Icelandic roads are well-maintained but quickly merge into gravel, dirt and grass on their sides. The well-maintained roads contrast the desolate, vegetation-less environment around them. Icelandic road markings feature white lines. A regular sight in Iceland is to see dashed, white lines on both sides of the road. The Icelandic landscape is unique in the world. The roads are generally flat however there is typically mountains in the distance or at the least, undulating land around the flat road. Iceland is also famous for its volcanoes and glaciers and in some places, black coloured ground. Another distinctly Icelandic feature are the bollards. These are yellow posts. Iceland is also one of the few countries in Europe to use warning, give-way and speed signs featuring a thick red outline and yellow colouring. This colour scheme for warning signs is also found in Sweden, Finland, Greece and North Macedonia. Poland has similar warning signs but their red border is notably thinner. Iceland is one of only a few countries in Europe not to have the blue vertical stripe on the left of their license plates. Instead, Icelandic plates are pure white and elongated. Icelandic directional signs are normally low to the ground and are yellow and black coloured. Norway has similar coloured directional signs which are generally larger and higher above the ground. Iceland is the only place in Europe with a yellow background on their blue pedestrian signs. Iceland is one of the rare islands in the world who drive on the right side of the road. Iceland has a major highway that circumnavigates the country called 1. Icelandic road numbers are otherwise 2 or 3 digits and the first digit in the number tells you where you are in the country. 2 numbers are in the south and the numbers gradually increase in a clockwise direction around Iceland until you reach numbers starting with 9 in the east. Another method to determine where you are in Iceland involves the ocean. In Iceland, you can often see an ocean and from the ocean’s direction, you can tell approximately where you are. For example, if the ocean is to the south, you are probably in the south of Iceland. Marked Icelandic roads have various versions of white lines. Some Icelandic roads have the white, dashed edge markings. In Iceland, the grass tends to come all the way up to the road. Additionally, the roads are often this distinctive dark colour in Iceland. The Icelandic landscape typically features no vegetation other than grass. The road is normally flat but there are generally hills and mountains in the distance and undulating land around the road. It also has volcanos and glaciers. These distinctive yellow bollards are regularly visible in Iceland. Iceland has triangular give-way and warning signs with a thick red border and yellow filling. These are also found in Sweden, Finland, Greece and North Macedonia. Poland has a thin red line around its yellow warning signs. Iceland has yellow and black directional signs. Norway has similar coloured signs that are typically larger and without the yellow part of the sign forming an arrow. The Icelandic language is fairly unique and contains many long words. If you see one of two symbols, you can guarantee that you are in Iceland- Þ (which looks to me like a new emoji featuring a tongue poking out) and ð. Road number 1 runs around the circumference of Iceland. Starting in the south of the country, Icelandic road numbers start with a 2. The first number of Icelandic roads increase in a clockwise direction around Iceland until the road numbers begin with a 9 in the east.

Icelandic licence plates are fully white with blue characters. Unlike most of Europe, the plates do not feature a blue strip on the left.

It can be hard to see the blue of the characters through the blur of the plates.

Iceland has unique yellow bollards with a white reflector. These bollards are extremely common and can be found throughout the country on almost every section of rural road.

Iceland often looks barren and treeless. Most regions have a dark grey soil consisting mostly of volcanic rocks.

Due to the lack of trees, the landscape in Iceland does not look like anywhere else in Northern Europe.

Iceland is a very geologically active country, where plate tectonics and volcanic processes have shaped the landscape. As a result, many regions are rugged, mountainous and a sight to behold. In addition, strange and bewildering landscapes can be found all over, such as geothermal lakes, lava fields, rift valleys, and towering rock formations.

The road direction signs of Iceland are yellow. They usually have a white inset box that shows the road numbers. If the inset box has a dashed border, the number listed refers to a nearby road, not the road you are currently on.

Direction signs for very local destinations, such as farmsteads, typically have different background colours: blue or white.

Icelandic pedestrian signs feature four stripes and often have a slight yellow tint.

The Icelandic language contains a couple of unique letters. These are some of the most recognizable ones: ð þ and æ. Vowels can have the following accents: á é í ó ö ú ý. The uppercase version of ð is Ð.

ð is also found in the Faroese language. æ is found in Danish, Norwegian and Faroese.

Iceland’s street signs use a white background and black text. They often have a thin metal rim and are attached to lampposts or traffic lights.

Iceland has all-white road lines. Outside lines, if present, can be either solid or, more rarely, dashed lines.

Iceland has no yellow road lines. If you see yellow road lines in a Nordic environment, consider Norway or Finland.

Icelandic chevrons are black with yellow arrows.

Norway and Finland have similarly coloured chevrons. Sweden, on the other hand, has unique blue and yellow chevrons.

Just like Sweden and Finland, Icelandic signs feature a yellow background.

Tall and thin bollards seem to be a bit more rare.


Unique Vehicle:

Taxis in Iceland can be hard to find. They can be any car or color. The only defining feature on them is the bright yellow taxi sign on the roof.

Guardrails in Iceland can be this weird double pole. The ends will fill into a traditional guardrail.

Road numbering system:

Iceland has only one 1-digit road, the road number 1, which goes around the whole island close to the coast. The other roads feed into it and the first digit of those roads increases from the south of the island in a clockwise direction from 2-9. 2-digit roads are larger than 3-digit roads.


License plates:

The sticker in the middle is the inspection sticker that tells you the year that the inspection expires. A lot of the Iceland coverage will have a neon yellow sticker in the middle, which can clearly be seen through the blur.

Vegetation/Landscape:

Iceland has a bit of a bad rap for not having trees. However, Iceland is working on reforestation plans, to try and bring trees back. You can come across some of these areas, with what look like young trees planted very close together. They’re working on removing the stigma of not having trees.

