<s>
Industrialization	O
of	O
the	O
fisheries	O
and	O
Marshall	B-Operating_System
Plan	I-Operating_System
aid	O
following	O
World	O
War	O
II	O
brought	O
prosperity	O
,	O
and	O
Iceland	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
wealthiest	O
and	O
most	O
developed	O
nations	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then	O
came	O
a	O
Viking	B-Application
named	O
Flóki	O
Vilgerðarson	O
;	O
his	O
daughter	O
drowned	O
en	O
route	O
,	O
then	O
his	O
livestock	O
starved	O
to	O
death	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
notion	O
that	O
Iceland	O
's	O
Viking	B-Application
settlers	O
chose	O
that	O
name	O
to	O
discourage	O
the	O
settlement	O
of	O
their	O
verdant	O
isle	O
is	O
a	O
myth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Swedish	O
Viking	B-Application
explorer	O
Garðar	O
Svavarsson	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
circumnavigate	O
Iceland	O
in	O
870	O
and	O
establish	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
an	O
island	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Infertile	O
soil	O
,	O
volcanic	O
eruptions	O
,	O
deforestation	B-Application
,	O
and	O
an	O
unforgiving	O
climate	O
made	O
for	O
harsh	O
life	O
in	O
a	O
society	O
where	O
subsistence	O
depended	O
almost	O
entirely	O
on	O
agriculture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
19th	O
century	O
,	O
the	O
country	O
's	O
climate	O
continued	O
to	O
grow	O
colder	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
mass	O
emigration	O
to	O
the	O
New	B-Protocol
World	I-Protocol
,	O
particularly	O
to	O
the	O
region	O
of	O
Gimli	O
,	O
Manitoba	O
in	O
Canada	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
New	O
Iceland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
American	O
troops	O
returned	O
to	O
Iceland	O
as	O
the	O
Iceland	O
Defence	O
Force	O
and	O
remained	O
throughout	O
the	O
Cold	B-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
immediate	O
post-war	O
period	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
substantial	O
economic	O
growth	O
,	O
driven	O
by	O
the	O
industrialisation	O
of	O
the	O
fishing	O
industry	O
and	O
the	O
US	O
Marshall	B-Operating_System
Plan	I-Operating_System
programme	O
,	O
through	O
which	O
Icelanders	O
received	O
the	O
most	O
aid	O
per	O
capita	O
of	O
any	O
European	O
country	O
(	O
at	O
US$209	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
war-ravaged	O
Netherlands	O
a	O
distant	O
second	O
at	O
US$109	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
common	O
tree	O
native	O
to	O
Iceland	O
is	O
the	O
northern	O
birch	B-Algorithm
(	O
Betula	O
pubescens	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
formerly	O
formed	O
forests	O
over	O
much	O
of	O
Iceland	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
aspens	O
(	O
Populus	O
tremula	O
)	O
,	O
rowans	O
(	O
Sorbus	O
aucuparia	O
)	O
,	O
common	O
junipers	O
(	O
Juniperus	O
communis	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
smaller	O
trees	O
,	O
mainly	O
willows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Deforestation	B-Application
,	O
climatic	O
deterioration	O
during	O
the	O
Little	O
Ice	O
Age	O
,	O
and	O
overgrazing	O
by	O
sheep	O
imported	O
by	O
settlers	O
caused	O
a	O
loss	O
of	O
critical	O
topsoil	O
due	O
to	O
erosion	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three-quarters	O
of	O
Iceland	O
's	O
is	O
affected	O
by	O
soil	O
erosion	B-Algorithm
;	O
is	O
affected	O
to	O
a	O
degree	O
serious	O
enough	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
land	O
useless	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
a	O
few	O
small	O
birch	B-Algorithm
stands	O
now	O
exist	O
in	O
isolated	O
reserves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
only	O
native	O
land	O
mammal	O
when	O
humans	O
arrived	O
was	O
the	O
Arctic	B-Application
fox	I-Application
,	O
which	O
came	O
to	O
the	O
island	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
ice	O
age	O
,	O
walking	O
over	O
the	O
frozen	O
sea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wild	O
mammals	O
include	O
the	O
Arctic	B-Application
fox	I-Application
,	O
mink	B-Device
,	O
mice	O
,	O
rats	O
,	O
rabbits	O
,	O
and	O
reindeer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Polar	B-Algorithm
bears	I-Algorithm
occasionally	O
visit	O
the	O
island	O
,	O
travelling	O
from	O
Greenland	O
on	O
icebergs	O
,	O
but	O
no	O
Icelandic	O
populations	O
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2008	O
,	O
two	O
polar	B-Algorithm
bears	I-Algorithm
arrived	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IDF	O
was	O
downsized	O
after	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
Cold	B-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Air	O
Force	O
maintained	O
four	O
to	O
six	O
interceptor	O
aircraft	O
at	O
the	O
Naval	O
Air	O
Station	O
Keflavik	O
until	O
they	O
were	O
withdrawn	O
on	O
30	O
September	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Iceland	O
was	O
the	O
neutral	O
host	O
of	O
the	O
historic	O
1986	O
Reagan	O
–	O
Gorbachev	O
summit	O
in	O
Reykjavík	O
,	O
which	O
set	O
the	O
stage	O
for	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
Cold	B-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Vikings	B-Application
cut	O
them	O
for	O
fuel	O
,	O
building	O
,	O
and	O
making	O
iron	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
study	O
published	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
23%	O
of	O
the	O
inhabitants	O
were	O
either	O
atheist	O
or	O
agnostic	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Flood	O
begins	O
with	O
the	O
Iceland	O
Publisher	O
's	O
Association	O
distributing	O
Bókatíðindi	B-Library
,	O
a	O
catalogue	O
of	O
all	O
new	O
publications	O
,	O
free	O
to	O
each	O
Icelandic	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CCP	O
Games	O
hosts	O
the	O
third-most	O
populated	O
MMO	B-Application
in	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
has	O
the	O
largest	O
total	O
game	O
area	O
for	O
an	O
online	O
game	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Guinness	O
World	O
Records	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Seafood	O
is	O
central	O
to	O
most	O
Icelandic	O
cooking	O
,	O
particularly	O
cod	O
and	O
haddock	B-Language
but	O
also	O
salmon	B-Protocol
,	O
herring	O
,	O
and	O
halibut	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
distilleries	O
on	O
Iceland	O
produce	O
vodka	O
(	O
Reyka	O
)	O
,	O
gin	O
( Ísafold	O
)	O
,	O
moss	B-Application
schnapps	O
(	O
Fjallagrasa	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
birch-flavoured	O
schnapps	O
and	O
liqueur	O
(	O
Foss	O
Distillery	O
's	O
Birkir	O
and	O
Björk	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
sports	O
include	O
football	O
,	O
track	B-Application
and	I-Application
field	I-Application
,	O
handball	O
and	O
basketball	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
not	O
managed	O
to	O
win	O
a	O
single	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
Basketball	B-Application
final	O
stages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Iceland	O
has	O
excellent	O
conditions	O
for	O
skiing	B-Application
,	O
fishing	O
,	O
snowboarding	B-Application
,	O
ice	O
climbing	O
and	O
rock	O
climbing	O
,	O
although	O
mountain	O
climbing	O
and	O
hiking	O
are	O
preferred	O
by	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Iceland	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
world-class	O
destination	O
for	O
alpine	O
ski	O
touring	O
and	O
Telemark	O
skiing	B-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
Troll	O
Peninsula	O
in	O
Northern	O
Iceland	O
being	O
the	O
main	O
centre	O
of	O
activity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Iceland	O
has	O
also	O
produced	O
many	O
chess	O
masters	O
and	O
hosted	O
the	O
historic	O
World	O
Chess	O
Championship	O
1972	O
in	O
Reykjavík	O
during	O
the	O
height	O
of	O
the	O
Cold	B-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
