Earthquakes are as exciting as breakfast here, with people only bothering to tip their fur hats to proper explosions, ones that pose an island where once there was ocean, ones that sculpt the earth anew. What the country does have, however, is large expanses of tundra, grassland, bogs and barren desert. The only indigenous land mammal is the Arctic fox, although polar bears, which occasionally drift across from Greenland on ice floes, would be indigenous if they weren't considered so undesirable. Introduced animals include the reindeer, mink and field mice. The country has a wealth of birdlife, especially sea birds, and its seas are rich in marine mammals and fish.
Freshwater fish are limited to eels, salmon, trout and Arctic char.
Iceland's southern and western coasts experience relatively mild winter temperatures thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, though it still tends to rain an awful lot. July and August are the warmest months and, in general, the chances of fine weather improve as you move north and east. While they're more prone to clear weather than the coastal areas, the interior deserts can experience other problems such as blizzards, and high winds which whip up dust and sand into swirling, gritty maelstroms. Lonely Planet Publications Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved.