Faxaflói (sometimes Faxa Bay, Faxe Bay or Faxi Bay,Thorstein Thorsteinsson. 1930. ''Iceland, 1930: A Handbook Published on the Fortieth Anniversary of Landsbanki Íslands (National Bank of Iceland)''. Reykjavík: Ríkisprentsmidjan Gutenberg. is, Faxaflói ), is a bay in southwest Iceland, between the peninsulas of Snæfellsnes and Reykjanes.

Geography

The capital of the island, Reykjavík, is situated on its southern shore within the minor fjord Kollafjörður. From Reykjavik it is possible to see the peninsula of Akranes in the northeast and even the

Snæfellsjökull Snæfellsjökull (, ''snow-fell glacier'') is a 700,000-year-old glacier-capped stratovolcano in western Iceland. It is situated on the westernmost part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland. Sometimes it may be seen from the city of Reykjaví ...

at a distance of about 120 km (75 mi). This bay has few islands and the ones it does have are close to land, in particular contrast to the bay directly north of it, Breiðafjörður, which has the most islands of any bay in Iceland.

Islands in Faxaflói Bay near Reykjavík

* Akurey *

Engey Engey () is the second largest island of the Kollafjörður (Faxa Bay) fjord in western Iceland. Located north of the capital Reykjavík, the uninhabited island is in length and around in width. To the northern end of the island, a lighthouse, f ...

* Hólmar * Lundey * Viðey * Þerney

History

Faxa Bay has always been a source of nourishment of the people living on its shore. In former times, fishermen went out in small boats to fish near the shore. Today the ships are much bigger, but have to go farther out to sea if they wish to catch fish. Just north of Reykjavík in Kollafjörður is the small island Viðey. In modern times, it has been uninhabited since 1943 but a former settlement has been proven from the 10th century onward. During the 12th century a chapel was constructed, and a monastery was founded in 1225, existing until the Protestant Reformation at the end of the 16th century. The island and the remains of the settlement can be visited by taking a ferry from Reykjavík harbour.

Name

The name ''Faxaflói'' means 'Faxi's Bay' or 'Faxe's Bay'. The first part, ''Faxa'', is the genitive of the name ''Faxi'' or ''Faxe'', referring to a man on one of the first Norse boat trips to the island.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faxafloi Bays of Iceland Southwest Iceland