Iceland

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Iceland fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. 🇳🇴 Kingdom of Norway1220 to 1264

   Norway's kings draw Icelandic chieftains into their service during the Sturlung age feuds. Exhausted by civil war, Icelanders swear allegiance to King Haakon IV and his son Magnus between 1262 and 1264, ending the Commonwealth.

2. Barbary corsairs1627

   In 1627 corsairs from Algiers and Sale raid the Westman Islands and the east and south coasts, killing dozens and carrying about 400 Icelanders into slavery in North Africa. Only a few dozen ever return.

3. 🇩🇰 Kingdom of Denmark1845 to 1944

   A long political struggle with Copenhagen for self-rule: a constitution in 1874, home rule in 1904, sovereignty in 1918. While Germany occupies Denmark, Iceland ends the union and becomes a republic on 17 June 1944.

4. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom1940 to 1941

   British troops land unannounced in Reykjavik on 10 May 1940 to forestall Germany. Iceland's government protests the breach of its neutrality but cooperates, and American forces take over the defence of the island in 1941.

5. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom1958 to 1976

   Three Cod Wars over fishing limits, in 1958, 1972 to 1973 and 1975 to 1976. Icelandic patrol boats cut trawl nets and Royal Navy frigates ram them. Britain finally accepts Iceland's 200-mile zone in June 1976.

Today

Iceland now

, Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althingi, which was established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter-century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944.

Capital

Reykjavík

Government

unitary parliamentary republic

Head of government

Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir

Head of state

Halla Tómasdóttir

Languages

Icelandic

Area

103,000 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population387,6002023 · 142,700 in 1950
• Life expectancy82.7 years2023 · 71.0 years in 1950
• GDP per person$42,1452022 · $8,498 in 1950
• Living in cities94%2025 · 72% in 1950
• Literacy99%1950
• Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Liberal democracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNATO2024 · NATO in 1950
• Military spending0.0% of GDP2025 · 0.0% of GDP in 1950
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.