5 things about Iceland, the most incredible underdogs of Euro 2016

Iceland has captured the football world's imagination thanks to its footballers' exploits at Euro 2016.

No one gave the Scandinavian minnows a chance to even make it past the group stage of their debut in European football's biggest stage.

But with 30,000 vociferous fans behind them, Iceland have defied the odds and now stand in the way of hosts France.

Not that England put up that much of a fight in the round of 16.

To think that Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo - presumably fresh from snacking on a particularly sour grape - said Iceland were "not going to do anything in the competition" .

Here are five interesting facts about Iceland which you may not know...

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1) A TENTH OF ICELAND'S POPULATION IS IN FRANCE. RIGHT. NOW.

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PHOTO: AFP

One statistic that has been handily bandied about by commentators during Euro 2016 is that Iceland have a population of around 332,000.

That's just under 5.5 per cent the population of Singapore.

And if you do the math using the above number of Icelanders in France for the Euros as reported by the BBC, it means roughly 10 per cent of Iceland's population will be cheering their team on at the Stade de France on Monday morning (July 4, Singapore time).

Astounding support for a nation where it is handball that is considered the No. 1 sport.

 

 

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2) ICELAND IS MORE THAN 140 TIMES THE SIZE OF SINGAPORE

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They might have a smaller population than us, but Iceland has much more land mass.

Our island has an area of around 719 square km, Iceland's land mass, which was created by undersea volcanoes, weighs in at a whopping 103,000 square km.

However, Iceland is also home to around 130 active and inactive volcanoes.

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3) ROTTEN SHARK IS AN ICELANDIC DELICACY

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Yep, you read that right.

Unlike other sharks, the Greenland shark's flesh is toxic when fresh because of its high urea content.

 

 

However, someone discovered that if you fermented the meat for a couple of months - that is, burying it in sand for a few weeks before air-drying it for several months - it becomes edible. Somewhat.

Even after the curing process, the meat, which is called hakarl, still retains a good amount of ammonia.

It's enough to put off a tough guy like Gordon Ramsay, and hakarl will definitely put off a good number of people who can't stomach its, er, unique flavour.

 

 

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4) THERE ARE ONLY 100 PROFESSIONAL ICELANDIC FOOTBALLERS

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According to a video from Channel 4 News, Iceland has just 100 professional footballers.

Which means that Iceland's 23-man squad represent just under a quarter of Iceland's professional footballers - and they have propelled their country to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016.

Let that sink in. Mental isn't it?

Also, it was Icelandic football that gave us some of the most glorious goal celebrations ever.

 

 

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5) THEIR MOST FAMOUS FOOTBALLER NEARLY JOINED THE S.LEAGUE

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PHOTO: AFP

Jermaine Pennant might be considered the S.League's biggest signing.

But the former Arsenal and Liverpool man could have been eclipsed by an Icelandic English Premier League legend two years earlier.

In 2014, Tampines Rovers eyed several ex-EPL players to bring on as a marquee player.

Among them was Iceland's Eidur Gudjohnsen, formerly of Chelsea and Barcelona, who was also linked to the Stags in 2012.

However, the deal failed to materialise (Tampines opted for Serbian striker Miljan Mrdakovic).

Meanwhile, Gudjohnsen stayed in Europe and is included in Lars Lagerback's squad for Euro 2016.

Even though he's played just six minutes, the 37-year-old must surely be savouring every minute of Iceland's miraculous Euro 2016 story.