Europe's greatest producer of bananas, Iceland is a surprising North Atlantic jewel. Its colossal, volcano-pitted ice caps are a world marvel, and its magnificent, bird-thronged coastlines invite adventurous exploration.

• TOTAL AREA: 103,000 sq km

• LAND AREA: 100,250 sq km

• WATER AREA: 2,750 sq km

• POPULATION: 299,388

• RELIGIONS: Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4%

• LANGUAGES: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Constitutional Republic

• CAPITAL CITY: Reykjavik

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: Icelandic krona (ISK)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC 0