Scandinavia and the World
Scandinavia and the World

Community made Fact Card:

Icelanders suffer from Small Nation Complex. Meaning they know they are the best Nation in the world.... Per capita of course!
      made by pabbadottir


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Karen

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Moderator
8 years ago #9475723        
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Hi @Frost_Marvel. :) I didn't see this one when I went through all of the cards on the "all time" list because it doesn't show up there.

Actually, as someone who lives here, I can assure you that while it's a bit of a stereotype, it is in general true. The phrase "Best í heimi"/"Bezt í heimi" is really common, often sarcastically followed by a "miðað við höfðatölu..." ;) Iceland has a surprisingly high number of per-capita records in a wide range of fields, but almost none in absolute terms. So we make a really big deal of our per-capita records to make up for it. ;)

The Small Nation Complex extends much further than this, too. If any celebrity ever says anything nice about Iceland, for example, it makes big news here. They end up getting put in the "Friends of Iceland" ("Íslandsvinir") category. "Look! Look! He mentioned us! You see that, everyone? He said our landscape was pretty, isn't that great?" As evidence to prove that we really are "bezt í heimi" ;) It's a serious "Small Nation Complex" indeed.

One of the recent running jokes is that, after the Panama papers came it, it was discovered that Iceland had *by far* the highest number of offshore tax shelters per capita. "See? 'Bezt í heimi' yet again!" ;)


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Ulliowl

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5 years ago #9805614        
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@Karen and @Frost_Marvel, the tale of the naming of the two islands was told at every introduction briefing at the Agreed Area of Keflavik. I know, I attended it in 1978.

5 years ago #9801039        
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Wow

6 years ago #9794432        
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I don't know why, but I feel bad for them...

6 years ago #9748354        
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That's it, I'm moving to Iceland.
What, no McDonald's in Reykjavik? Sorry, no sale, then.
.................What? No, I'm not kidding.


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8 years ago #9475659        
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Uh, @Karen? I don't think this is accurate.

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