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The geography of Iceland entails the geographic features of Iceland, an island country at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Iceland is located east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle, atop the constructive boundary of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It lies about from Scotland and from New York City. One of the world's most sparsely populated countries, the republic of Iceland's boundaries are almost completely the same as the main island – the world's 18th largest in area and possessing almost all of the country's area and population. Iceland has extensive volcanic and geothermal activity. The rift associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which marks the division between the European and North American tectonic plates, runs across Iceland from the southwest to the northeast. This geographic feature is prominent at the Þingvellir National Park, where the promontory creates an extraordinary natural amphitheatre. The site was the home of Iceland's parliament, the Alþing, which was first convened in 930. It is a common misconception that Þingvellir are located at the juncture between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. However, they are in fact at the juncture of the North American continental plate and a smaller plate (approx. 10,000 km2) called the Hreppar Microplate (Hreppaflekinn). About half of Iceland's land area, which is of recent volcanic origin, consists of a mountainous lava desert (highest elevation above sea level) and other wasteland. Around 10.2 per cent of the total land area is covered by glaciers, although these are now retreating at an accelerating rate.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.loftmyndir.is/vefur/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LM_Joklar2014.pdf )〕 The four largest Icelandic glaciers are: * Vatnajökull (7764 km²) * Langjökull (868 km²) * Hofsjökull (827 km²) * Mýrdalsjökull (542 km²) Other notable glaciers include: * Drangajökull (145 km²) * Eyjafjallajökull (70 km²) * Tungnafellsjökull (33 km²) * Þórisjökull (25 km²) * Eiríksjökull (21 km²) * Þrándarjökull (16 km²) * Tindfjallajökull (11 km²) * Torfajökull (10 km²) * Snæfellsjökull (10 km²). Twenty per cent of the land is used for grazing, while only 1 per cent is cultivated. Iceland has lost most of the woodland that previously covered large areas of the country, but an ambitious reforestation programme is currently underway.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.skogur.is/english/forestry-in-a-treeless-land )〕 Fossilized tree pollen and descriptions by the early settlers indicate that prior to human settlement, now thought to have occurred from around the year 800 onwards,〔http://www.rae.ac.uk/submissions/ra1.aspx?id=187&type=hei&subid=3463〕 trees covered between 30 and 40 per cent of the island. Today, however, there are only small patches of the original birch forests left, the most prominent being Hallormsstaðaskógur and Vaglaskógur. The inhabited areas are on the coast, particularly in the southwest, while the central highlands are all but uninhabited. Because of the Gulf Stream's moderating influence, the climate is characterized by damp, cool summers and relatively mild but windy winters. Reykjavík has an average temperature of in July and in January〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.vedur.is/Medaltalstoflur-txt/Stod_001_Reykjavik.ManMedal.txt )〕 (Köppen: Cfc). == Statistics == ; Location: : Island in North America (Commonly regarded as a part of Northern Europe), straddling the Eurasian and North American plates between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the British Isles. : * Geographic coordinates: : * Extent (locations outside mainland in parentheses) :: * North: Rifstangi, 66°32′3" N (Kolbeinsey, 67°08,9 N) :: * South: Kötlutangi, 63°23′6" N (Surtsey, 63°17,7 N) :: * West: Bjargtangar, 24°32′1" W :: * East: Gerpir, 13°29′6" W (Hvalbakur, 13°16,6 W) ; Map references: : Arctic Region ; Area:39,769 sq miles (103,001 km²) : * Total: 103,125 km² : * Land: 100,329 km² : * Water: 2,796 km² ; Land boundaries: : 0 km ; Coastline: : 4,970 km ; Maritime claims: : * Territorial sea: : * Exclusive economic zone: : * Continental shelf: or to the edge of the continental margin ; Climate: : Temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; cool summers, damp in the south and west ; Terrain: : Mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fjords ; Elevation extremes: : * Lowest point: Jökulsárlón Lagoon: -146 m, Atlantic Ocean 0 m : * Highest point: Hvannadalshnúkur 2,110 m ; Natural resources: : Fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite ; Land use: : * Arable land: 1.21% : * Permanent crops: 0% : * Other: 98.79% (2012) ; Irrigated land: : NA ; Total renewable water resources : 170 km3 (2011) ; Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): : Total: 0.17 km3/yr (49%/8%/42%) : Per capita: 539.2 m3/yr (2005) ; Natural hazards: : Earthquakes, volcanic activity, avalanches, and glacial lake outburst flooding (or ''jökulhlaups'') ; Environment—current issues: : Water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment ; Environment—international agreements: : * Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution (MARPOL 73/78), Wetlands, Whaling : * Signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation ; Geography—note: : Westernmost European country; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Geography of Iceland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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