A tribute to Iceland — Land of Fire and Ice
🇮🇸 Gleðilegan þjóðhátíðardag! 🇮🇸
Today marks 82 years since the founding of the Republic of Iceland. On June 17, 1944, at Þingvellir — the ancient site where the Alþingi first gathered over a millennium ago — the Icelandic people declared their independence and established their republic.
The date was chosen to honor Jón Sigurðsson, born on this day in 1811, who led the 19th-century independence movement. A scholar and statesman from the Westfjords, he spent decades in Copenhagen arguing calmly and persistently that Icelanders had a historic right to govern their own affairs.
In a national referendum, 98.4% of voters supported dissolving the union with Denmark and establishing a republic. At Þingvellir, beneath the dramatic rift where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet, tens of thousands gathered in the rain to witness the birth of their nation.
Iceland's independence came during World War II, while Denmark was under German occupation. The Icelandic government had already assumed full control of foreign affairs in 1940, and when the occupation ended, the people voted overwhelmingly for complete sovereignty.
The Icelandic flag bears a red Nordic cross edged in white on a blue field:
Fire and ice. The forces that shaped the island continue to define its identity.
Explore Iceland's story through the links above — its sagas, its gods, its land of fire and ice, and its remarkable people.