A stunning island in Europe grows by 1.9 inches every year thanks to its unique position between two tectonic plates.

Known as the land of fire and ice, Iceland sits atop the Eurasian and North American plates, which are gradually drifting apart.

The North American plate is slowly moving westward from the Eurasian plate, and surveys that track the precise location of fixed points around the island show it is expanding by about 1.9 inches annually.

The island itself was formed by a fissure in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the plates meet, giving Iceland its dramatic landscapes of fiery volcanoes and icy glaciers.

Thanks to its rich natural resources, most of Iceland’s electricity comes from hydroelectric power and about 85 percent of homes in Iceland are heated with geothermal water, according to its government website. 

It is home to Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull, and glaciers cover roughly 11.1 percent of the country’s land area.

Just 387,758 people live in Iceland, according to 2023 figures, 175 times fewer people than the UK’s 68 million, despite being only 2.4 times larger in terms of land area. 

The population is understandably small given that almost 80 percent of the country uninhabited, with much of Iceland’s terrain covered in stunning mountain peaks, volcanoes and fertile lowlands. 

Continuing the theme of extremes, it also experiences long summer days with near 24-hours of sunshine during the “midnight sun” of summer, and just over three hours of sunlight in the depths of winter.

The colours of its flag are symbolic too: red represents the volcanic fires, white recalls the snow and glaciers, and blue is for the skies, the sea and the mountains.