Reykjavik, Iceland: The Island of Fire and Ice History | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 Nature the Way Nature Intended It Legend has it that the first Vikings who discovered the two neighboring islands, Iceland and Greenland, were so enamored with Iceland's natural beauty and so unimpressed with Greenland's frozen landscape that they named the 'green' island Iceland and the ice-covered island Greenland in a attempt to prevent others from settling on their island. In fact, over one third of Iceland is still volcanically active. And, although Iceland is north enough to be covered in ice, its volcanic magma below keeps the surface above 'green'. Iceland for most of its history has been a poor, rural country straight from the Middle Ages. Having long been under Danish rule through a Crown union, that all changed when Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, and in response Britain occupied Iceland. Iceland was considered a strategic port for allied forces, namely for American submarines and planes that still were not able to cross the Atlantic in one fueling. In a pre-emptive move, Britain took the role as its defender, a role that was later given to the Americans. During the Allied occupation, Iceland experienced tremendous economic growth. With its new economic power, Iceland declared its independence in 1944, and controversially ended its stance of 'eternal neutrality' to become a founding member of the NATO alliance in 1949. Today, Iceland is an economically and culturally sophisticated society with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Its quality of life is unprecedented. Iceland's generous public health system and its expansive social services is the envy of the developed Western world. Because all its energy needs are harnessed from hydroelectric or geothermal sources, there's no pollution. Violent crimes are unheard of. In fact, firearms are banned in the country; police officers carry batons and most prisoners are released daily to go home for lunch.