Reverse
Obverse
;)
');)
Area: Europe
Animal Class: Mollusks
Squid are a large and diverse group of cephalopods, with 298 species in 28 families. Like the cuttlefish, squids have eight arms, and two tentacles. In Iceland, squid were mainly used as bait to catch more palatable seafood. Because the fishery is so important to Iceland, it is no surprise that this important animal appears on one of their coins. In more recent times, with the decline of fish stocks, somebody got the idea to serve the bait to unsuspecting people in restaurants. In English speaking countries, the name was dressed up as "calamari" and now people all over the world enthusiastically eat squid as though it were actually worth eating. The obverse of this coin features the Monster Bull of the Wide Fjord, one of the four mythological guardian spirits of Iceland.
Approx. Size: 17mm
Area: Europe
Coins: 6
Iceland is the 18th largest island in the world, and is just south of the Arctic Circle. The interior of this volcanic island is a frozen desert, with most of the people living along the fjord-studded 4,970km coastline. Iceland is a geological hotspot, with active volcanoes and many geysers. Geothermal and hydroelectric power are abundant in the country. Iceland was first settled by Norwegians in the 9th century, and became an independent republic in 930. The Althingi -- the Icelandic parliament -- was founded the same year, and is the oldest acting parliament in the world. It operated continuously from 930 to 1799, then took a short break, resuming in 1844. Iceland became a colony of Norway in 1262, then was ruled by Denmark in 1387 when the kingdoms of Norway and Denmark united. That union dissolved in 1814, and Iceland became a Danish colony again. Independence was achieved in 1918, and Iceland maintained a personal union with Denmark. During World War II, Denmark was occupied by Germany while Iceland was occupied by the Allies until the current republic was founded in 1944. Iceland joined NATO in 1949 and signed an agreement with the United States in 1951 to take care of Iceland's defense. Iceland is one of the ten richest countries in the world, based on GDP per capita. The economy was heavily based on fishing, but has expanded into travel and service industries, and assorted industry. Iceland's literacy rate is among the highest in the world and the love of various intellectual pursuits is widespread.