Good day to you all. I am the Republic of Iceland. I’m famous for glaciers and volcanoes. My country’s population is about 340 thousand, and around 80 percent of my people are Christians. My capital is Reykjavik, and it means bay of smoke. It was named by Norwegian Vikings, you know.
My country is a little bigger than Hokkaido, and you can find me between Greenland and Norway. I am located in a special area called the aurora belt, so you can see the aurora borealis, or northaern lights, anywhere in my land if the weather is right.
My country’s language is very special, too. It has not changed since ninth or tenth century.
There are many volcanoes here, around 130. And there is a big eruption about every five years. People tell me that there are more than 800 natural hot springs. People make good use of this hot water. They make electricity, heat there homes, and even sit and relax in it.
I am especially proud of the world’s largest hot spring called the Blue Lagoon. It is as big as 30 volleyball courts. Big, isn't it? The tempreture of the water is about 37 to 40 degrees Celsius, so it's very comfortable. The Blue Lagoon has become so popular that the number of visitors is higher than my population.
Do you know what a gja is? Imagine a land pulling apart. That’s a gja. Do you understand? I am still growing in size. Well, it's only a few centimeters per year, but my land is growing bigger east to west. There is one gja that is wide enough for walking. It's a wonderful place to hike. You can feel how powerful nature is.
By the way, you may sometimes see a big rock in the middle of a road here. Do you know why we don't move it? Well, you see, elves might become angry if we did.
An elf is a type of fairy you read about in folklore stories. Eleves of Iceland are spirits of stones and rocks. When they get angry, there will be trouble.
More than 50 percent of people believe in eleves in my country. There is even a school to learn about eleves, and there is a law that protects them and their land. Elves are part of our culture.
Don't make fun of us for believing in elves. When you come to Iceland, you will see how powerful nature is and the mysteries it holds. It may make you want to believe, too.