Eastern Region (, ) is a
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in eastern
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 ...
. Its area is and in 2024 its population was 11,085.
The Eastern Region has a jagged coastline of
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...
s, referred to as the ''Eastfjords'' ( ).
The largest town in the region is
Egilsstaðir
Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river.
It is part of the municipality of Múlaþing and the largest settlement of the Eastern Region (Iceland), Eastern Region with, as of 2024, a population of 2,632 inha ...
, with a population of 2,632. The oldest municipality is
Djúpivogur
Djúpivogur () is a small town and former municipality (Djúpavogshreppur ) located on a peninsula in the Eastern Region (Iceland), Austurland region in eastern Iceland, near the island of Papey and on the fjord Berufjörður. The municipality was ...
, which got their trading licence in 1589 and had a population of 412 in 2024.
The only car and passenger ferry that sails between Iceland and the European continent calls at
Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður () is a town in the Eastern Region (Iceland), Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name. The town is located in the Municipalities of Iceland, municipality of Múlaþing.
A road over Fjarðarhe ...
once a week except in the winter season.
The region is home to the
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant ( ), officially called Fljótsdalur Power Station ( ) is a hydroelectric power plant in Fljótsdalshérað municipality in eastern Iceland, designed to produce annually for Alcoa's Fjarðaál Aluminium smelting, alu ...
. Among notable tourist destinations are the
Helgustaðir mine, which is known for its
Iceland spar Iceland spar, formerly called Iceland crystal ( , ) and also called optical calcite, is a transparent variety of calcite, or crystallized calcium carbonate, originally brought from Iceland, and used in demonstrating the polarization of light.
For ...
, and
Stuðlagil
Stuðlagil Canyon (; also transliterated as ''Studlagil'') is a basalt column canyon located in the Jökuldalur valley in East Iceland. Known for its towering hexagonal basalt formations and vivid turquoise river, the canyon gained international ...
.
References
See also
*
:Populated places in Eastern Region (Iceland)
External links
*
{{Iceland-geo-stub