Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m

Natural resources: fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 23% forests and woodland: 1% other: 76% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity

Environment-current issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment

Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Geography-note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe

@Iceland:People

Population: 271,033 (July 1998 est.) note: population data estimates based on average growth rate may differ slightly from official population data because of volatile migration rates