B

  Iceland is a large island．In fact，it’s the world’s 18th largest island．Most of the population，however，lives in the southern part of the country，in or around the capital city of Reykjavik．By its very name，you’d expect Iceland to be mostly ice．Looking at Iceland on a map，you’ll notice it sits just outside the Arctic Circle．Despite this location and its name，Iceland actually has temperate climate because it’s warmed by the Gulf Stream．The Gulf Stream also helps keep Iceland’s coastal ports ice—free through the winter．

  There is plenty of ice on Iceland，though．The country consists of a large plateau(高原) that includes fields of sand，mountains and glaciers(冰川)．Over sixty percent of Iceland is tundra(苔原)．About fourteen percent of Iceland is lakes and glaciers．Only about twenty—three percent of the country has plants or vegetation of any kind．

  Iceland was settled in the late 800s and early 900s by Norsemen from the Scandinavian country of Nmway．Other settlers also came from Ireland and Scotland．From the thirteenth century up until 1918，Iceland was part of the Norwegian and later Danish monarchies．For most of that time，the small Icelandic population depended upon fishing and farming to make a living．For hundreds of years，Iceland was one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world．After World War Ⅱ，international aid and industrialization of the fishing industry turned Iceland into one of the wealthiest countries in the world．In 1914，Iceland became part of the European Economic Area，which allowed its economly to grow even more．

  Iceland is one of the youngest islands in the world．Surtsey rose out of the ocean during a series of volcanic eruptions between 1963 and 1968．Today，only scientists who study the growth of new life can visit the volcanic island of Surtsey．