Iceland - Full of natural wonders
- By CRI's Nordic Correspondent Chen Xuefei
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E-mail CRI, February 27, 2014
The Golden Waterfall at Golden Ring, located about one hour's drive from the city center of Reykjavik on February 22, 2014. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Chen Xuefei]
Iceland is a green country which mostly utilizes geothermal-energy and its own natural resources.
One of the country's natural tourist resources, shining down from the heavens, is the Northern Lights, otherwise known as the Aurora Borealis.
There is nothing more breathtaking than seeing the Northern Lights dance around the sky; it is an unforgettable experience that visitors to Iceland will never forget.
Icelandic tour guide Raga explains that, "The Northern Lights start with our sun. It is [the result] of so-called solar eruptions, and [when] one solar eruption occurs, the sun spits out magnetic particles to the atmosphere. These magnetic particles travel with solar winds to the earth, which takes about two to three days. Once it hits the [Earth's] magnetic shield, it creates the Northern Lights phenomenon."
"One can only see it between October and April because in summer there is too much light," Raga continues. According to her, there are three kinds of Northern Lights, the most common being the green form of light which is 200 kilometers above the Earth, and the less common blue and red lights, which are 100 kilometers above the Earth.
It is a spectacular natural phenomenon, often producing vivid colors dancing across the Icelandic Arctic sky. The locations that tourists visit differ from tour to tour since people go where they are most likely to see the Northern Lights. With relatively accurate information, tourists are able to track down this rare, natural phenomenon with comparative ease.
Another natural resource that the country draws upon is its hot springs which provides the source for its geothermal energy. Zhang Yufan, an experienced tour guide who has lived in Iceland for more than 20 years explains that, "All the heating and hot water in Iceland is from hot springs. The energy supply produced is more than the demand of the country."
However, when the country was exploring its geothermal energy options, Iceland residents stumbled upon another miraculous tourist resource; the Blue Lagoon, where people can bathe in salty, milky light blue water. The lagoon has attracted many tourists from Britain, USA, China and a host of other countries.
These natural wonders, along with the country's geysers, which can erupt up to five times in a single stretch, and hot springs make the tiny country of Iceland, with a population of 320,000 people, an attractive green country and an ideal place to visit.
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