Iceland

I have chilly, sparkling mountains made of ice that glitter in the sun. But I also have a warm, rumbly tummy. Sometimes, my big hills get cozy and warm inside, and they puff out little clouds of steam. At night, the sky above me puts on a show. Pretty green and purple ribbons dance and swirl across the stars. I am a special island in the big, blue ocean. I am a secret place full of surprises. My name is Iceland.

For a long, long time, I was very quiet. My only friends were the puffy birds that nested on my cliffs and the big, gentle whales that swam in the water all around me. We had so much fun together. Then one day, everything changed. A long, long time ago, around the year 874, brave explorers called Vikings came to see me. They sailed on big wooden boats from far away. Their leader, a kind man named Ingólfr Arnarson, saw the warm steam rising from my ground. He thought I looked like a cozy place to build a home. The Vikings brought their fuzzy, friendly horses with them, who loved to run and play in my green fields.

Now, so many friends from all over the world come to visit me. They love to watch my geysers spray water high into the air like a big fountain. Splash. Children laugh when they see it. Visitors also love to swim in my warm pools, which feel like a big, cozy bath outside, even when it’s chilly. I love sharing my sparkling ice, my warm heart, and my dancing lights. I am Iceland, a land full of amazing surprises.