Ask Me Everything 2

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Tell me morę: the Blue Lagoon

■    People bathe all year round in the Blue Lagoon — even when it’s snowing.

■    The temperaturę of the water is about 100°F (38°C).

■    The mix of salt, minerals, and algae in the water give it a rich blue color.

■    The white mud that lines the lagoon is said to be good for certain skin conditions, such as eczema.

■    The geothermal water comes from boreholes deep underground. Used to generate electricity in a nearby power plant, the water is then cooled before it enters the lagoon.

believe it

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Iceland has thirteen Santa Clauses—troll brothers who make mischief on the 13 nights before Christmas. They leave presents for children who have been good all year, and potatoes for those who have misbehaved!

WHATS IN A N AME?

In Iceland, your first name is followed by your father’s name. If you are a girl called Gudrun and your father’s name is Magnus, your fuli name is Gudrun Magnusdottir (Gudrun, daughter of Magnus). Your brother Olaf would be Olaf Magnusson (Olaf, son of Magnus).

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The number of hours of sunlight a day in December

90

The percentage of homes in Iceland with geothermal heating

832 miles

(1,339 km) The length of Route 1, lceland’s ring road

<D 80,000

The estimated number CA of ponieś in Iceland

306,000

The population of Iceland

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Five things you may not know about Iceland

The national sport is glima, a type of Viking wrestling that has been around sińce the 110Os.

The Icelandic language is descended from the language of the sagas—stories that told the family histories of the first Icelandic settlers.

a** Morę books and magazines *** are published per head of the population of Iceland than in any other country in the world.

Icelandic phone directories list *** people by their first names.

iYk Founded in 930, Iceland’s *** parliament, the Althing (below), is the oldest parliament in the world.

snacks of smoked

and salted lamb,

singed sheep’s head, blood sausage, pickled salmon,

Five Icelandic animals

Arctic fox

The only mammal native to Iceland.

Icelandic pony

The Vikings brought these sturdy animals to Iceland.

Icelandic sheepdog

A Viking introduction and still used for herding sheep.

White-tailed sea eagle

lceland’s largest bird of prey.

Puffin

Millions of puffins breed on Iceland.

Iceland ?200|201

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