South Iceland

This scene is an original illustration set in South Iceland. It lies in high latitudes, where the climate is subpolar oceanic — cool summers, few frosts.

A row of small gable-fronted farmhouses stands with living green turf on their roofs and side walls. A black volcanic-sand track crosses the foreground, and moss-green cushions cover dark lava boulders at the edge of the frame. Two stocky horses graze nearby. It is half past ten at night and still fully light.

Why are the roof and walls covered in turf?

Turf laid over the roof and walls is insulation built from the only abundant material available — a treeless island where timber had to be imported. Black sand and lava boulders say active volcanism; moss growing directly on them says a cool wet climate and no grazing pressure heavy enough to strip it. And full daylight at that hour fixes both the latitude and the season.

Terpano is a free daily geography puzzle. You study one original illustration, place a pin on a borderless terrain map, and see how close you were. There is no account and no sign-up; progress stays in your own browser. It plays in 11 languages.