Fireland

Fireland (Firelandic:  Éldsland) officially known as the Firelandic Republic (Firelandic: Republik Éldsland) is a sovereign island nation located in the Arctic Ocean. Fireland lies 600 km northeast of Iceland and 1,000 km west of Norway. The volcanic island has total area of 373 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 126,000 people. The capital and largest settlement is Beralæn.

Approximately 114 square kilometres of Fireland is covered by glacier, surrounding the Éldsfjall volcano, and the majority of the country's population is concentrated in the southern areas of the island where the climate and terrain is more formidable to human habitation.

The island was unverifiedly discovered by both early expeditions by Irish monks and Vikings prior to the 17th century discovery of Fireland by Dutch whalers, and existed as a whaling base for several decades before Norwegian settlement during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when it became known as Éldsøy, meaning 'Fire Island'. Settlers endured harsh conditions through the winter months which kept the population of the island considerably low. While contact between the settlers and Norway was minimal, the island remained part of Norway until the occupation of continental Norway by Nazi Germany in 1940. The islanders declared their de facto independence from Norway and renamed the island Éldsland, h owever the island was subsequently occupied by the United Kingdom and was used as a strategic post until the end of the war. The independence of Fireland was not recognised by the Allies at the end of the war and was returned to Norway by the League of Nations. Recognition of Fireland's independence was ratified by the government of Norway in 1946 following initiatives by the islanders. The constitution of the Firelandic Republic was ratified three months later.