Season 9, Ep 101- The Land of Vikings (History, Geography, Culture, Cuisine & Petition)

Welcome to a brand new season.  In today's episode, we will travel to the Land of Vikings, Iceland and discover some fun facts about the country. For eg:- Did you know that Icelanders listen to the most amount of heavy metal music in the world? To know more about heavy metal music, listen to Episode 97

Like any other country in the world, Iceland too has some problems that require everyone's support. If you are an animal lover, you will be shocked to learn about what is happening with Icelandic Fin Whales. But, you can show your support to this cause by signing a petition.

References:
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica 
2. Change.org
3. Wikipedia

Instagram: @samarthchitta
Twitter: @samarthchitta
Email: samarth.chitta@gmail.com

Transcript

Namaste and welcome to Kidacity where we learn, share and take action together. I'm your host Samarth Chitta . I'm 11 years old and live in Bengaluru, India. I'm also an aspiring author.

Kidacity is a fun place for kids like you and me to learn about various topics that interest us. This season, we will learn about countries around the world, their culture, their history and most importantly one problem that children in that country are facing.From time to time, I also bring inspiring interviews with adults and children.No learning is complete without putting it into action. So, at the end of each episode there will be a segment where you can take action about the topic of the episode.So, if you love to learn and listening to inspiring people around us, you've come to the right place.

This is Episode and 101 and today we will explore the  country whose language includes over 100 words for wind and most of this country's citizens believe in Elves. This country is an island off the coast of Europe.  Any guesses?

The Country is……………………..ICELAND!!!

Stay tuned to discover 5 amazing aspects about Iceland. 

First some basic facts about the place, its geography, language, capital, flag etc.

Second, we will be talking about the history

Third, about the culture- festivals, customs and more

Fourthly, it's all about the cuisine- something that we all look forward to when we visit a new place.

And finally, the most important aspect of the show is, we will be taking one initiative from the website change.org that belongs to that country/city, understand more about it and show our support by signing the petition. 

<Geography and History Music>

Lets first get to know a bit more about Iceland and its Geography,

Iceland is located off the coast of Europe, it is an island nation, just like Trinidad and Tobago - Its nearest Countries are England, Ireland, Greenland and Norway. On the southeast of the Island sits Rejkayvik, it's capital.

Iceland's national language is Icelandic, but over 98% of the country speaks English.

Icelands produces the second highest amount of Aluminium in Europe, after Norway, It also ranks fourth in Salmon Production, But it is first in producing Arctic Char.

You're probably wondering what that is Artic Char. I was also surprised when I first heard about it., Well, Arctic Char is a type of fish. It is a rare fish making it hard to find in most markets

Iceland is full of interesting places to visit. Reykjavik is full of colour and quirky structures, you can see this when you visit the Solfario Sculpture in Saebraut. On the other side of Iceland lies Lake Myvan, known for its hot springs and Game of Thrones Setting

The history of Iceland is also equally fascinating. 

According to many people, Iceland has no Prehistory, but many stories written show that the country was discovered by the Norse people in the Viking Age. It is believed that the Ingolorf Anarson of Norway came to Iceland in the year 874 and chose the place he would live and named it Rejkayavik. 

The Book of Settlements also shows more than 400 settlers who sailed with their families, servants, and slaves to Iceland to stake claims to land. Most of the settlers came from Norway, but some came from other Nordic countries.

Although the island was not populated until the Viking Age, Iceland probably had been known to people long before. In the 4th century BCE Greek explorer, Pytheas of Massalia described a northern country that he called Thule.

<Culture and Cuisine Music>

Iceland is full of wonderful and interesting Literary Culture. 

This culture started in the early 12 century! A long time ago! Much of the history of Iceland was recorded in the Icelandic Sagas and Edda including Njalas Saga, and Greanlindiga Saga.

But, that's not it! Iceland is famous for its paintings and Sculptures. The first professional painters appeared in Iceland in the 19th century. This group of artists included Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval, who painted village life in Iceland. Ásmundur Sveinsson, a 20th-century sculptor, was from Iceland. Einar Hákonarson is one of the most famous painters. He is a leader in the Icelandic art scene and art education. He has been called "The crusader of the painting", because of his involvement in those conflicts many Icelandic painters had with the public fine art centres.

Some interesting Festivals in Iceland include- 

1. The Iceland Airways - This is a music festival held around November for 4 days and focuses on showing new music
2. Eistnaflug- This is an Indoor Heavy Metal festival Showcasing the country's love for heavy metal.

Now time to talk about cuisine!

Iceland has a lot of delicious food, ranging from fish to Skyr (yoghurt)! A typical Icelandic breakfast includes thick oatmeal, Skyr, and Cod liver oil. One dish that I found interesting was called Rúgbrauð is a loaf of Icelandic rye bread. It is traditionally baked in a pot or steamed in special wooden casks by burying it in the ground near a geyser, in which case it is known as hverabrauð or "hot-spring-bread".

The national dish of Iceland is Hakarl or Fermented Shark. It is not a daily staple anymore but it ought to be tried!

Before we move onto the Take Action part of the show, here are some fun facts about Iceland More than 60% of the population lives in Rejkyavik

1. Iceland was the last place for humans to have settled
2. It is one of the most Eco-Friendly countries in the world
3. Iceland is home to many active volcanoes
4. About 1 in 10 Icelanders will publish a book!
5. Icelanders listen to the most Heavy Metal! And if you want to know more about heavy metal, check out my Episode 97. I will give a link in the show notes.

<Take Action Music>

Now let's take some action

I saw a petition made by Isabella Linton, a 15 year old from UK about Killing Endangered Fin Whales that I found very concerning,this is my favourite paragraph from her petition

Iceland began their hunt in June, aiming to kill over 200 whales for meat. That means right now their fishermen are out killing these majestic animals, even though there’s been an international ban on whale hunting since 1986.

Fin whales are the second largest animal on earth. They prevent species overpopulation, regulate food systems and help ocean carbon absorption which could be key to fighting climate change. We can’t just stand by and let them be killed!

If you feel strongly about this issue, you can show your support to Isabella by signing her petition. I will leave a link in my show notes.  

I feel that this is a very important problem as we have been learning about Ecosystems and school, and if one part of the Ecosystem is missing, the whole system collapses.Also, killing or hunting of endangered animals is a3 crime in most countries, yet it is very common for hunters to practice this for money. 

<Kidacity Music>

That is all for this week’s episode. If you enjoyed it, please consider clicking on the subscribe or follow button on the podcast platform you are listening to me on and don't forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter @samarthchitta for the latest news about my episode.

Until next week, goodbye and Jai Hind from Kidacity!