Selling beer was banned in Iceland until the year 1988, although strong alcohol was legal. The former ban was the last vestige of prohibition laws that were in effect for decades. There are no trains in Iceland. Iceland has no army - there is a NATO base in Keflavik, where the international airport is, but all the soldiers are American. The police here do not carry guns.
People here can get a permit for a rifle, but there are no handguns.
Over half of Iceland's population lives in Reykjavik, the capital, and adjoining towns. The total number of people living in Iceland is around 270.000 - just over a quarter of a million. Icelanders use patronymics rather than surnames. It is believed that the Icelandic language has changed little since Norwegian vikings settled here in 874. The fact that our nation has its own language is probably one of the most important factors in making Iceland what it is, an independent state, and not a region of some other.