Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Weather inquiry - Why is Iceland not cold?

Why is Iceland not cold?

Iceland, located in the North Atlantic Ocean near the Arctic Circle, belongs to Europe and is an island country in the northwest of Europe, with an area of 103 106 square kilometers. With a population of about 265,000, it is a single Germanic nation. They speak Icelandic, and 93% people believe in Christianity.

The original meaning of the name Iceland is "the land of ice", and the Chinese translation is "Iceland". Our country transliterates the names and place names of western countries, but it is a free translation for this island country.

About 75% of this island country is a plateau with an altitude of more than 400 meters. The highest Huanadar volcano is 2 1 19 meters above sea level, and the rest are plain lowlands. The snow-covered area accounts for about 13% of the national area. There are many glaciers (glaciers) in China, and there are seven relatively large glaciers. The most famous one is the Vatna Glacier in the east, which covers an area of 00 square kilometers and is the largest glacier in Europe.

Iceland is located on the edge of the polar region and has a maritime climate. From the latitude point of view, it should be a very cold place, and the name "frozen land" sounds chilling. The climate in Iceland is relatively cold, but it is not as cold as people think. Because of the influence of the Atlantic Mexican warm current, it is warmer here than other parts of the world at the same latitude. Northern Iceland is cold and belongs to the frigid climate. It is difficult to grow grass on the ground there, and only bryophytes grow close to the ground, so it is called the frigid tundra climate zone. Moreover, it is relatively dry, and the annual precipitation is only about 450 mm.

Due to the "influence" of the Mexican warm current, the temperature in southern Iceland is regulated by the warm current and belongs to temperate climate, with an average annual precipitation of about 2200mm. Take Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, as an example. It was coldest in June+10 in 5438, with an average temperature of 4℃. July is the hottest, with an average temperature of 1 1℃, and the highest temperature can reach above 23℃.

Because Iceland is located in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, the sunshine exposure time is very short every winter, and people's life expectancy is also very long. In summer, on the contrary, it seems that the sun is always hovering overhead, and it is still dark and bright. During the period of 10 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 200 volcanoes on the island, including about 30 active volcanoes, and recorded volcanic eruptions in history exceed 150 times. Now in Iceland, 1 1% of the ground is covered by volcanic lava. Therefore, Iceland is also called "an island where ice and fire coexist". There are volcanoes not only on the island, but also on the seabed nearby. 1963, a volcano erupted in the ocean near Iceland, forming an island, which was named by Icelanders as Selma Volcano Island.

There are also many volcanic hot springs. At present, there are more than 800 hot springs in Iceland. The water temperature of these hot springs is mostly around 75℃, and the highest is above l 10℃. They keep pouring hot water and steam into the ground. In winter, there is a thick fog around the capital Reykjavik, that is, water vapor from hot springs, so people call Reykjavik a "smoking city", but this is not smoke, but water vapor.

Iceland is a rich country, and its 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 70% to 80% of the national economic income depends on exporting fishery products. This country depends on imports for almost everything except livestock products. They mainly export fishery products every year in exchange for foreign exchange, and then buy back all kinds of items they need from abroad.

Water resources are also one of Iceland's advantages. Iceland has a lot of precipitation, steep terrain, fast-flowing rivers and a lot of water energy. If it is fully developed and utilized, it can generate more than 30 billion kWh of electricity every year. Now only about 10% has been developed. Iceland's geothermal energy reserves are greater than water energy. If all of them are used, it can generate more than 80 billion kWh of electricity every year, and only about 7% of them are now developed and utilized. Hydropower and geothermal energy are clean energy and can be used permanently in the foreseeable future. Therefore, it has been envisaged to vigorously develop hydropower and geothermal energy in Iceland and transport them to Britain and continental Europe through submarine cables. At that time, Iceland will gain inexhaustible wealth.

Iceland's tourism resources, especially hot springs, are very distinctive. For example, the world-famous Giselle Gorge Fountain, with a diameter of more than 2 meters, erupts every 6 hours or so, and the ejected water column goes straight into the sky, making a sound, which is very spectacular. In addition, there are good tourist facilities, excellent service conditions and simple enthusiasm of Icelanders. So Iceland attracts 70,000 to 80,000 tourists every year. The best travel time is from May to September every year. At this time, the weather in Iceland is cool and pleasant. Tourists can come here for summer vacation and play. However, every winter, the same number of Icelanders travel abroad. They all went to the southern countries and regions to find the sunshine they needed and escape from the dark and long winter in their own countries.