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Vestfirðir Features
The Westfjords or West Fjords ( is, Vestfirðir , ISO 3166-2:IS: IS-4) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative district, the least populous administrative district. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a seven-kilometre-wide isthmus between Gilsfjörður and Bitrufjörður . The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads very circuitous and communications by land difficult. In addition many of the roads are closed by ice and snow for several months of the year. The Vestfjarðagöng road tunnel from 1996 has improved that situation. The cliffs at Látrabjarg comprise the longest bird cliff in the northern Atlantic Ocean and are at the westernmost point in Iceland. The Drangajökull glacier is located in the north of the peninsula and is the fifth-largest of the country, but the on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its surrounding areas) is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the biggest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate. According to the ancient manuscript , the settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flateyri
Flateyri ( Icelandic: ) is a village situated in Iceland's Westfjords. It is part of the municipality of Ísafjarðarbær and has a population of approximately 200, making it the largest settlement in Önundarfjörður. History Flateyri has been a trading post since 1792 and temporarily became a major whaling center in the 19th century. On October 26, 1995, an avalanche hit the village, destroying 29 homes and burying 45 people, which resulted in 20 fatalities. Since then a deflecting dam has been built to protect the village from any further avalanches. In the 1990s, Flateyri prospered as a fishing village, but after the 2008–2011 financial crisis hit its main fishing companies shut down, and many people left. A German fishing company has set up base in Flateyri and is currently fishing in and just out of Önundarfjörður. The Esso gas station in Flateyri was the subject of a Belgian documentary in a series about gas stations around the world. The avalanche 1995 was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slaying Of The Spaniards
The Slaying of the Spaniards (also known as the Spanish Killings; is, Spánverjavígin ) was the last documented massacre in Icelandic history. Some Basque whalers went on a whaling expedition to Iceland and were killed after conflict in 1615 with local people in the region of the Westfjords. Background In the first half of the seventeenth century Spanish whalers set up the world's first large-scale whaling industry in Newfoundland. The center of this industry was some ten ports on the southern coast of Labrador. During the peak years of the 1560s and 1570s the fleet comprised around 30 ships manned by up to 2,000 men, who killed approximately 400 whales each year. By the beginning of the seventeenth century Spanish whaling had reached Iceland. Massacre The year 1615 was a difficult year in Iceland with ice up to shores until late summer and considerable loss of livestock. In mid-summer three Spanish whaling vessels put into Reykjarfjörður in Westfjords. Icelanders and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basques
The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous to, and primarily inhabit, an area traditionally known as the Basque Country ( eu, Euskal Herria) — a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France. Etymology The English word ''Basque'' may be pronounced or and derives from the French ''Basque'' (), itself derived from Gascon ''Basco'' (pronounced ), cognate with Spanish ''Vasco ''(pronounced ). Those, in turn, come from Latin ''Vascō'' (pronounced ; plural '' Vascōnes''—see history section below). The Latin generally evolved into the bilabials and in Gascon and Spanish, probably under the influence of Basque and the related Aquit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
East Greenland Current
The East Greenland Current (EGC) is a cold, low-salinity current that extends from Fram Strait (~80N) to Cape Farewell (~60N). The current is located off the eastern coast of Greenland along the Greenland continental margin. The current cuts through the Nordic Seas (the Greenland and Norwegian Seas) and through the Denmark Strait. The current is of major importance because it directly connects the Arctic to the Northern Atlantic, it is a major contributor to sea ice export out of the Arctic, and it is a major freshwater sink for the Arctic. Water properties The EGC is composed of a mixture of three distinct water masses. The water masses are Polar Water, Atlantic Water, and Deep Water. These water masses can be clearly seen throughout the EGC's tract southward, however, the upper layer water masses do change some due to atmospheric interaction along with inflow from other water sources in the Nordic Seas. The top 150 meters of the EGC is considered polar water and it is cold and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drangsnes
Drangsnes (, regionally also ) is a small town in the western part of Iceland, at the mouth of Steingrímsfjörður and near Hólmavík. It is part of the Kaldrananeshreppur municipality and only has 67 inhabitants (2011 census). It got its name from a tall rock named Kerling of what is said that it is one of three troll women who tried to separate the Westfjords The Westfjords or West Fjords ( is, Vestfirðir , ISO 3166-2:IS: IS-4) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative district, the least populous administrative district. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast ... from the rest of Iceland. References External linksOfficial website Populated places in Westfjords {{Iceland-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hólmavík
Hólmavík () is a village in the western part of Iceland, by Steingrímsfjörður. It is the largest settlement in Strandir and serves as a centre of commerce for the county. Hólmavík is part of the Strandabyggð municipality and has 375 inhabitants (2011 census). Hólmavík is home to the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft and the Holmadrangur shrimp processing plant. The modern church was built in 1968. Well-known people from Hólmavík include the poet Stefán frá Hvítadal and the musician Gunnar Þórðarson of the band Hljómar. The artist Einar Hákonarson has a studio and a home in Hólmavík. Hólmavík boasts a swimming pool constructed in 2004. It is the only pool in the region not geothermally heated. Near Húsavík and Tröllatunga, two farms in the South of Hólmavík, lignite and iron ore were exploited in former times, and some fossils from the Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skálanes
Skálanes () Nature and Heritage Centre is placed within a 1250 hectare nature reserve situated on a peninsula 17 km east of Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland. The reserve has a rich natural and historical life consisting of native plants, a wide range of wildlife consisting of 47 different bird species, local reindeer herds, arctic foxes, and more than 80 archaeological sites. Skálanes works as an independent, non-profit natural science research station and a member of INTERACT - International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic. Skálanes is collaborating with a wide range of International and Icelandic researchers and natural science institutes, hosting week-long excursions for university students and professors, developing educational material for young learners, and engaging with non-scientific communities and crowds offering guided hikes and talks on the local landscape and the natural fauna. The intention of Skálanes is to create an experiment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patreksfjörður
Patreksfjörður (, "Patrick's fjord") is an Icelandic village in the Westfjords with 721 inhabitants (2021 census). The town was named after Patrick bishop in the Hebrides who was the spiritual guide of Örlygur Hrappson, the original settler in the area who came from the Hebrides. Its economy is mainly based on its fisheries. Amenities include a swimming pool, bank, campsite, four guesthouses, a hotel, two restaurants, two cafes and a gas station. In town is a hospital, police station and the town hall for the Municipality of Vesturbyggd. Olympian Leiknir Jónsson was born here. Climate Patreksfjörður has a tundra climate (ET). Transport Patreksfjörður Airport is an unscheduled airport located across the fjord, nearly south of the town. The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bíldudalur Airport, from Patreksfjörður. Eagle Air connects Bíldudalur and Reykjavik with one daily flight. There are scheduled buses from Patreksfjörður to Bíldudalur A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Þingeyri
Þingeyri (, regionally also ) is a settlement in the municipality of Ísafjarðarbær, Iceland. It is located on the coast of Dýrafjörður fjord in the mountainous peninsula Westfjords (in Icelandic written Vestfirðir). On 1 January 2019, it had a population of 246. It has an airport. Continually inhabited since 1787,''Íslenska alfræðiorðabókin'', p. 563. Þingeyri is one of the oldest settlements in the WestfjordsLeffman, p. 207. and the first trading post established there.Simmonds, p. 243.Harding, p. 160. It is believed to derive its name from a medieval assembly ('' þing'') and has ruins of a medieval booth believed to have been used by visitors to the assembly. Thanks to its sheltered location Þingeyri developed into a significant fishing center. In the 19th century the French applied for permission to establish a base there to support their fishing operations in the area but were turned down. From 1884-98, the town served as the base for American halibut f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bíldudalur
Bíldudalur () is a village situated on the coast of Arnarfjörður, one of the Westfjords in Iceland. It is situated in the Vesturbyggð municipality and has 238 inhabitants (as of January 2021). The village prospered in the 19th century thanks to sound business enterprise and the booming fishing industry. Ólafur Thorlacius (1761–1815) set up business in Bíldudalur following the end of the Danish trade monopoly. He was one of the most influential businessmen in Iceland at the beginning of the 19th century. He bought and sold fish, traded goods and ran his own small fishing fleet. One of his successors, Pétur J. Thorsteinsson (1854–1924) successfully continued this operation. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the decline of the fishing industry and the imposition of strict quotas by the Icelandic government led the town to diversify its economy. The village is now home to a factory, which provides employment to many residents, processing a mineral-rich algae foun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
