15 reasons why Iceland is awsome!!!

1. It is the land of the midnight sun

This week, the sun in Iceland rises just after 3am, and it keeps on shining until just before midnight, allowing only a few hours of half darkness. Come the summer solstice, on June 21, the gap will narrow further, as the country is gripped by a luminous party atmosphere, with celebrations including the Secret Solstice festival, a midnight Arctic Open golf tournament and a Route 1 ring road relay bike race, which skirts the entire country.

1. It loves honking on the power lines

Believe it or not, Iceland uses more electricity per capita than anywhere in the world. Trumping Norway in second, Bahrain in third and even the fuel-hungry US in tenth, the nation gobbles up energy like it’s going out of fashion. Dr Helga Hlaðgerður Lúthersdóttir, who Telegraph Travel interviewed to try to understand some of the idiosyncrasies of what makes Iceland great, said this comes as no surprise. “We are quite wasteful and heat is our perfect idea of comfort,” she said. “All lights on, all radiators on full, bright and beautiful, but we like fresh air so we have the windows open.”

3 There is not a single mosquito

Hard to argue that you should whittle down your holiday options solely by places where the pesky blighters can’t get you, but it is certainly an added attraction. And indeed, Iceland is one of only two parts of the planet where the mozzies never set up shop, the other being Antarctica, hardly a holiday hotspot. If you’re pro-mosquito but anti-malaria then New Caledonia, the Seychelles and French Polynesia are for you, where the insects exist but cannot carry the virus as it requires the blood of land-based mammals, which are absent.

4 . It is home to two continents

It is not unreasonable to think that tectonic plates don’t get on - all that magma, the grappling, the arguing (whose fault was it?) - but come to Iceland and you will witness two - the North American and the Eurasian - living together in perfect harmony (excuse the eggy stench, it was Eurasia) and you can even dive between the two to hang out with them. Or arbitrate, depending on their mood.

1. Talking of volcanoes...

You know those rickety-looking lifts that window cleaners use on skyscrapers? That’s how you’ll be lowered into the belly of Thrihnukagigur volcano. Navigating the 120-metre drop is like descending through the roof of a fire-coloured cathedral. The last eruption occurred thousands of years ago, but the inside of the cavern is stained with russet red scars and flashes of blackened indigo. Once inside, you’ll have an hour to roam freely, with headtorches provided. Tours are operated by Inside the Volcano.

1. There’s no such thing as boy jobs and girl jobs

Theresa May and her husband Philip would find themselves in domestic chaos should they move to Iceland, which is rated the best country in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum. It was followed in second and third place by its Scandi neighbours, Norway and Finland.

1. They believe in elves. And you should too

“The one thing you must never do in Iceland is upset an elf,” warns Telegraph Travel's Mike Unwin. Iceland’s Huldufólk are everywhere – hiding behind rocks, under waterfalls, and even in glaciers and volcanoes. Their formidable brethren, trolls, are harder to spot as they only come out when it’s dark. Legend has it that many of the startling rock formations you see around the country are trolls caught out in the open by the rising sun - once hit by its rays they were instantly turned to stone. There's even a special hiking tour from Discover the World, tailored to exploring the myths and legends of the elves.

1. For a land of ice it’s pretty hot

Not temperature-wise, of course. In that respect it is rather chilly. But the country, being home to some of the most active volcanoes on the planet, is constantly pumping out 75-degree water through one of its 800 hot springs. From an energy point of view, this is great - some 85 per cent of the country’s homes are heated naturally by geothermal water - and from a visitor's point of view, there are a plethora of “hot pots” in which to take a dip.

1. The nation has a fresh perspective on booze

Mainly because it was illegal from 1915 through to 1989, though from 1935 to 1989 only beer (2.25% ABV or above) was prohibited. Iceland, though embracing the amber nectar by hosting a flourishing craft beer scene, still has a peculiar relationship with alcohol, in that it can only be purchased at one of 46 state-owned off licences, called Vínbúð. Subsequently, some people operate black-market dealing at peak hours in the same way other nations might use drug dealers.

1. It should only have one animal

The Arctic fox is the only mammal native to Iceland, where it arrived at the end of the last ice age having wandered over the frozen sea. Imagine how the Arctic fox felt when those pesky Icelandic horses arrived with the Norse settlers in the 9th century. Miffed, probably.

1. Speaking of those fine beasts...

Icelandic horses display two more gaits than average. So while old Duke can offer his rider walk, trot and gallop, Gyðja will step up to an ambling gait known as the tölt as well as the flugskeið or “flying pace”. All performed with effortless Icelandic chic.

1. Its capital is the answer to a great pub quiz question

Reykjavik is both the northern-most and western-most capital city in Europe. Since you’re asking, Valletta in Malta is the southern-most and Moscow, the eastern-most.

1. It is incredibly green

Not in terms of foliage, though it does have its lush moments (check out Thingvellir), but to add its credentials of gender equality and bizarre electricity use, it is also the second most environmentally-friendly country in the world, behind only Finland. This is according to the 2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), produced by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. The UK is 12th. Not bad going.

1. Icelandic celebrities have it tough

Not in that they don’t receive adoration or boast inflated bank balances, but more in that they are unable to name their offspring willy nilly in the same way other Western stars can (we’re looking at you, Chris Martin). Nope, in Iceland all new first names introduced to the country must be considered by the Icelandic Naming Committee who decide whether they are worthy of entering the nation’s culture and tradition. Check yours here.

1. There is no McDonald’s and no strip clubs

The former shut up shop and moved out of Reykjavik in 2009 - though you can watch a live-stream of the last cheeseburger ever sold there, now on display at the city’s Bus Hostel - and the latter were banned in 2010. But what the city does have is a penis museum, boasting the world’s largest display of penises (that’s 280).

I LOVE ICELAND!!! :-)