Know Before You Go: Iceland Tours
Iceland Quiz
Can you guess the only land mammal native to Iceland? Do you know what percentage of Iceland is actually covered by ice? Take our quiz below to put your knowledge to the test, then share it with your family and friends to see who knows the most about this small island nation straddling the Arctic Circle! When you're finished, scroll down to reveal the correct answers and explanations.
Answer Explanations:
What percentage of Iceland is covered by glaciers?
Correct Answer: 11%
Explanation: There are 269 named glaciers in Iceland. Many of these ice caps lie above volcanos, including one of the largest glacier masses in Europe, Vatnajökull. Vatnajökull is equivalent to three times the size of Luxembourg or Rhode Island!
The first permanent settler of Iceland was Ingolfr Arnarson, who built his home in present-day Reykjavik in 874 A.D. He was a:
Correct Answer: Norwegian Viking
Explanation: The first settlers to reach Iceland were Norsemen who left Scandinavia due to a a shortage of arable land. Some were also fleeing the cruel reign of the Norwegian King Harald Haarfagri. Upon reaching Iceland, the Vikings would throw high seats over the edges of their longboats and build homesteads wherever the seats washed ashore. They believed this to be the divine workings of Thor, the Norse god of thunder.
This cultured dairy product has sustained Icelanders for nearly 1,000 years. It is often served with cloudberries and cream. The name of this popular Icelandic yogurt is:
Correct Answer: Skyr
Explanation: Kleinur are festive twisted donuts imbued with nutmeg and cardamon and dusted with sugar. Pönnukökur are popular thin pancakes often served with rhubarb jam and whipped cream. Rúgbrauðsís is rye bread ice cream, combing two Icelandic traditions: homemade ice cream and hearty "thunder bread"!
What bird is the national animal of Iceland?
Correct Answer: Gyrfalcon
Explanation: Though ravens play a significant role in Icelandic folklore, and tourists flock to high sea cliffs to observe Iceland's puffins and razorbills, the national animal of Iceland is the gyrfalcon. The largest falcon species, the gyrfalcon has long been associated with royalty and is on the crest of the Icelandic Republic's coat of arms.
What is the only land mammal native to Iceland?
Correct Answer: Arctic fox
Explanation: The Arctic fox is Iceland's only native land mammal and is believed to have lived on the island since the last Ice Age. Other mammals were brought to Iceland, either inadvertently or intentionally, including American minks and reindeer. Polar bears are rare visitors to Iceland, usually coming only on drift-ice in years when it reaches the island.
What percentage of Icelandic people claim to believe in elves or say they may exist?
Correct Answer: More than 50%
Explanation: Much of Iceland’s culture is rooted in magic, mythology and mystical beings. Elves are said to be most active during this time, as well as during Midsummer’s Night, and people gather around bonfires to sing songs of the invisible huldufólk, who are thought to inhabit enchanted rocks and cliffs around the island.
Iceland is one of the best places in the world to find dinosaur bones:
Correct Answer: False
Explanation: No dinosaur bones have ever been found in Iceland as the land mass is only about 20 million years old—the last of the giant dinosaurs dies out 66 million years ago.
Which of these statements is FALSE? Iceland has the:
Correct Answer: Largest waterfall in Europe.
Explanation: Dettifoss in Iceland is the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after Rhine Falls in Switzerland.
World Wildlife Fund, the partner of Natural Habitat Adventures, works with Arctic residents and governments to:
Correct Answer: All of the above.
Explanation: World Wildlife Fund works with Arctic residents and governments to develop tools to assess climate vulnerability and climate-smart approaches to conservation in Arctic countries. The NGO also documents and protects critical feeding and breeding grounds and migration routes of whales while advocating for the regulation of boat traffic in the Arctic. Furthermore, WWF creates detailed models to project how wildlife, particularly at-risk species, might respond to changing ice conditions in the future.