Tourists flock to Iceland volcano, cook food on lava | DW News

DW News published this video item, entitled “Tourists flock to Iceland volcano, cook food on lava | DW News” – below is their description.

Sightseers have been flocking to a spectacular volcano eruption in Iceland. Lava has been flowing from Keilir since the mountain first started spewing fire a week ago. But hikers trying for the perfect selfie are being warned not to get too close.

Lava bubbles, spits and pours out of from the crater of this volcano. It began erupting here on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula last Friday – the first time in around 900 years. So perhaps it’s no surprise that thousands of people have been flocking here to witness this rare event, trying to get as close as they dare for that perfect picture.

With hikers getting hungry, some have used the lava as a giant grill. But this does come with a warning. There have also been warnings of volcanic gas pollution.

Before the eruption there were more than 50,000 earthquakes here in just three weeks. They were caused by a large body of molten rock, known as magma, which has pushed its way to the surface.

It’s unclear for how much longer this volcano will continue to erupt. For now though, Icelanders are enjoying its hypnotic displays.

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In This Story: Iceland

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, with a population of 356,991 and an area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi), making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Reykjavík. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.

Iceland’ gained independence in 1918 and founded a republic in 1944. Although its parliament (Althing) was suspended from 1799 to 1845, the island republic has been credited with sustaining the world’s oldest and longest-running parliament.

Hit hard by the worldwide financial crisis, the nation’s entire banking system systemically failed in October 2008, leading to an economic crisis and the collapse of the country’s three largest banks. By 2014, the Icelandic economy had made a significant recovery, in large part due to a surge in tourism.

Iceland has the smallest population of any NATO member and is the only one with no standing army, with a lightly armed coast guard.

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In This Story: Volcano

A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and most are found underwater.

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