Althing
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Althing (Icelandic Alþingi; Old Norse Alþing) is the national legislature of Iceland. It was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, (the "assembly fields"), which is almost 45 kilometers east of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. When the Althing was formed, that was the beginning of Iceland as a country. Even after Iceland's union with Norway, the Althing still held its meetings at Þingvellir until 1799, when it was stopped for several years. It started meeting again in 1844 and moved to Reykjavík, where it has been ever since. The parliament building where the Althing meets now is called the Alþingishús. It was built with Icelandic stone in 1881.
Because the Althing was founded more than one thousand years ago, Iceland is one of the world's oldest democratic countries.
Categories: Iceland | Politics | Law
