Icelandic cattle (Icelandic: íslenskur nautgripur [ˈistlɛnskʏr ˈnœiːtˌkrɪːpʏr̥]) are a breed of cattle native to Iceland. Cattle were first brought to the island during the Settlement of Iceland a thousand years ago. Icelandic cows are an especially colorful breed with a wide variety of colours and markings. Icelandic cattle have been genetically isolated for centuries, but are most closely related to a breed in Norway called . No cattle are permitted to be imported into Iceland, so they have been protected by strict disease-prevention measures.