Banana production in Iceland

[3] In the wake of World War II, the combination of inexpensive geothermal power (which had recently become available) and high prices for imported fruit led to the construction of a number of greenhouses where bananas were produced commercially from 1945[4] to as late as 1958[5] or 1959.

[8] The urban myth that Iceland is Europe’s largest producer or exporter of bananas has been propagated in various books and other media.

[10] According to FAO statistics, the largest European producer of bananas is France (in Martinique and Guadeloupe), followed by Spain[11] (primarily in the Canary Islands).

Other banana-producing countries in Europe include Portugal (on Madeira), Greece (primarily in southern Crete), Cyprus, Turkey and Italy.

[12] The Agricultural University of Iceland maintains the last such farm with 600–700 banana plants in its tropical greenhouse, which were received as donations from producers when they shut down (then the Horticultural College).