The island is volcanic in origin with basaltic soils, and the cold northerly climate prevents any significant crop agriculture.

About 1,360 km2 is employed in crop agriculture, and about 1,250 km2 of the original white birch (Betula pubescens) forest remains.

About 2% of the forest features trees 8-12 meters tall, mostly in valleys in the north, east and south.

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) visit occasionally on drifting sea ice, and there are introduced species such as the American mink (Neogale vison), which was brought in for fur farming but have escaped and formed a significant population.

While 50-60% of the island was covered in vegetation at the time of human arrival, the decline to the current 25% has been the result of soil loss caused by deforestation for firewood and timber, and overgrazing by sheep.

In recent years, however, the nation has pursued afforestation and soil conservation programs that have stopped and reversed the decline.