Golden Circle (Iceland)
The Golden Circle ( ) is a tourist route in southern Iceland, covering about looping from Reykjavík into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. It is the area that contains most tours and travel-related activities in Iceland. The term for the "Golden Circle" was a marketing tactic developed by the Icelandic Tourism board to improve travel. The three primary stops on the route are the Þingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall, and the geothermal area in Haukadalur (Bláskógabyggð), Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur, which erupts every 10-15 minutes. Though Geysir has been mostly dormant for many years, Strokkur continues to erupt every 5–10 minutes. Other stops include the Kerið volcanic crater, the town of Hveragerði, Skálholt cathedral, and the Nesjavellir and Hellisheiðarvirkjun geothermal power plants. See also * Diamond Circle References * {{cite web , title=Comprehensive guide on Golden Circle , url=https://www.buubble.co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Strokkur
Strokkur ( Icelandic , "churn") is a fountain-type geyser located in a geothermal area beside the Hvítá River in Iceland in the southwest part of the country, east of Reykjavík. It typically erupts every 6–10 minutes. Its usual height is , although it can sometimes erupt up to high. Location Strokkur belongs to the Haukadalur valley area, where various other geothermal feature such as mud pools, fumaroles and other geysers are located around it, such as the famous Geysir geyser, which lies only to the north. History Strokkur was first mentioned in 1789, after an earthquake helped to unblock the conduit of the geyser. Its activity fluctuated throughout the 19th century; in 1815 its height was estimated to have been as much as . It continued to erupt until the turn of the 20th century, when another earthquake blocked the conduit again. In 1963, upon the advice of the Geysir Committee, locals cleaned out the blocked conduit through the bottom of the basin, and the geyser ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gullfoss 2009
Gullfoss ("Golden Falls"; ) is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, and is included in " Golden Circle" tours of the countryside near Reykjavík. History and description The Hvítá river flows southward, and about a kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the west and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in two stages (, and ) into a crevice deep. The crevice, about wide and in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. The average amount of water running down the waterfall is per second in the summer and per second in the winter. The highest flood measured was per second. During the first half of the 20th century and some years into the late 20th century, there was much speculation about using Gullfoss to generate electricity. During this period, the waterfall was rented indirectly by its owners, Tóm ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most list of countries and dependencies by population density, sparsely populated country. Its Capital city, capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the country's roughly 380,000 residents (excluding nearby towns/suburbs, which are separate municipalities). The official language of the country is Icelandic language, Icelandic. Iceland is on a rift between Plate tectonics, tectonic plates, and its geologic activity includes geysers and frequent Types of volcanic eruptions, volcanic eruptions. The interior consists of a volcanic plateau with sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, and many Glacial stream, glacial rivers flow to the sea through the Upland and lowland, lowlands. Iceland i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. Reykjavík has a population of around 139,000 as of 2025. The surrounding Capital Region (Iceland), Capital Region has a population of around 249,000, constituting around 64% of the country's population. Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which, according to , was established by Ingólfr Arnarson, Ingólfur Arnarson in 874 Anno Domini, AD. Until the 18th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was officially founded in 1786 as a trading town and grew steadily over the following decades, as it transformed into a regional and later Country, national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. Re ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Þingvellir National Park
Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland from the year 930 until the last session held at in 1798. Since 1881, the parliament has been located within Alþingishúsið in Reykjavík. is now a national park in the municipality of in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Iceland's capital, . is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies , the largest natural lake in Iceland. National Park ( ) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the div ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gullfoss
Gullfoss ("Golden Falls"; ) is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, and is included in "Golden Circle (Iceland), Golden Circle" tours of the countryside near Reykjavík. History and description The Hvítá (Árnessýsla), Hvítá river flows southward, and about a kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the west and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in two stages (, and ) into a crevice deep. The crevice, about wide and in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. The average amount of water running down the waterfall is per second in the summer and per second in the winter. The highest flood measured was per second. During the first half of the 20th century and some years into the late 20th century, there was much speculation about using Gullfoss to generate electricity. During ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Haukadalur (Bláskógabyggð)
Haukadalur ( Icelandic: , from , "hawk dale" or "valley of hawks") is a valley in Bláskógabyggð municipality, found in the Southern Region of Iceland. It is know for its geothermal activity and the Haukadalsskógur National Forest. Geography The shallow valley is at about above sea level about to the north-west of Reykjavík. It lies to the north of Laugarvatn lake in the south of Iceland. Geology There is a north-south orientated geothermal area in the valley, of about in width and about long, mainly on the eastern slopes of the rhyolite dome of Laugarfjau that is high. To the west of the valley is Bjarnarfell at which is a hyaloclastite ridge mainly composed of basalt and some rhyolite. To the north is a shield volcano, Sandfell at , which on the valley's horizon. The volcanoes have not been active for over 10,000 years. Geysers Haukadalur is home to some of the best known sights in Iceland: the geysers and other geothermal features which have developed on t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Geysir
Geysir (), sometimes known as The Great Geysir, is a geyser in south-western Iceland, that geological studies suggest started forming about 1150 CE. The English word ''geyser'' (a periodically spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir. The name ''Geysir'' itself is derived from the Icelandic verb '' geysa'' ("to go quickly forward"). Geysir lies in the Haukadalur valley on the slopes of Laugarfjall lava dome, which is also the home to Strokkur geyser about to the south. The Strokkur geyser may be confused with it, and the geothermal field it is in is known usually as either, Geysir or Haukadalur. Eruptions at Geysir can typically hurl boiling water up to in the air. However, eruptions are nowadays infrequent, and have in the past stopped altogether for many years at a time. History A geyser at the general site is described in a written source by Saxo Grammaticus, as a mention in Gesta Danorum, his work finished about 1206 which was printed in 1514 as Danorum Regum heroumque ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kerið
Kerið (; also Kerith or Kerid) is a volcanic Volcanic crater lake, crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland, along the Golden Circle (Iceland), Golden Circle. It is one of several crater lakes in the area, known as Iceland's Western Volcanic Zone, which includes the Reykjanes, Reykjanes peninsula and the Langjökull, Langjökull Glacier, created as the land moved over a localized Hotspot (geology), hotspot, but it is the one that has the most visually recognizable caldera still intact. The site is a popular area for tourists in Iceland. Geology Kerið is the northernmost of four craters situated along an 800-meter fissure called the Tjarnarhólar Help:IPA/Icelandic, [ˈtʰja(r)tnarˌhouːlar̥] row. It was formed through explosive volcanic activity (classified as a maar) and is elliptical, measuring approximately deep, wide, and across. The wall of the crater consists of basalt, formed following the cooling of lava, and scoria. Sources differ as to when ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hveragerði
Hveragerði (, "hot-spring yard") is a town and municipality in the south of Iceland, 45 km east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1. The river Varmá runs through the town. With an area of 9 square kilometers, Hveragerði is the third smallest municipality in Iceland by size. Overview The surrounding area is part of the Hengill central volcano, and is geothermally active and experiences very frequent (usually minor) earthquakes. The town is known for its greenhouses, which are heated by hot water from volcanic hot springs. The first greenhouse was built in 1923. These springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments. Close to the church is a hot spring called (, "sand hill hot-spring"), formed during the violent South Iceland earthquake of 1896. A fenced-off geothermal area in the town has numerous hot springs and fumaroles. Hveragerði contains a number of greenho ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Skálholt
Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established in Skálholt in 1056. Until 1785, it was one of Iceland's two episcopal sees, along with Hólar, making it a cultural and political center. Iceland's first official school, Skálholtsskóli (now Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, Reykjavík Gymnasium, MR), was founded at Skálholt in 1056 to educate clergy. In 1992 the seminary in Skálholt was re-instituted under the old name and now serves as the education and information center of the Church of Iceland. Throughout the Middle Ages there was significant activity in Skálholt; alongside the bishop's office, the cathedral, and the school, there was extensive farming, a Forge, smithy, and, while Catholicism lasted, a monastery. Along with dormitories and quarters for teachers and servants, the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |