Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2024 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Don’t let the name fool you—Iceland is not a frigid, ice-covered land. Winter is certainly a season, but Icelanders also enjoy mild, sun-filled summer days. Read on to discover five fun facts. 1 Space in open boats was limited when the first Europeans started settling Iceland. Viking leaders brought only their best horses. The horses currently on the island are descendants of those best-of-the-best creatures. 2 Iceland is home to more volcanic activity than anywhere else on Earth. More than 125 volcanoes (several quite active) dot the island’s landscape. 3 It is tradition to eat a small piece of hákarl at winter festivals. Hákarl—fermented (chemically broken down) shark’s meat—is considered a delicacy in Iceland. It is made edible by letting it ferment in the ground for five months. 4 In…

Did you know that Iceland is actually hot? Iceland’s unique geographical wonders make it a hot spot in more ways than one. A Land of Fire Iceland is a geologist’s dream. It has more volcanic activity than anywhere else on Earth. The island sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The ridge is an underwater mountain range located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It separates the Americas from Europe and Africa. Iceland also sits atop a hot spot—a place where hot rock from Earth’s mantle (the bulk of Earth’s interior) pushes up onto land. Iceland’s constant flow of magma (melted or partially melted rock) from the mantle to the surface is the perfect recipe for volcanoes. More than 125 volcanic mountains dot the landscape in Iceland. At least 32 volcanoes…

Look closely at the Icelandic alphabet. Notice that most of the 34 letters are quite similar to English letters, and they come in the same order. In fact, short a (a) and long a (á) are now listed together in the Icelandic dictionary, so you do not have to hunt in two different places for these vowels or any other short–long vowel pairs. Two Icelandic letters are especially interesting: the þ (“thorn”) and the ð (“eth”). The þ is an ancient letter. The oldest English language (Anglo–Saxon) also used this letter because that language was closely related to the Viking languages. During the Middle Ages (roughly 500 to 1500 C.E.), the þ was gradually replaced in English by “th.” But in some old manuscripts, the þ looked exactly like a…

Karl Jonsson, Margret Ingvarsdóttir, Katrin Jonsdóttir, and Jon Magnusson are members of the same family. Can you figure out who is the father, the mother, the son, and the daughter in this family? Icelanders use an ancient system in which each person has only one name—his or her given name, or first name. To tell people with the same first name apart, Iceland adds a patronymic (PAT-rah-nim-ik), a name based on the name of the person’s father. The father’s first name becomes the son’s surname, or last name, with the addition of the suffix-son. Daughters also take their father’s name as their last name, but they add the suffix -dóttir (DOTE-teer). Icelandic names not only identify people, but they also identify their fathers. Women do not change their names when…

Icelandic art is known for its depiction of the country’s beautiful Arctic landscapes. In 1944, Iceland officially separated from Denmark and became an independent country. To celebrate their independence, artists painted the distinct landscapes of their country, which differed greatly from the landscapes of Europe. Artist Louísa Matthíasdóttir was a young girl growing up in Iceland when Icelanders were moving toward independence. She studied art in Denmark, France, and the United States, but her love for her Icelandic homeland never left her. She returned often to paint the beautiful landscapes that were the background of her childhood. Icelandic geography is simple and uncluttered, with wide open views and mountains in the distance. Louísa painted in the same way, using cool colors and simplified shapes. She often added sheep, horses, or…

AT A GLANCE OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Iceland LOCATION: Iceland is an island located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle. Greenland is about 160 miles (258 kilometers) to the northwest. Scotland is about 500 miles (805 kilometers) to the southeast, and Norway is about 600 miles (966 kilometers) to the east. CAPITAL AND LARGEST CITY: Reykjavík AREA: 39,800 square miles (103,000 square kilometers) POPULATION: 399,000 (2024 estimate) CLIMATE: Cool summers and mild winters are Iceland’s norm. Average summer temperatures are between 54 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit (12 and 18 degrees Celsius). The temperature hovers around freezing (32° F, 0° C) in winter. Sunlight is almost continuous from the end of May until the beginning of August. But from the middle of November until the end…

Gleðileg Jól (GLE-the-leg Yole)! Merry Christmas! Put on some new clothes to meet the Christmas Cat! We hope you brought your appetite—the holiday meal is almost ready. Now, let’s find out how Icelanders celebrate the season. Iceland’s winter nights are long and dark. On the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, there are only a few hours of daylight. Yet, Christmastime is bright and colorful. Twinkling lights and candles lit for Advent (the season leading up to Christmas) chase away any gloom. Homes and buildings are covered with decorations, trees are trimmed, and cheerful cards are sent. Even the northern lights participate by offering a fantastic dance in the night sky. Icelandic schools usually hold a party on the last day of classes before Christmas break. Students visit…

Iceland is the eco-friendliest country on Earth. While it doesn’t hurt that the whole country sits on a geologic hot spot that is alive with volcanic activity, Icelanders have earned that title. They have made tough decisions to use clean energy and learned to use their natural resources to their advantage. Basically, Icelanders have learned to maximize the magma beneath their feet, in spite of its dangers. Geothermal Power What do swimming pools and fresh-baked bread have in common? In Iceland, they both rely on Earth’s internal heat. One resourceful Icelander named Snorri Sturlusson used geothermal energy (Earth’s heat) to keep his backyard pool warm in Reykjavík—a thousand years ago. The pool was recently restored and is as warm to the touch as it was when Snorri built it. The…

The City of Reykjavík Beginning with the Vikings, who settled the island in the 9th century, the Icelandic people captured their nation’s story in sagas that eventually were written down in the 13th and 14th centuries. Today, those stories remain popular and familiar. In 2011, Reykjavík was named a UNESCO City of Literature for its outstanding literary history. The Icelandic Sagas are widely regarded as the basis for Norse mythology.…

CRITTER CORNER Icelandic horses may be itty-bitty in size, but their personalities are giant. These small horses are more intelligent, sociable, and curious than their taller horse counterparts. Icelandic horses are small, at times the size of ponies. They range in height from 52 to 56 inches (132 to 142 centimeters) and in weight from 730 to 840 pounds (331 to 381 kilograms). They are quite muscular, but they also are gentle. The Icelandic horse is known for its sure-footedness and ability to cross glacial rivers and rough terrain. It is not afraid of high winds or snowstorms. It provides a steady ride on the often uneven ground of Iceland. These small horses are the only breed in the world that can perform five gaits (ways of walking). Most horses…

Living in Iceland does not always mean a chilly forecast. A mingling of cold polar winds from the north and warmer southern breezes from the tropical Atlantic Ocean influence this island nation’s climate. In addition, the warm waters of the Irminger Current meet the colder polar waters of the East Greenland Current off Iceland’s northern and western shores. The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift current that starts in the Gulf of Mexico and heads north along the coast of North America to northwestern Europe. The Irminger Current mostly circles Iceland in a clockwise rotation, while the East Greenland Current carries down giant blocks of floating ice from the North Pole. The presence of these icebergs cool on-shore temperatures by several degrees. Because these air and ocean currents mingle…

With no warning, a massive volcanic eruption sent a column of ash about 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) into the sky on November 14, 1963. The eruption occurred close to a group of islands off the southern coast of Iceland’s mainland. It was so great that it could be seen in Reykjavík, 65 miles (105 kilometers) away. Iceland itself is thought to be made of a series of volcanic islands that joined together more than 15 million years ago. It is located over one of Earth’s hot spots, a place where the thinness of Earth’s mantle permits large amounts of energy and materials to escape to the surface. What made the 1963 eruption so remarkable was that it formed a new island within only a few years. Scientists had assumed that…

Long ago, on a sunny spring morning, God told Eve that he would come for a visit that evening. Eager to make a good impression, Eve immediately began preparing for God’s arrival. She called to her children, and they ran into the house. “Children,” she said excitedly, “God is coming to see us, and there is much to be done before his arrival. I will give a small task to each of you.” Soon the children were busily embroidering pillows with gleaming silver thread, carving delicate wooden animals, and filling reed baskets with bright, fragrant roses. Eve saved the outdoor tasks for three of her children who were especially fond of playing outside. Dora was asked to weed the vegetable garden. Steinn was asked to clean the animals’ pens. Stefan…