Iceland, the second largest island in Europe, boils and splutters in the Atlantic Ocean northwest of Scotland, west of Norway and southeast of Greenland. The main island, which stretches 500km (310mi) east to west and 300km (186mi) north to south, is characterised by desert plateaus, sandy deltas, volcanoes, lava fields, and glacial icecaps. Over half the country is above 400m (1300ft), with the highest point, Hvannadalshnúkur, rising 2119m (6952ft). Only 21% of the land, all near the coast, is considered arable and habitable. The bulk of Iceland’s population and agriculture is concentrated in the southwest between Reykjavík and Vík.

Iceland is a relatively young land mass, subject to the periodic rumbling of volcanic activity. Earthquakes are as exciting as breakfast here, with people only bothering to tip their fur hats to proper, land-sculpting explosions.

It’s hardly surprising with all this rumbling, shaking and spouting that the landscape is remarkable devoid of trees (though, in fairness, massive reforestation means the country now enjoys a few recreational forests and patches of scrubby birch). What the country does have, however, is large expanses of tundra, grassland, bogs and barren desert.

The only indigenous land mammal is the Arctic fox, although polar bears, which occasionally drift across from Greenland on ice floes, would be indigenous if they weren’t considered so undesirable. Introduced animals include the reindeer, mink and field mice. The country has a wealth of birdlife, especially sea birds, and its seas are rich in marine mammals and fish. Freshwater fish are limited to eels, salmon, trout and Arctic char.

Iceland’s southern and western coasts experience relatively mild winter temperatures thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, though it still tends to rain an awful lot. In January, for instance, Reykjavík enjoys an average of only three sunny days (in July, one fine day is the norm). July and August are the warmest months and, in general, the chances of fine weather improve as you move north and east. It’s sunniest around Akureyri and Lake Mývatn in the central north and warmest around Egilsstaðoir in the east, yet neither place seems to be free of an uncomfortably chilly wind. While they’re more prone to clear weather than the coastal areas, the interior deserts can experience other problems such as blizzards and high winds that whip up dust and sand into swirling, gritty maelstroms.