Iceland: Ethinities of the Icelandic Regions

Ethnic Groups

Icelanders are the national group or ethnic group of Iceland descended primarily from Norsemen of Scandinavia and Celts from Ireland and Scotland.
The main ethnic groups of Iceland are: Icelanders, decendands of Norwegian, Celts 98%, Swedish .5%, and Danish .4%

Historical and DNA records indicate that around 60 to 80 percent of the settlers were of Nordic origin (primarily from Western Norway) and the rest were of Celtic stock from the British Isles.
Currently, only 4-6% of Icelandic citizens are immigrants from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Icelandic is the national language and is believed to have changed very little from the original tongue spoken by the Norse settlers. English and Danish are widely spoken and understood.
German and French are taught in grammar school and other upper secondary level schools, so many can speak these languages.
Icelandic has two unique letter-characters of its own, Þ/þ and Ð/ð, which were used in Old English. "Þ" is pronounced as "th" in "thing" and "Ð" is pronounced as the "th" in "them".

Religious affiliations: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 76.2%, Roman Catholic 3.4%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.9%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.9%, The Independent Congregation 1%, other religions 3.6% (includes Pentecostal and Asatru Association), none 5.2%, other or unspecified 5.9% (2013 est.)
The early settlers of Iceland were pagan, but by the 10th Century, pressure to convert to Christianity led many Icelanders to accept the new faith. The conflict between religions would result in several civil conflicts over the next century. Iceland consecrated its first bishop in 1056.

Reykjavik Free Church established in 1899

Iceland is a constitutional republic with a multi-party system.
The head of state is the President. The president is elected by direct popular vote for a term of four years, with no term limit Executive power is exercised by the Government.
Iceland is arguably the world's oldest parliamentary democracy, with the Parliament, the Althingi, established in 930.
Legislative power is vested in both the Parliament and the President. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson

"Icelandic Ethnic Groups and Languages." Icelandic Ethnic Groups and Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

"How Is Iceland Governed?" Government Offices. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.