Iceland's eight regions (landshlutar) constitute the country's first-level administrative divisions within a two-tier system. These regions primarily serve statistical and planning purposes rather than functioning as political or governance units with elected bodies. The regional framework is used by government agencies for data collection, resource allocation, and regional development planning. Unlike municipalities, which form the second administrative level and handle local services such as education and social welfare, the regions themselves do not provide direct services to citizens or maintain administrative offices. The regional divisions help coordinate national policies across different geographic areas and facilitate communication between the central government in Reykjavik and the local municipalities, though most governmental authority in Iceland remains concentrated at either the national or municipal level.