</ref>
| region5          = {{flag|Sweden}}
| pop5             = 5,454
| ref5             = <ref name="IOM" />
| region2          = {{flag|United States}}
| pop2             = 42,716
| ref2             = <ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=539&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010%3A539&_keyword=&_industry= "Census 2000 ACS Ancestry"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608124928/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=539&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010:539&_keyword=&_industry= |date=8 June 2011 }}</ref>
| region6          = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| pop6             = 2,225
| ref6             = <ref name="IOM" />
| region7          = {{flag|Germany}}
| pop7             = 1,802
| ref7             = <ref name="IOM" />
| region8          = {{flagcountry|France}}
| pop8             = 1,500
| ref8             = <ref name="Présentation de l’Islande">{{cite web |author=Erwin Dopf |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/islande/relations-bilaterales/ |title=Présentation de l'Islande, Relations bilatérales |publisher=diplomatie.gouv.fr |access-date=8 April 2017 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806104358/https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/islande/relations-bilaterales/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region9          = {{flag|Spain}}
| pop9             = 1,122
| ref9             = <ref name="IOM" />
| region1          = {{flag|Canada}}
| pop1             = 101,795
| ref1             = <ref name="2016pop">{{Cite web| url = https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Ethnic%20origin&TABID=1&type=0| title = Census Profile, 2016 Census Canada [Country]| website = [[Canada 2016 Census]]| publisher = [[Statistics Canada]]| access-date = 31 March 2020| archive-date = 3 March 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210303161416/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Ethnic%20origin&TABID=1&type=0| url-status = live}}</ref>
| region10         = {{flag|Brazil}}
| pop10            = 1,046
| ref10            = <ref name="IOM" />
| region11         = {{flag|Australia}}
| pop11            = 980
| ref11            = <ref name="2011censusIceland">{{cite web|url=http://dfat.gov.au/geo/iceland/pages/iceland-country-brief.aspx|title=Iceland country brief|website=[[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)|Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]]|access-date=27 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228085912/http://dfat.gov.au/geo/iceland/pages/iceland-country-brief.aspx|archive-date=28 February 2017}}</ref>
| region12         = {{flag|Poland}}
| pop12            = 492
| ref12            = <ref name="IOM" />
| region13         = {{flag|Finland}}
| pop13            = 223
| ref13            = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates19.asp|title=United Nations Population Division &#124; Department of Economic and Social Affairs|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828221915/https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates19.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region14         = Other countries combined
| pop14            = {{circa|3,000}}
| ref14            = <ref name="IOM" />
| languages        = [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]
| religions        = [[Lutheranism]] (mainly the [[Church of Iceland]]);<ref name="statice.is">{{Cite web|url=http://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Samfelag/Samfelag__menning__5_trufelog/MAN10001.px/table/tableViewLayout1/?rxid=4cfc6e75-3bf7-4455-ba53-5cb62900aa65|title=Populations by religious and life stance organizations 1998–2016|publisher=[[Statistics Iceland]]|location=Reykjavík, Iceland|access-date=28 February 2017|archive-date=13 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913113045/http://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Samfelag/Samfelag__menning__5_trufelog/MAN10001.px/?rxid=4cfc6e75-3bf7-4455-ba53-5cb62900aa65|url-status=live}}.</ref> <br />[[Ásatrúarfélagið|Neo-pagan]]; [[Roman Catholicism in Iceland|Roman Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity|Eastern Orthodox]] minorities among other faiths; secular. <br />Historically [[Norse paganism]], and Catholicism ({{circa}} 1000 – 1551). <br />See [[Religion in Iceland]]
| related          =  [[Norwegians]], [[Danes]], [[Swedes]], [[Faroe Islanders]], [[Irish people|Irish]], [[Scottish people|Scottish]]
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
|footnotes         = {{smallsup|a}} [[Icelandic nationality law|Icelandic citizens]]
}}

'''Icelanders''' ({{langx|is|Íslendingar}}) are an [[ethnic group]] and [[nation]] who are native to the [[island country]] of [[Iceland]]. They speak [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], a [[North Germanic languages|North Germanic language]].

Icelanders established the country of Iceland in mid 930&nbsp;[[Common Era|CE]] when the {{lang|is|[[Althing|Alþingi]]}} (parliament) met for the first time. Iceland came under the reign of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish kings but regained full sovereignty from the [[Danish monarchy]] on 1 December 1918, when the Kingdom of Iceland was established. On 17 June 1944, Iceland became a republic. [[Lutheranism]] is the predominant religion. Historical and DNA records indicate that around 60 to 80 percent of the male [[Settlement of Iceland|settlers]] were of [[Norsemen|Norse]] origin (primarily from [[Western Norway]]) and a similar percentage of the women were of [[Gaels|Gaelic]] stock from [[Ireland]] and peripheral [[Scotland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/08_00/Icelanders.shtml|title=Icelanders, a diverse bunch?|website=www.genomenewsnetwork.org|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027144231/http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/08_00/Icelanders.shtml|archive-date=27 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | pmc = 1287529 | pmid=10931763 | volume=67 | issue=3 | title=Estimating Scandinavian and Gaelic ancestry in the male settlers of Iceland | date=September 2000 | journal=Am. J. Hum. Genet. | pages=697–717 | last1 = Helgason | first1 = A | last2 = Sigureth | last3 = Nicholson | first3 = J |display-authors=etal | doi=10.1086/303046}}</ref>

== History ==
{{main|History of Iceland}}

Iceland is a geologically young land mass, having formed an estimated 20 million years ago due to [[Volcano|volcanic eruptions]] on the [[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]]. One of the last larger islands to remain uninhabited, the first human settlement date is generally accepted to be 874, although there is some evidence to suggest human activity prior to the Norse arrival.<ref>Jónsson ''et al.'', 1991, pp. 17–23</ref>

=== Initial migration and settlement ===
{{main|Settlement of Iceland}}
[[Image:Iceland in Europe.svg|220px|right|thumb|Map showing Iceland in northern Europe]]
The first Viking to sight Iceland was [[Gardar Svavarsson]], who went off course due to harsh conditions when sailing from Norway to the [[Faroe Islands]]. His reports led to the first efforts to settle the island. [[Flóki Vilgerðarson]] (b. 9th century) was the first Norseman to sail to Iceland intentionally. His story is documented in the {{Lang|is|[[Landnámabók]]}} manuscript, and he is said to have named the island Ísland ([[Iceland]]). The first permanent settler in Iceland is usually considered to have been a [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[Germanic chieftain|chieftain]] named [[Ingólfur Arnarson]]. He settled with his family in around 874, at a place he named "Bay of Smokes", or [[Reykjavík]] in Icelandic.<ref>Þórðarson, c. 1200</ref>

Following Ingólfur, and also in 874, another group of Norwegians set sail across the [[North Atlantic Ocean]] with their families, livestock, slaves, and possessions, escaping the domination of the first [[Hereditary Kingdom of Norway|King of Norway]], [[Harald Fairhair]]. They traveled {{convert|1,000|km|mi|abbr=on}} in their [[Viking]] [[longship]]s to the island of Iceland. These people were primarily of Norwegian, [[Irish People|Irish]] or Gaelic Scottish origin. The Irish and the Scottish Gaels were either slaves or servants of the Norse chiefs, according to the [[Icelandic sagas]], or descendants of a "[[Norse-Gaels|group of Norsemen]] who had settled in [[Scotland]] and [[Ireland]] and intermarried with Gaelic-speaking people".<ref>Fiske ''et al.'', 1972, p. 4</ref> Genetic evidence suggests that approximately 62% of the Icelandic maternal gene pool is derived from Ireland and Scotland, which is much higher than other Scandinavian countries, although comparable to the [[Faroe Islands|Faroese]], while 37% is of Nordic origin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/history/iceland/icelandic_women.htm |title=Icelandic Women are of Scots descent |publisher=Electricscotland.lcom |date=4 March 2001 |access-date=8 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611071506/http://www.electricscotland.com/history/iceland/icelandic_women.htm |archive-date=11 June 2010 }}</ref> About 20–25% of the Icelandic paternal gene pool is of Gaelic origin, with the rest being Nordic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/why-people-in-iceland-look-just-like-us-1.1104676|title=Why people in Iceland look just like us|website=irishtimes.com|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929074900/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/why-people-in-iceland-look-just-like-us-1.1104676|archive-date=29 September 2017}}</ref>

The Icelandic Age of Settlement ({{langx|is|Landnámsöld|link=no}}) is considered to have lasted from 874 to 930, at which point most of the island had been claimed and the {{lang|is|[[Althing|Alþingi]]}} (Althing), the assembly of the [[Icelandic Commonwealth]], was founded at [[Þingvellir]].<ref>Þorgilsson, c. 1100</ref>

=== Hardship and conflict ===

[[Image:Rock of law in Þingvellir.jpg|220px|right|thumb|Rock of law in [[Þingvellir]] was used to make speeches.]]
In 930, on the [[Þingvellir]] ({{langx|en|Thingvellir}}) plain near [[Reykjavík]], the chieftains and their families met and established the Alþingi, Iceland's first national [[Legislative Assembly|assembly]]. However, the Alþingi lacked the power to enforce the laws it made. In 1262, struggles between rival chieftains left Iceland so divided that [[King Haakon IV]] of Norway was asked to step in as a final arbitrator for all disputes, as part of the [[Old Covenant (Iceland)|Old Covenant]]. This is known as the [[Age of the Sturlungs]].<ref>Byock, 1990</ref>

Iceland was under Norwegian leadership until 1380, when the [[Hereditary Kingdom of Norway|Royal House of Norway]] died out. At this point, both Iceland and Norway came under the control of the [[Monarchy of Denmark|Danish Crown]]. With the introduction of [[absolute monarchy]] in Denmark, the Icelanders relinquished their [[autonomy]] to the crown, including the right to initiate and consent to legislation. This meant a loss of independence for Iceland, which led to nearly 300 years of decline: perhaps largely because Denmark and its Crown did not consider Iceland to be a [[colony]] to be supported and assisted. In particular, the lack of help in [[Defense (military)|defense]] led to constant [[Turkish Abductions|raids by marauding pirates]] along the Icelandic coasts.<ref name="F5">Fiske ''et al.'', 1972, p. 5</ref>

Unlike Norway, Denmark did not need Iceland's fish and homespun wool. This created a dramatic deficit in Iceland's trade, and no new ships were built as a result. In 1602, Iceland was forbidden to trade with other countries by order of the [[Danish Government]], and in the 18th century climatic conditions had reached an all-time low since Settlement.<ref name="F5"/>

[[Image:Lakagigar Iceland 2004-07-01.jpg|220px|right|thumb|[[Laki]] erupted in 1783–84 with catastrophic consequences for Iceland.]]
In 1783–84, [[Laki (volcano)|Laki]], a [[Fissure vent|volcanic fissure]] in the south of the island, erupted. The eruption produced about {{convert|15|km3|mi3|abbr=on}} of [[basalt]] lava, and the total volume of [[tephra]] emitted was 0.91&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>.<ref>Global Volcanism Program, 2007</ref> The [[Particulate|aerosols]] that built up caused a cooling effect in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. The consequences for Iceland were catastrophic, with approximately 25–33% of the population dying in the [[famine]] of 1783 and 1784. Around 80% of sheep, 50% of cattle, and 50% of horses died of [[Skeletal fluorosis|fluorosis]] from the 8 million tons of fluorine that were released.<ref name="Stone, 2004">Stone, 2004</ref>  This disaster is known as the [[Mist Hardship]] (Icelandic: ''[[Móðuharðindin]]'').

In 1798–99, the Alþingi was discontinued for several decades, eventually being restored in 1844. It was moved to [[Reykjavík]], the capital, after being held at [[Þingvellir]] for over nine centuries.

=== Independence and prosperity ===
[[Image:JonSigurdssonStatue.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Statue of Jón Sigurðsson in [[Reykjavík]]]]
The 19th century brought significant improvement in the Icelanders' situation. A protest movement was led by [[Jón Sigurðsson]], a statesman, historian, and authority on [[Icelandic literature]]. Inspired by the [[Romanticism|romantic]] and [[Nationalism|nationalist]] currents from mainland Europe, Jón protested strongly, through political journals and self-publications, for 'a return to national consciousness' and for political and social changes to be made to help speed up Iceland's development.<ref name="F6">Fiske ''et al.'', 1972, p. 6</ref>

In 1854, the [[Danish government]] relaxed the trade ban that had been imposed in 1602, and Iceland gradually began to rejoin Western Europe economically and socially. With this return of contact with other peoples came a reawakening of Iceland's arts, especially its literature. Twenty years later in 1874, Iceland was granted a constitution. Icelanders today recognize Jón's efforts as largely responsible for their economic and social resurgence.<ref name="F6"/>

Iceland gained full sovereignty and independence from Denmark in 1918 after [[World War I]]. It became the [[Kingdom of Iceland]]. The King of Denmark also served as the King of Iceland but Iceland retained only formal ties with the Danish Crown. On 17 June 1944 the monarchy was abolished and a republic was established on Jón Sigurðsson's 133rd birthday. This ended nearly six centuries of ties with Denmark.<ref name="F6"/>

== Demographics and society ==
{{main|Demographics of Iceland}}

=== Genetics ===
[[File:Hvalsey Church.jpg|220px|thumb|right|The last written records of the [[Norse Greenlanders]] are from a 1408 marriage in [[Hvalsey Church]] – today the most well-preserved of the Norse ruins.]]
Due to their small founding population and history of relative isolation, Icelanders have often been considered highly genetically homogeneous as compared to other European populations. For this reason, along with the extensive genealogical records for much of the population that reach back to the [[settlement of Iceland]], Icelanders have been the focus of considerable [[genomics]] research by both [[biotechnology]] companies and academic and medical researchers.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Chadwick | first1 = R. | title = The Icelandic database—do modern times need modern sagas? | journal = BMJ | volume = 319 | issue = 7207 | pages = 441–444 | year = 1999 | pmid = 10445931 | pmc = 1127047 | doi = 10.1136/bmj.319.7207.441}}</ref><ref>Gísli Pálsson, 'The Web of Kin: An Online Genealogical Machine', in ''Kinship and Beyond: The Genealogical Model Reconsidered'', ed. by Sandra C. Bamford, James Leach, Fertility, Reproduction and Sexuality, 15 (Berghahn Books, 2009), pp. 84–110 (pp. 100–103).</ref> It was, for example, possible for researchers to reconstruct much of the maternal genome of Iceland's first known black inhabitant, [[Hans Jonatan]], from the DNA of his present-day descendants partly because the distinctively African parts of his genome were unique in Iceland until very recent times.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Jagadeesan | first1 = Anuradha | display-authors = etal | year = 2018| title = Reconstructing an African Haploid Genome from the 18th Century | journal = Nature Genetics | volume = 50 | issue = 2| pages = 199–205 | doi = 10.1038/s41588-017-0031-6 | pmid = 29335549 | s2cid = 9685229 }}</ref>

Genetic evidence shows that most DNA lineages found among Icelanders today can be traced to the settlement of Iceland, indicating that there has been relatively little immigration since. This evidence shows that the founder population of Iceland came from [[Scandinavia]], [[Ireland]] and [[Scotland]]: studies of [[Y-chromosomes]] and [[mitochondrial DNA]] indicate that 75% of Icelanders' patrilineal ancestry derives from Scandinavia (with most of the rest being from the Irish and British Isles), while 62% of their matrilineal ancestry derives from Scotland and Ireland (with most of the rest being from Scandinavia).<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1126/science.aar2625 | volume=360 | title=Ancient genomes from Iceland reveal the making of a human population | year=2018 | journal=Science | pages=1028–1032 | last1 = Ebenesersdóttir | first1 = S. Sunna | last2 = Sandoval-Velasco | first2 = Marcela | last3 = Gunnarsdóttir | first3 = Ellen D. | last4 = Jagadeesan | first4 = Anuradha | last5 = Guðmundsdóttir | first5 = Valdís B. | last6 = Thordardóttir | first6 = Elísabet L. | last7 = Einarsdóttir | first7 = Margrét S. | last8 = Moore | first8 = Kristjan H. S. | last9 = Sigurðsson | first9 = Ásgeir | last10 = Magnúsdóttir | first10 = Droplaug N. | last11 = Jónsson | first11 = Hákon | last12 = Snorradóttir | first12 = Steinunn | last13 = Hovig | first13 = Eivind | last14 = Møller | first14 = Pål | last15 = Kockum | first15 = Ingrid | last16 = Olsson | first16 = Tomas | last17 = Alfredsson | first17 = Lars | last18 = Hansen | first18 = Thomas F. | last19 = Werge | first19 = Thomas | last20 = Cavalleri | first20 = Gianpiero L. | last21 = Gilbert | first21 = Edmund | last22 = Lalueza-Fox | first22 = Carles | last23 = Walser | first23 = Joe W. | last24 = Kristjánsdóttir | first24 = Steinunn | last25 = Gopalakrishnan | first25 = Shyam | last26 = Árnadóttir | first26 = Lilja | last27 = Magnússon | first27 = Ólafur Þ. | last28 = Gilbert | first28 = M. Thomas P. | last29 = Stefánsson | first29 = Kári | last30 = Helgason | first30 = Agnar| issue=6392 | pmid=29853688 | bibcode=2018Sci...360.1028E | doi-access = free | hdl = 10852/71890 | hdl-access = free }}.</ref>

Other studies have identified other ancestries, however. One study of [[mitochondrial DNA]], [[blood groups]], and [[isozyme]]s revealed a more variable population than expected, comparable to the diversity of some other Europeans.<ref>Árnason ''et al.'', 2000</ref> Another study showed that a tiny proportion of samples of contemporary Icelanders carry a more distant lineage, which belongs to the [[Haplogroup C (mtDNA)|haplogroup C]]1e, which can possibly be traced to the [[Prehistoric migration and settlement of the Americas from Asia|settlement of the Americas]] around 14,000 years ago. This hints a small proportion of Icelanders have some [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] ancestry arising from [[Norse colonization of North America|Norse colonization of Greenland and North America]].<ref>{{cite journal|title= A new subclade of mtDNA haplogroup C1 found in Icelanders: Evidence of pre-Columbian contact? |author= Sigríður Sunna Ebenesardóttir|display-authors=etal |date=10 November 2010|doi=10.1002/ajpa.21419 |pmid=21069749 |volume=144 |issue=1 |journal=Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. |pages=92–9}}</ref>

Icelanders also have an anomalously high [[Denisovan]] genetic heritage.<ref name=Skov2020>{{cite journal|first1=L. |last1=Skov |first2=M. C. |last2=Macià |first3=G. |last3=Sveinbjörnsson |display-authors=et al. |year=2020 |title=The nature of Neanderthal introgression revealed by 27,566 Icelandic genomes |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=582 |issue=7810 |pages=78–83 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2225-9 |pmid=32494067 |bibcode=2020Natur.582...78S |s2cid=216076889}}</ref>

Despite Iceland's historical isolation, the genetic makeup of Icelanders today is still quite different from the founding population, due to [[founder effects]] and [[genetic drift]].<ref>Helgason ''et al.'', 2000</ref> One study found that the mean Norse ancestry among Iceland's settlers was 56%, whereas in the current population the figure was 70%. This indicates that Icelanders with increased levels of Norse ancestry had higher reproductive success.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1126/science.aar2625 | volume=360 | title=Ancient genomes from Iceland reveal the making of a human population | year=2018 | journal=Science | pages=1028–1032 | last1 = Ebenesersdóttir | first1 = S. Sunna | last2 = Sandoval-Velasco | first2 = Marcela | last3 = Gunnarsdóttir | first3 = Ellen D. | last4 = Jagadeesan | first4 = Anuradha | last5 = Guðmundsdóttir | first5 = Valdís B. | last6 = Thordardóttir | first6 = Elísabet L. | last7 = Einarsdóttir | first7 = Margrét S. | last8 = Moore | first8 = Kristjan H. S. | last9 = Sigurðsson | first9 = Ásgeir | last10 = Magnúsdóttir | first10 = Droplaug N. | last11 = Jónsson | first11 = Hákon | last12 = Snorradóttir | first12 = Steinunn | last13 = Hovig | first13 = Eivind | last14 = Møller | first14 = Pål | last15 = Kockum | first15 = Ingrid | last16 = Olsson | first16 = Tomas | last17 = Alfredsson | first17 = Lars | last18 = Hansen | first18 = Thomas F. | last19 = Werge | first19 = Thomas | last20 = Cavalleri | first20 = Gianpiero L. | last21 = Gilbert | first21 = Edmund | last22 = Lalueza-Fox | first22 = Carles | last23 = Walser | first23 = Joe W. | last24 = Kristjánsdóttir | first24 = Steinunn | last25 = Gopalakrishnan | first25 = Shyam | last26 = Árnadóttir | first26 = Lilja | last27 = Magnússon | first27 = Ólafur Þ. | last28 = Gilbert | first28 = M. Thomas P. | last29 = Stefánsson | first29 = Kári | last30 = Helgason | first30 = Agnar| issue=6392 | pmid=29853688 | bibcode=2018Sci...360.1028E | doi-access = free | hdl = 10852/71890 | hdl-access = free }}. "[R]eproductive success among the earliest Icelanders was stratified by ancestry... [M]any settlers of Gaelic ancestry came to Iceland as slaves, whose survival and freedom to reproduce is likely to have been constrained... [Scandinavians] likely contributed more to the contemporary Icelandic gene pool than the other pre-Christians."</ref>

=== Emigration ===

==== Greenland ====
{{main|History of Greenland}}
[[Image:Gimli1 mb.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Gimli, Manitoba]], pop. 5,720 (statistics Canada, 2011), is home to the largest concentration of Icelanders outside of Iceland.]]
The first Europeans to emigrate to and settle in [[Greenland]] were Icelanders who did so under the leadership of [[Erik the Red]] in the late 10th century and numbered around 500 people. Isolated [[fjord]]s in this harsh land offered sufficient grazing to support cattle and sheep, though the climate was too cold for cereal crops. Royal trade ships from Norway occasionally went to Greenland to trade for walrus tusks and falcons. The population eventually reached a high point of perhaps 3,000 in two communities and developed independent institutions before fading away during the 15th century.<ref>Tomasson, pp. 405–406.</ref> A [[Papal legate|papal legation]] was sent there as late as 1492, the year [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]] attempted to find a shorter spice route to Asia but instead encountered the Americas.

==== North America ====
{{see also|Immigration to the United States|History of immigration to Canada}}
According to the ''[[Saga of Eric the Red]]'', Icelandic immigration to North America dates back to [[Vinland]] {{Circa|1006}}. The colony was believed to be short-lived and abandoned by the 1020s.<ref>Jackson, May 1925, pp. 680–681.</ref>  European settlement of the region was not archeologically and historically confirmed as more than legend until the 1960s. The former Norse site, now known as [[L'Anse aux Meadows]], pre-dated the arrival of Columbus in the Americas by almost 500 years.

A more recent instance of Icelandic emigration to North America occurred in 1855, when a small group settled in [[Spanish Fork, Utah|Spanish Fork]], [[Utah]].<ref>Jackson, May 1925, p. 681.</ref> Another Icelandic colony formed in [[Washington Island, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonisland.com/visitors-guide/island-history-culture/ |title=Island History and Culture |publisher=Washington Island |date=1996 |access-date=16 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611124405/http://www.washingtonisland.com/visitors-guide/island-history-culture/ |archive-date=11 June 2016 }}</ref> Immigration to the United States and Canada began in earnest in the 1870s, with most migrants initially settling in the [[Great Lakes]] area. These settlers were fleeing [[famine]] and [[overcrowding]] on Iceland.<ref>Library of Congress, 2004</ref> Today, there are sizable communities of Icelandic descent in both the United States and Canada. [[Gimli, Manitoba|Gimli]], in [[Manitoba]], Canada, is home to the largest population of Icelanders outside of the main island of Iceland.<ref>Vanderhill, 1963</ref>

=== Immigration ===
[[File:Retro Stefson - WAVES VIENNA2011 d.jpg|thumb|Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson, here playing with [[Retro Stefson]], is a prominent Icelander with a foreign background.]]
From the mid-1990s, Iceland experienced rising immigration. By 2017 the population of first-generation immigrants (defined as people born abroad with both parents foreign-born and all grandparents foreign-born) stood at 35,997 (10.6% of residents), and the population of second-generation immigrants at 4,473. Correspondingly, the numbers of foreign-born people acquiring Icelandic citizenship are markedly higher than in the 1990s, standing at 703 in 2016.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Loftsdóttir | first1 = Kristín | year = 2017 | title = Being 'the Damned Foreigner': Affective National Sentiments and Racialization of Lithuanians in Iceland | journal = Nordic Journal of Migration Research | volume = 7 | issue = 2 | pages = 70–77 [72] | doi = 10.1515/njmr-2017-0012 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>'[https://web.archive.org/web/20180301221616/https://www.statice.is/publications/news-archive/population/immigrants-and-persons-with-foreign-background-2017/ Immigrants and persons with foreign background 2017]' (16 June 2017).</ref> Correspondingly, Icelandic identity is gradually shifting towards a more [[multiculturalism|multicultural]] form.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Gunnarsson | first1 = Gunnar J. | last2 = Finnbogason | first2 = Gunnar E. | last3 = Ragnarsdóttir | first3 = Hanna | last4 = Jónsdóttir | first4 = Halla | title = Friendship, Diversity and Fear: Young People's Life Views and Life Values in a Multicultural Society | journal = Nordidactica: Journal of Humanities and Social Science Education | volume = 2015 | pages = 94–113 }}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{main|Culture of Iceland}}

=== Language and literature ===
{{main|Icelandic language}}
[[Image:Skírnismál-748-2v.jpg|thumb|left|180px|A poem from the ''Poetic Edda'']]
[[File:Laxdæla saga - Kjartan died on the lap of Bolli.jpg|right|thumb|Kjartan Ólafsson and [[Bolli Þorleiksson]], characters in [[Laxdæla saga]], written in the 13th century]]
Icelandic, a [[North Germanic languages|North Germanic language]], is the official language of [[Iceland]] (''de facto''; the laws are silent about the issue). Icelandic has inflectional grammar comparable to [[Latin]], [[Ancient Greek]], more closely to [[Old English]] and practically identical to [[Old Norse]].

Old [[Icelandic literature]] can be divided into several categories. Three are best known to foreigners: [[Eddic poetry]], [[skaldic poetry]], and [[saga literature]], if saga literature is understood broadly. Eddic poetry is made up of heroic and mythological poems. Poetry that praises someone is considered skaldic poetry or [[court poetry]]. Finally, saga literature is prose, ranging from pure [[fiction]] to fairly factual history.<ref>Lahelma ''et al.'', 1994–96</ref>

Written Icelandic has changed little since the 13th century. Because of this modern readers can understand the [[Icelanders' sagas]]. The sagas tell of events in Iceland in the 10th and early 11th centuries. They are considered to be the best-known pieces of Icelandic literature.<ref>Lovgren, 2004, p. 2</ref>

{{Wikisource|Edda|the Eddas.}}

The elder or ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', the younger or ''[[Prose Edda]]'', and the [[Icelanders' sagas|sagas]] are the major pieces of Icelandic literature. The ''[[Poetic Edda]]'' is a collection of poems and stories from the late 10th century, whereas the younger or ''[[Prose Edda]]'' is a manual of poetry that contains many stories of [[Norse mythology]].

=== Religion ===
{{main|Religion in Iceland}}
[[Image:HusavikChurch.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Húsavíkurkirkja]] church in [[Húsavík]], Iceland]]
Iceland embraced [[Christianity]] in c. 1000, in what is called the ''[[Christianisation of Iceland|kristnitaka]]'', and the country, while mostly secular in observance, is still predominantly [[Cultural Christians|Christian culturally]]. The Lutheran church claims some 84% of the total population.<ref>Jochens, 1999, p. 621</ref> While early Icelandic Christianity was more lax in its observances than traditional [[Catholicism]], [[Pietism]], a religious movement imported from Denmark in the 18th century, had a marked effect on the island. By discouraging all but religious leisure activities, it fostered a certain dourness, which was for a long time considered an Icelandic [[stereotype]]. At the same time, it also led to a boom in printing, and Iceland today is one of the most literate societies in the world.<ref name="F6"/><ref>Del Giudice, 2008</ref>

While Catholicism was supplanted by [[Protestantism]] during the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], most other world religions are now represented on the island: there are small Protestant Free Churches and Catholic communities, and even a nascent [[Islam in Iceland|Muslim community]], composed of both immigrants and local converts. Perhaps unique to Iceland is the fast-growing ''[[Ásatrúarfélagið|Ásatrúarfélag]]'', a legally recognized revival of the pre-Christian [[Nordic religion]] of the original settlers. According to the [[Roman Catholic]] Diocese of Reykjavík, there were only approximately 30 [[Jew]]s in Iceland as of 2001.<ref>Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík, 2005.</ref> The former [[List of spouses and partners of Icelandic presidents|First Lady of Iceland]] [[Dorrit Moussaieff]] was an [[Israel]]i-born [[Bukharian Jew]].

=== Cuisine ===
{{main|Icelandic cuisine}}

<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:P1010018-minni.jpg|thumb|right|220px|''Þorramatur'', Iceland's national food.]] -->
Icelandic [[cuisine]] consists mainly of [[Fish (food)|fish]], [[Lamb and mutton|lamb]], and [[dairy]]. Fish was once the main part of an Icelander's [[diet (nutrition)|diet]] but has recently given way to meats such as [[beef]], [[pork]], and [[poultry]].<ref name="Stone, 2004"/>

Iceland has many traditional foods called [[Þorramatur]]. These foods include smoked and salted [[Lamb and mutton|lamb]], singed [[sheep]] heads, dried fish, smoked and pickled [[salmon]], and cured [[shark]]. [[Andrew Zimmern]], a chef who has traveled the world on his show ''[[Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern]]'', responded to the question "What's the most disgusting thing you've ever eaten?" with the response "That would have to be the fermented shark fin I had in Iceland". Fermented shark fin is a form of Þorramatur.<ref>Beale ''et al.'', 2004</ref>

=== Performance art ===
{{further|Music of Iceland}}
[[Image:Jón Þór Birgisson at the Roskilde Festival in 2006.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Sigur Rós]] has gained international fame performing mostly in Icelandic.]]The earliest indigenous Icelandic music was the ''[[rímur]]'', epic tales from the [[Viking]] era that were often performed [[a cappella]]. Christianity played a major role in the development of Icelandic music, with many hymns being written in the local idiom. [[Hallgrímur Pétursson]], a poet and priest, is noted for writing many of these hymns in the 17th century. The island's relative isolation ensured that the music maintained its regional flavor. It was only in the 19th century that the first [[pipe organ]]s, prevalent in European religious music, first appeared on the island.<ref name="F9">Fiske ''et al.'', 1972, p. 9</ref>

Many singers, groups, and forms of [[music]] have come from [[Iceland]]. Most Icelandic music contains vibrant [[Folk music|folk]] and [[Pop music|pop]] traditions. Some more recent groups and singers are  [[Voces Thules]], [[The Sugarcubes]], [[Björk]], [[Sigur Rós]], and [[Of Monsters and Men]].

The [[national anthem]] is [[Lofsöngur|"Ó Guð vors lands"]] ({{langx|en|"Our Country's God"}}), written by [[Matthías Jochumsson]], with music by [[Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson]]. The song was written in 1874, when [[Iceland]] celebrated its one thousandth anniversary of settlement on the island. It was originally published with the title ''A Hymn in Commemoration of Iceland's Thousand Years''.<ref name="F9"/>

=== Sports ===
{{main|Sport in Iceland}}
Iceland's [[Iceland national football team|men's national football team]] participated in their first [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]], after reaching the quarter finals of its first major international tournament, [[UEFA Euro 2016]]. The [[Iceland women's national football team|women's national football team]] has yet to reach a [[FIFA Women's World Cup|World Cup]]; its best result at a major international event was a quarterfinal finish in [[UEFA Women's Euro 2013]]. The country's first Olympic participation was in the [[1912 Summer Olympics]]; however, they did not participate again until the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]. Their first appearance at the [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Games]] was at the [[1948 Winter Olympics]]. In 1956, [[Vilhjálmur Einarsson]] won the Olympic silver medal for the [[triple jump]].<ref>Fiske ''et al.'', 1972, p. 7</ref> The [[Iceland men's national handball team|Icelandic national handball team]] has enjoyed relative success. The team received a silver medal at the [[Handball at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|2008 Olympic Games]] and a 3rd place at the [[2010 European Men's Handball Championship]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Iceland}}
*[[List of Icelanders]]
*[[List of Icelandic writers]]
*[[Icelandic nationalism]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== References ==
{{Refbegin|2}}
*{{cite journal | author1=Einar Árnasson |author2=Hlynur Sigurgíslasson |author3=Eiríkur Benedikz | title=Genetic homogeneity of Icelanders: fact or fiction? | year=2000 | journal=Nature Genetics | volume=25 | pages=373–374| doi=10.1038/78036 | pmid=10932173 | issue=4|s2cid=28507476 }}
*{{cite web|author=Beale, Lewis, Daily, Laura|url=http://www.usaweekend.com/06_issues/060604/060604news.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130208235517/http://www.usaweekend.com/06_issues/060604/060604news.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 February 2013|title=Food: Confessions of a celebrity chef|publisher=USA Today|year=2004|access-date=16 April 2007}} 
*{{cite book | last=Byock | first=Jesse L. | title=Medieval Iceland. Society, Sagas, and Power | year=1990 | publisher=University of California Press | location=United States }}
*{{cite journal | title=Power Struggle | last=Del Giudice| first=Marguerite | journal=National Geographic |date=March 2008}}
*{{cite book | first1=John |last1=Fiske |first2=Karl |last2=Rolvaag | title=Lands and Peoples: Iceland | year=1972 | publisher=Grolier | location=United States }}
*{{cite web|author=Global Volcanism Program (GVP), Smithsonian Institution|url=http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1703-01=&volpage=erupt|title=Grímsvötn|year=2007|access-date=16 April 2007|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623180538/https://volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1703-01=&volpage=erupt|url-status=live}}
*{{cite journal | author1=Agnar Helgason |author2=Sigrún Sigurðardóttir |author3=Jeffrey R. Gulcher |author4=Ryk Ward |author5=Kári Stefánsson  |date=February 2000 | title = mtDNA and the Origin of the Icelanders: Deciphering Signals of Recent Population History | journal = American Journal of Human Genetics | doi = 10.1086/302816 | volume = 66 | pages = 999–1016 | pmid = 10712214 | issue = 3 | pmc = 1288180 }}
*{{cite journal | title=Icelandic Communities in America: Cultural Backgrounds and Early Settlements | last=Jackson | first=Thorstina | journal=Journal of Social Forces | volume=3 | issue=4 |date=May 1925 | pages=680–686 | doi=10.2307/3005071 | jstor=3005071| s2cid=147332269 }}
*{{cite journal | title=The Icelandic Community in North Dakota Economic and Social Development Period 1878-1925 | last=Jackson | first=Thorstina | journal=Social Forces | volume=4 | issue=2 |date=December 1925 | pages=355–360 | doi=10.2307/3004589 | jstor=3004589}}
*{{cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |title=One Europe, many nations: a historical dictionary of European national groups |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC |access-date=25 May 2013 |year=2000 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0313309847 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116024421/https://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC |url-status=live }}
*{{cite book | author1=Bergsteinn Jónsson |author2=Björn Þorsteinsson | title=Íslandssaga til okkar daga | year=1991 | publisher=Sögufélag | location=Reykjavík, Iceland | language=is | isbn=978-9979-9064-4-5 }}
*{{cite journal | title=Late and Peaceful: Iceland's Conversion Through Arbitration in 1000 | first=Jenny | last=Jochens | journal=Speculum | volume=74 | issue=3 | year=1999 | pages=621–655 | doi=10.2307/2886763 | jstor=2886763| s2cid=162464020 }}
*{{cite web|author=Library of Congress|url=http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/scandinavian6.html|title=Immigration...Scandinavian: The Icelanders|year=2004|access-date=16 April 2007|archive-date=1 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701022803/http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/scandinavian6.html|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|author1=Antii Lahelma|author2=Johan Olafsson|url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/nordic-faq/part5_ICELAND|title=Nordic FAQ – 5 of 7 – Iceland|publisher=Internet FAQ Archives|date=1994–1996|access-date=16 April 2007|archive-date=13 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513092413/http://www.faqs.org/faqs/nordic-faq/part5_ICELAND/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|title="Sagas" Portray Iceland's Viking History|last=Lovgren|first=Stefan|date=7 May 2004|publisher=National Geographic}}
*{{cite journal | title=The Norse Traffic with Iceland | first=G. J. | last=Marcus | journal=The Economic History Review | volume=9 | issue=3 | year=1957 | pages=408–419 | doi=10.1111/j.1468-0289.1957.tb00672.x}}
*{{cite web|author=Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík|url=http://www.vortex.is/catholica/stat.html|title=Statistical Report for Iceland: 2000-2001|year=2005|access-date=3 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617180451/http://www.vortex.is/catholica/stat.html|archive-date=17 June 2008}}
*{{cite journal | title=Imagined Genetic Communities: Ethnicity and Essentialism in the Twenty-First Century | last=Simpson | first=Bob | journal=Anthropology Today | volume=16 | issue=3 | year=2000 | pages=3–6 | doi=10.1111/1467-8322.00023}}
*{{cite journal | title=Iceland's Doomsday Scenario? | doi= 10.1126/science.306.5700.1278 | last=Stone | first=Richard | journal=Science | volume=306 | year=2004 | pages=1278–1281 | pmid=15550636 | issue=5700| s2cid= 161557686 }}
*{{cite web|author=Stone, George|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/articles/1124reykjavik.html|title=48 Hours Reykjavík: The Best of a City in Two Days|website=[[National Geographic Society]]|year=2005|access-date=16 April 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031206044556/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/articles/1124reykjavik.html|archive-date=6 December 2003}}
*{{cite journal | title=A Millennium of Misery: The Demography of the Icelanders | last=Tomasson | first=Richard F. | journal=Population Studies | volume=31 | issue=3 | year=1977 | pages=405–427 | doi=10.2307/2173366 | pmid=11630504 | jstor=2173366}}
*{{cite journal | title=The Settlement of New Iceland | first=Burke G. | last=Vanderhill |author2=David E. Christensen | journal=Annals of the Association of American Geographers | volume=53 | issue=3 | year=1963 | pages=350–363 | doi=10.1111/j.1467-8306.1963.tb00454.x}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.geographia.com/iceland/ Icelandic Tourist Board official site]
*[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iceland/ CIA: The World Factbook entry on Iceland]

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[[Category:Icelandic people]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Iceland| ]]
[[Category:Society of Iceland]]
[[Category:North Germanic peoples]]