Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of

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 regi ...

, around north of the capital

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 worl ...

. The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942.

History

Akranes was settled in the 9th century by the brothers Þormóður and Ketill, sons of Bresi, who came from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The town started to form in the mid-17th century as a fishing village. In 1942, it was formally chartered, and in the following years it had the biggest surge in population in its history. Industry has been a big and growing employer: a cement plant has been operated in the town since the 1950s, and an

aluminium smelting Aluminium smelting is the process of extracting aluminium from its oxide, alumina, generally by the Hall-Héroult process. Alumina is extracted from the ore bauxite by means of the Bayer process at an alumina refinery. This is an electroly ...

plant has been in operation near the town since 1998.

Economy

The fishing industry remains the town's most important source of employment. Akranes also acts as a service center for the large rural region surrounding it. The town is expected to grow in the coming years because of an increase in industrial activity and improvements in transportation to the

area. The Hvalfjörður Tunnel, opened in 1998, is one of the world's longest underwater road

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

Notable people

Akranes was the birthplace of the Atom poet Jón Óskar, the writer Eva Björg Ægisdóttir and footballers Ríkharður Jónsson, Arnór Sigurðsson and Hakon Arnar Haraldsson.

Sport

Akranes has a strong

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

tradition. The local team, Íþróttabandalag Akraness (ÍA), which currently plays in the Úrvalsdeild karla, has for many years been among the best of the Icelandic football league system. Ríkharður Jónsson, who was born in the town, is often considered to be one of Iceland's finest footballers. He both played for and managed ÍA. Former

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

midfielder Siggi Jónsson was also born in Akranes and had three seasons as a player with ÍA. The town is also home to second division club Knattspyrnufélagið Kári.

Climate

Akranes has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfc''; Trewartha: ''Eolo''), with temperatures rising above only in July and August.

Twin towns – sister cities

Akranes is twinned with: * Bamble, Norway *

Närpes Närpes (Finland Swedish: ; ) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Närpes is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Närpes is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of ...

, Finland *

Qaqortoq Qaqortoq (), also known as Julianehåb, is the capital city of the Kujalleq municipalities of Greenland, municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town in sout ...

, Greenland *

Sørvágur :''There is also a town called Vágur on Suðuroy.'' Sørvágur () is a village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands. It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður. Sørvágur is the largest village in Sørvágur Municipality. ...

, Faroe Islands * Tønder, Denmark * Västervik, Sweden

Gallery

Puerto de Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 005.JPG, Akranes harbour Montaña volcánica Akrafjall, Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 003.JPG, Akrafjall, located nearby Balas de paja, Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 019.JPG, Straw bales near Akranes Antiguo faro de Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 008.JPG, Old lighthouse of Akranes Faros de Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 017.JPG, New lighthouse of Akranes

References

External links

* Populated places established in the 9th century {{Iceland-geo-stub