FACTBOX-Key facts about Iceland

(Reuters) - A strong earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hit Iceland on Thursday 31 miles (50 km) southeast of the capital Reykjavik, damaging buildings in nearby Selfoss and sending terrified residents running into the streets.

Here are some key facts about Iceland, which lies in the North Atlantic about 800 km (500 miles) north of Scotland:

AREA - 103,100 sq km (39,810 square miles). Four-fifths of the island is uninhabited. Glaciers cover 11 percent of the land and trees are a prized rarity.

CAPITAL - Reykjavik

POPULATION - 300,000 (2006)

ETHNICITY - Some 96 percent of Icelanders are descendants of Norwegian, Scottish and Irish immigrants.

RELIGION - 92 percent of Icelanders are Lutheran Protestants. There are small minorities of other Protestants and Roman Catholics.

LANGUAGE - Modern Icelandic is closely related to Old Norse, the language of the original Viking settlers.

GOVERNMENT - Legislative power is vested jointly in the president and the 63-seat unicameral Althingi, elected for a four-year period. The Althingi traces its origins to the assembly established by Viking settlers in 930 A.D., making it the world's oldest parliament.