Frankfurt  - Iceland, which publishes just 2,000 books per year, is to be the Frankfurt Book Fair partner nation in 2011, fair organizers confirmed Friday in Frankfurt as the contract was being signed in Rekyjavik.

Halldor Gudmundsson, an Icelandic publisher, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Iceland regarded the fair as a "springboard" to make its literary output even better known in Germany.

The annual fair, the principal meeting place for world publishers, features one nation or language every year, encouraging German newspapers, radio and television to review translations of its literature.

Book fair chief executive Juergen Boos said, "Iceland is one of the smallest books market in the world, but is incredibly productive."

The affluent North Atlantic nation has a population of 314,000.

This year the fair's special guest will be Turkey, to be followed by China in 2009 and Argentinia in 2010.

Finland also unsuccessfully sought the honour for 2011. (dpa)