Iceland - Number 1 in the world!

We Icelanders are very competitive (that’s part of the “very small fish in a very big pond” syndrome), and as such we are very proud of being at the top (or close to it) of many lists. Among our many accomplishments, we have the highest per capita:

• The number of Nobel prizes (which is fun, as only one Icelander – writer Halldor Laxness – ever won the Nobel prize, but since we are so few that’s enough to put us at number one).
• Energy consumption (oops… although in truth most of it is used by factories).
• Books published every year (based on statistics, 1 in 10 Icelanders will publish a book in his or her lifetime!)
• Coca-Cola consumption (we don’t just love beer. Now that I think about it, why are we so thirsty? Could it be the salty air?)
• Golf courses (there are 66 across the country – that’s one golf course per 5,000 inhabitants. Probably a smart way to use up all this empty space).
• Level of internet penetration (97% of Icelanders have access to and use the internet – this means, a lot of Icelandic grandmas and grandpas are online as we speak).