Where is the largest glacier in Europe?

The original meaning of the name of Iceland is "land of ice", and the Chinese translation is "Iceland". It is located in the northern Atlantic Ocean near the Arctic Circle, and belongs to Europe. It is an island country in northwest Europe with an area of about 13,16 square kilometers. About 75% of this island country is a plateau with an altitude of more than 4 meters. The highest Huanadals volcano is 2119 meters above sea level, and the rest are plain lowlands. The area covered by ice and snow accounts for about 13% of the national area, and there are many glaciers (glaciers) in the territory, the most famous of which is the Vatna Glacier in the east, which is the largest glacier in Europe.

Because Iceland is located in the high latitude area of the northern hemisphere, the sun shines for a very short time every winter, and people live a long life. In summer, on the contrary, it seems that the sun is always circling overhead, and it is still dark and bright. For a period of time around October every year, you can see the shining aurora from the North Pole at night.

Iceland is not only cold and snowy, but also the most active volcanic area in the world. There are more than 2 volcanoes in the island, including about 3 active volcanoes, and there are more than 15 recorded volcanic eruptions in history. In Iceland today, 11% of the ground is covered by volcanic lava. Therefore, Iceland is also called "an island where ice and fire exist". There are volcanoes not only on the island, but also on the seabed nearby. In 1963, a volcanic eruption occurred in the ocean near Iceland, forming an island. Icelanders gave it a name, called the Sertser volcanic island.

there are many hot springs where volcanoes are active. At present, there are more than 8 hot springs in Iceland. The water temperature of these hot springs is mostly around 75℃, and the highest is above 11℃. They keep pouring hot water and steam into the ground. In winter, there is a thick fog around the capital Reykjavik, that is, the water vapor from hot springs, so people call Reykjavik a "smoking city", but it is not smoke, but water vapor.

Although it is a "land of ice", Iceland is a rich country, where people live a rich life. Its prosperity mainly depends on fishery, hydropower and geothermal resources. Fishery production is the pillar industry of Iceland's economy, and 7% to 8% of the national economic income depends on exporting fishery products. Water resources are also one of Iceland's advantages. Iceland has a large amount of precipitation, steep terrain and fast-flowing rivers, which contain a lot of water energy. If all of them are developed and utilized, it can produce more than 3 billion kWh of electricity every year, but only about 1% of it has been developed now. Iceland's geothermal energy reserves are larger than water energy. If all of them are used, it can generate more than 8 billion kWh of electricity every year, but now only about 7% is developed and utilized. It should be pointed out that hydropower and geothermal energy are clean energy sources and can be used permanently in the foreseeable future. Therefore, it has been envisaged that hydropower and geothermal energy will be developed vigorously in Iceland and transported to Britain and continental Europe through submarine cables. At that time, Iceland will get inexhaustible wealth.

Iceland's tourism resources, especially hot springs, have its own characteristics. For example, the world-famous Giselle Gap Fountain has a diameter of more than 2 meters, erupts every 6 hours or so, and the ejected water column soars into the sky and makes a sound, which is very spectacular. In addition, there are good tourist facilities, excellent service conditions and simple enthusiasm of Icelanders. Therefore, Iceland attracts 7, to 8, tourists every year.