26Old Icelandic
Icelandic people actively work to eliminate English "loanwords" in their language by inventing and substituting new words from Old Icelandic and Norse roots.
27. In Iceland, the phonebook is sorted by first names because everyone's surname is basically their father's first name followed by -son or -dottir.
28. Iceland has such a small population that they have an anti-incest app so that you don’t end up hooking up with a family member on a night out.
29. The majority of Icelanders either believe in elves or are unwilling to rule out their existence.
30. Iceland was extensively forested before the first humans settled there. But within 500 years of their arrival, 95% of woodlands had been cut down, leading to soil erosion, crop failure, and the eventual abandonment of many farms.
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31Jólabókaflóð
An Icelandic tradition called Jólabókaflóð exists, where books are exchanged as Christmas Eve presents and the rest of the night is spent reading them and eating chocolate.
32. When naming a newborn in Iceland names not previously used aren't permitted via Icelandic rule. A new name would have to be pre-approved by the Icelandic Naming Committee. Also, they are not permitted to give a child a name that would embarrass them.
33. The city of Reykjavík, Iceland, uses hot water to maintain the temperature of a section of its downtown pond so that the birds living there always have a corner to swim, even in winter.
34. Due to its isolated location, the Icelandic language has changed very little from its original roots. Modern Icelanders can still read texts written in the 10th Century with relative ease.
35. Iceland is the only country in the world that doesn’t have mosquitoes.
