Grab a warm sweater and a suspiciously sturdy pair of boots, because Iceland likes its trivia with glaciers, volcanoes, sagas, and hot springs.
These Iceland trivia questions circle the island through Viking history, Reykjavík landmarks, wild landscapes, folklore, food, music, literature, and sporting surprises.
Iceland on the Map
Q: What is the capital of Iceland?
A: Reykjavík.
Q: In which ocean is Iceland located?
A: The North Atlantic Ocean.
Q: What is Iceland's official language?
A: Icelandic.
Q: What currency does Iceland use?
A: The Icelandic króna.
Q: Which imaginary line passes through the island of Grímsey?
A: The Arctic Circle.
Q: What is Iceland's largest natural lake by area?
A: Þingvallavatn.
Q: What is Iceland's longest river?
A: Þjórsá.
Q: What is Iceland's highest peak?
A: Hvannadalshnúkur.
Q: What peninsula contains Keflavík International Airport?
A: The Reykjanes Peninsula.
Q: Which bay lies between Reykjavík and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula?
A: Faxaflói.
Q: What remote region of deeply cut fjords occupies Iceland's northwest?
A: The Westfjords.
Q: What is the largest town in northern Iceland?
A: Akureyri.
Q: What is the name of Iceland's ring road?
A: Route 1.
Q: Does Iceland share a land border with any country?
A: No.
Q: What colors appear on Iceland's flag?
A: Blue, white, and red.
Fire, Ice, and Restless Earth
Q: What is Iceland's largest glacier by volume?
A: Vatnajökull.
Q: Which volcano's 2010 eruption famously disrupted European air travel?
A: Eyjafjallajökull.
Q: What volcano erupted explosively in 1783 and released enormous quantities of lava and gas?
A: Laki.
Q: Which volcano is traditionally described as Iceland's gateway to hell?
A: Hekla.
Q: Which two tectonic plates meet beneath Iceland?
A: The North American and Eurasian plates.
Q: What undersea mountain chain runs through Iceland?
A: The Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Q: What source supplies most Icelandic homes with space heating?
A: Geothermal energy.
Q: What is a geyser?
A: A hot spring that intermittently erupts water and steam.
Q: Which Icelandic hot spring gave the English word “geyser” its name?
A: Geysir.
Q: Which nearby geyser erupts more frequently than Geysir?
A: Strokkur.
Q: What geothermal spa near Grindavík is known for milky-blue water?
A: The Blue Lagoon.
Q: What black-sand beach near Vík is famous for basalt columns and sea stacks?
A: Reynisfjara.
Q: What glacier lagoon is filled with drifting icebergs near Iceland's southeast coast?
A: Jökulsárlón.
Q: What waterfall on the Hvítá river drops into a rugged canyon along the Golden Circle?
A: Gullfoss.
Q: Which waterfall allows visitors to walk behind its curtain of water?
A: Seljalandsfoss.
Settlement, Sagas, and the Althing
Q: Which Norse explorer is traditionally called Iceland's first permanent settler?
A: Ingólfur Arnarson.
Q: Around what year did Ingólfur Arnarson settle in Iceland?
A: 874.
Q: What medieval work describes many of Iceland's earliest settlers?
A: The Book of Settlements, or Landnámabók.
Q: What is Iceland's national parliament called?
A: The Althing, or Alþingi.
Q: In what year was the Althing established?
A: 930.
Q: Where did the medieval Althing meet?
A: Þingvellir.
Q: What title belonged to the official who recited Iceland's laws from memory?
A: The lawspeaker.
Q: Which religion did Iceland officially adopt around the year 1000?
A: Christianity.
Q: Which Icelandic explorer is credited with reaching Greenland before Leif Erikson?
A: Erik the Red.
Q: Which explorer born in Iceland is associated with reaching North America around the year 1000?
A: Leif Erikson.
Q: What agreement brought Iceland under the Norwegian crown in the 13th century?
A: The Old Covenant.
Q: Which country ruled Iceland for centuries after the Danish-Norwegian union?
A: Denmark.
Q: In what year did Iceland become a sovereign kingdom in union with Denmark?
A: 1918.
Q: In what year did Iceland become a republic?
A: 1944.
Q: Who became Iceland's first president?
A: Sveinn Björnsson.
Reykjavík and Icelandic Life
Q: What does Reykjavík's name mean?
A: Smoky Bay.
Q: What towering Lutheran church is a Reykjavík landmark?
A: Hallgrímskirkja.
Q: Which Icelandic poet and clergyman inspired the name Hallgrímskirkja?
A: Hallgrímur Pétursson.
Q: What glass concert hall stands on Reykjavík's waterfront?
A: Harpa.
Q: What sculpture near Reykjavík's waterfront resembles a Viking ship?
A: The Sun Voyager.
Q: What historic estate is the official residence of Iceland's president?
A: Bessastaðir.
Q: What colorful shopping street leads toward Hallgrímskirkja?
A: Skólavörðustígur.
Q: What is a traditional Icelandic patronymic ending for a son?
A: -son.
Q: What is a traditional Icelandic patronymic ending for a daughter?
A: -dóttir.
Q: What committee rules on whether new personal names meet Icelandic requirements?
A: The Personal Names Committee.
Q: What knitted wool sweater with a circular patterned yoke is an Icelandic icon?
A: A lopapeysa.
Q: What is Icelandic wool called?
A: Lopi.
Q: What Christmas tradition involves giving books and reading on Christmas Eve?
A: Jólabókaflóð, the Christmas book flood.
Q: How many Yule Lads visit Icelandic children before Christmas?
A: Thirteen.
Q: What giant Christmas cat is said to prowl in Icelandic folklore?
A: The Yule Cat, or Jólakötturinn.
Literature, Language, and Legendary Tales
Q: What medieval prose narratives recount feuds and families of early Iceland?
A: The Sagas of Icelanders.
Q: Which saga tells of the outlaw hero Gunnar and the wise Njáll?
A: Njáls saga.
Q: Which saga follows poet-warrior Egill Skallagrímsson?
A: Egils saga.
Q: Which medieval Icelandic writer is traditionally credited with the Prose Edda?
A: Snorri Sturluson.
Q: What famous mythological collection preserves Old Norse poems?
A: The Poetic Edda.
Q: Which Icelandic author won the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature?
A: Halldór Laxness.
Q: Which Laxness novel follows the fiercely independent farmer Bjartur?
A: Independent People.
Q: Which Icelandic novelist wrote The Blue Fox?
A: Sjón.
Q: Which crime novelist created Reykjavík detective Erlendur Sveinsson?
A: Arnaldur Indriðason.
Q: What letter in Icelandic is called thorn and represents an unvoiced “th” sound?
A: Þ.
Q: What Icelandic letter called eth can represent a voiced “th” sound?
A: Ð.
Q: Which modern language is Icelandic most closely related to?
A: Faroese.
Q: What mythical hidden people are known in Icelandic as huldufólk?
A: Hidden people or elves.
Q: What terrifying folkloric figure is the mother of the Yule Lads?
A: Grýla.
Q: What undead creature from Icelandic saga tradition is called a draugr?
A: A revenant.
Wildlife, Seas, and Island Nature
Q: What is Iceland's only native land mammal?
A: The Arctic fox.
Q: Which stocky seabird nests in huge colonies on Icelandic cliffs?
A: The Atlantic puffin.
Q: What bird is Iceland's national bird?
A: The gyrfalcon.
Q: Which small, sturdy horse breed is famous for the tölt gait?
A: The Icelandic horse.
Q: What smooth four-beat gait is especially associated with Icelandic horses?
A: The tölt.
Q: Can an Icelandic horse that leaves the country normally return under Iceland's import rules?
A: No.
Q: What sheep breed has been raised in Iceland since the settlement era?
A: The Icelandic sheep.
Q: Which large whale, the biggest animal on Earth, can be seen in Icelandic waters?
A: The blue whale.
Q: Which northern Iceland town is widely known as a whale-watching center?
A: Húsavík.
Q: What shark species is used to make hákarl?
A: Greenland shark.
Q: What moss-covered lava field lies between Vík and Höfn?
A: Eldhraun.
Q: What hardy low-growing tree once covered larger areas of Iceland?
A: Downy birch.
Q: What treeless interior region is known for volcanic deserts and mountains?
A: The Highlands.
Q: Which national park includes Vatnajökull and several surrounding volcanoes?
A: Vatnajökull National Park.
Q: What 1963 volcanic eruption created a new island south of Iceland?
A: The eruption that formed Surtsey.
Music, Movies, and Icelandic Creativity
Q: Which Icelandic singer released the album Homogenic?
A: Björk.
Q: Which Reykjavík band recorded “Little Talks”?
A: Of Monsters and Men.
Q: Which Icelandic band is known for the ethereal album Ágætis byrjun?
A: Sigur Rós.
Q: Which Icelandic composer won an Academy Award for Joker?
A: Hildur Guðnadóttir.
Q: Which annual Reykjavík festival showcases new Icelandic and international music?
A: Iceland Airwaves.
Q: Which actor played Lars in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga?
A: Will Ferrell.
Q: What fictional Icelandic town is home to Fire Saga in that film?
A: Húsavík.
Q: Which Icelandic actor played Andri Ólafsson in the crime series Trapped?
A: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.
Q: What Game of Thrones character did Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson portray?
A: Gregor Clegane, known as the Mountain.
Q: Which Icelandic strongman portrayed the Mountain in later seasons of Game of Thrones?
A: Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.
Q: Which Icelandic director made the film Rams?
A: Grímur Hákonarson.
Q: Which Icelandic poet and novelist co-wrote Lamb with director Valdimar Jóhannsson?
A: Sjón.
Q: Which Icelandic novelist co-wrote the screenplay for The Northman?
A: Sjón.
Q: What Reykjavík arts festival began in 1970 and presents music, theater, dance, and visual art?
A: Reykjavík Arts Festival.
Q: Which Icelandic singer wrote and performed “Think About Things”?
A: Daði Freyr.
Food, Festivals, and Sporting Moments
Q: What cultured dairy product resembles thick yogurt but is technically a fresh cheese?
A: Skyr.
Q: What fermented shark dish is called hákarl?
A: Cured Greenland shark.
Q: What rye bread is traditionally baked using geothermal heat?
A: Rúgbrauð.
Q: What Icelandic lamb soup is called kjötsúpa?
A: Meat soup.
Q: What twisted fried pastry is called kleinur?
A: An Icelandic doughnut.
Q: What hot dog stand in Reykjavík became famous after Bill Clinton visited?
A: Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur.
Q: What midwinter festival features traditional Icelandic foods?
A: Þorrablót.
Q: What first day of summer holiday is celebrated even when the weather feels wintry?
A: Sumardagurinn fyrsti.
Q: What outdoor festival takes place in the Westman Islands over the August holiday weekend?
A: Þjóðhátíð.
Q: Which sport produced Iceland's famous “Viking clap” moment at UEFA Euro 2016?
A: Soccer.
Q: Which nation did Iceland defeat in the round of 16 at UEFA Euro 2016?
A: England.
Q: What was Iceland's first FIFA World Cup tournament?
A: The 2018 World Cup.
Q: Which team sport has brought Iceland an Olympic silver medal?
A: Men's handball.
Q: At which Olympics did Iceland win silver in men's handball?
A: Beijing 2008.
Q: Which Reykjavík venue is home to Iceland's national soccer teams?
A: Laugardalsvöllur.
Your Icelandic Adventure Is Complete
If you survived the lava fields, saga feuds, and fermented shark, your trivia stamina deserves a soak in a hot spring. Continue the trip with our Greece trivia, or try more great names in famous people trivia.
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