Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0164/01644.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 9KB | 166 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01644}
$Pretitle{422}
$Title{Iceland
Travel and Communications}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Sigurd A. Manusson}
$Affiliation{Iceland Review}
$Subject{iceland
icelandic
country
services
international
road
air
flights
reykjavik
roads}
$Date{1978}
$Log{}
Country:     Iceland
Book:        Iceland Country and People
Author:      Sigurd A. Manusson
Affiliation: Iceland Review
Date:        1978

Travel and Communications

     Until the turn of the century there were no roads to speak of in Iceland
and the horse was practically the only means of communication besides boats.
Organized road building did not begin until about 1900, and the first roads
were only intended for horse-drawn traffic.

     There have never been any railways or trams in Iceland, but in 1913 the
automobile was introduced, and after that road making progressed rapidly. By
1930 all the most important districts had been linked by roads, but winter
road communication remains very difficult in many places. By 1974 the road
system was about 11,000 kilometres, including country roads (2,000 km). Most
of the existing roads are only of earth and gravel, but in recent years about
200 kilometres have been laid with a hard surface in three directions out of
Reykjavik. All the larger rivers and many of the smaller ones have now been
bridged. The "ring-road" around Iceland was completed in 1974, on the
occasion of the settlement anniversary, by bridging the turbulent and
unpredictable glacial rivers southwest of the Vatnajokull glacier.

     Motor vehicles increased enormously with the expansion of the road
system, particularly after World War II. In 1939 there were a little over
2,000 vehicles in the country, but by 1977 the number had shot up to 73,410,
of which 6,711 were trucks and lorries, and 968 passenger coaches. Private
companies run regular coach services throughout the country, and in Reykjavik
and Akureyri there are municipal bus services.

     There are regular coastal services to all the main ports of Iceland.
Until World War I most of the cargo traffic, both coastal and trans-oceanic,
was handled by foreigners, mainly Danes and Norwegians, but with the
establishment of the Iceland Steamship Company in 1914 most of the coastal
services, in addition to trans-oceanic freight, came into Icelandic hands. In
1929 the State Shipping Department was established to take over the coastal
services, while the Steamship Company concentrated on foreign transport of
goods and passengers. During World War II Icelandic shipping suffered heavy
losses, but since the war older ships have been disposed of and new ones
bought. By 1977 the Iceland Steamship Company had 24 cargo vessels, having
disposed of its only passenger vessel, which for decades carried tourists
between Reykjavik, Leith and Copenhagen. This fleet, with a gross tonnage of
about 40,000, sails to many ports in Europe and America. Altogether there are
12 shipping lines, making a merchant fleet of 50 ships with a gross tonnage of
approximately 67,000. Despite the size of the Icelandic merchant fleet, it
only transports about half of the country's imports and exports, while
Icelandic vessels play some part in international traffic elsewhere.

     In the summer of 1975 the Faroese ferryboat Smyril brought Iceland into
the Scandinavian communications system by regular summer schedules between
Seydisfjordur in East Iceland and Bergen in Norway, with Torshavn in the
Faroe Islands as a main port. Two years later Scotland was added to its
schedule.

     Air transport began in 1919, but was not fully organized until 1938, when
Icelandair was formed and started its internal air services, which it has
continued to this day. Another company, Loftleidir Icelandic Airlines, was
established in 1944 and ran domestic services alongside Icelandair until 1952.
Air services in Iceland are especially important, because of the limitations
of the road system and the inaccessibility to ordinary vehicles of large areas
of the country in winter. In 1977 Icelandair for the first time carried more
passengers than the total population of Iceland on internal routes, while also
keeping up scheduled flights to several European countries. Loftleidir
Icelandic Airlines concentrated on international flights between America and
Europe via Iceland after 1952 and made remarkable progress by offering lower
fares than other air carriers on the Europe-America route.

     In 1973 Icelandair and Loftleidir Icelandic Airlines pooled their
interests and have jointly offered scheduled flights to Copenhagen, Oslo,
Stockholm, Gothenburg, the Faroe Islands, Glasgow, London, Luxemburg,
Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Paris, New York and Chicago. An indication of the
expansion of the two airlines is that in 1950 they carried 5,700 passengers on
scheduled international flights, but now carry almost 400,000 passengers
annually.

     International services are operated from Keflavik Airport, while
domestic services are based at Reykjavik. Sixteen other airfields are used
for regular internal flights.

     In 1906 a submarine telegraph cable was laid from Scotland to Iceland,
and in the same year telephone lines were established in Iceland itself.
Radio-telephone submarine cable linking Scotland and Iceland (Scottice) came
into use in 1962, and a year later a similar link with Canada (Icecan) was
opened. Telex-services are employed by many Icelandic companies.

Sports and Recreation

     Travelling and camping in the country is one of the favourite pastimes
of the Icelanders. There are abundant opportunities for mountain climbing,
hiking, angling for salmon and trout in rivers, streams and lakes, and
swimming in gorges or swimming pools with natural hot water - in all parts of
the country all the year round.

     Skiing is fairly common, especially in the north and northwest, but in
the south snow is less predictable. Skating is also popular, particularly
among youngsters, but again the fluctuating climate interferes in the south.

     Golf, which is a pastime of growing popularity in Iceland, is played all
the year round, weather permitting. The same is true of pleasure riding, which
has reached enormous proportions over the past two decades. The various riding
clubs around the country provide stabling and fodder for the horses, organize
long trips on horseback through the wild interior of the country, and arrange
annual horse races and shows.

     Athletics have long been among the most popular sports of the Icelanders,
and there have been several athletes of international distinction. Some of the
sports can be carried on indoors all the year around, without regard for
climate, such as badminton, basket-ball, handball, judo, and the traditional
Icelandic brand of wrestling called glima, dating back to the first settlers
and still practised. Icelandic handball-players have an international
reputation, and so do the players of basket-ball to a lesser extent.

     Football (soccer) is very popular, but mainly limited to the summer
season. Individual football players have made international reputations. In
track events Icelandic athletes have mostly distinguished themselves in
short-distance running, decathlon, broad jump, hop-ship-and-jump, shot-put,
and weight-lifting. Boxing is prohibited by law.

     Swimming is a compulsory subject in every Icelandic primary school and
may well be characterized as a national sport in Iceland, with some 80
naturally heated open-air swimming pools all round the country. The Icelanders
swim all the years round.

     Powered flying and gliding are comparatively common sports, and so is
bird shooting (ptarmigan especially), while sailing is limited owing to
climatic conditions, and deep-sea angling has just recently been developed as
a sport.

     Chess has always had a special appeal in Iceland, though its virtual
monopoly as an indoor game has lately come to be challenged by bridge. In both
fields Icelandic players have won a great reputation in international
competitions. There are two