One of the most breathtaking images to emerge from Iceland in the last quarter century is that of an Icelandic Coast Guard vessel defiantly shadowing a British warship, during the Cod War of 1976. At the time, the two countries were involved in a territorial dispute over fishing rights, and the photograph became a symbol of resistance against British encroachment on the island's main industry. It is all the more extraordinary when one takes into consideration that Iceland has no standing army.
Few societies exhibit such national pride.
In fact, Icelanders have a reputation of being passionately defensive when people criticize their country, a trait that a few local philosophers and psychologists humorously call a national inferiority complex. The truth is that Icelanders have many reasons to be proud. They have a strong cultural heritage, and people here have achieved a remarkable quality of life. Crime is practically nonexistent, and Icelanders currently have the longest life expectancy on the planet. Visitors to the country are often astonished by its utopian aura.