The Answer:
There aren't many trees in Iceland anymore. Once it was
said to have been covered with trees and vegetation, but unchecked
sheep grazing and logging for fuel and building materials over the
years have changed all that. Now there are just a few small wooded
areas, the biggest one being the forest at Hallormssta?ður on the
east coast, and Vaglaskógur in the north.
The island country is about the size of Virginia and 11.5% of it is
covered by glaciers.
Only 21% of the land can handle vegetation, and all of that is along
the coast. Most of the vegetation is grass, moss and shrubs in the
southwest corner of the island between Reykjavik and Vik.
Still, Iceland isn't as cold as it sounds. According to travel
guides, while it does get windy and cold in the winter, it never gets
as bad as Chicago or Montreal.
—The Editors
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.