Reykjanestá () is the uttermost tip of

Reykjanes Peninsula Southern Peninsula ( is, Suðurnes ) is an administrative unit and part of Reykjanesskagi (pronounced ), or Reykjanes Peninsula, a region in southwest Iceland. It was named after Reykjanes, the southwestern tip of Reykjanesskagi. The region ha ...

(''Reykjanesskagi'') in

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 s ...

. It is situated on a small peninsula called Reykjanes which in itself again is part of the big peninsula Reykjanesskagi. Road 425 and some smaller roads lead to it. It is there that the

Reykjanes Ridge The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge (a divergent or constructive plate boundary) located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. In the North Atlantic, the ridge separates the North Ame ...

is connected to Reykjanes Peninsula (see:

Geology of Reykjanes Peninsula The Reykjanes Peninsula ( is, Reykjanesskagi ) in southwest Iceland is the continuation of the mostly submarine Reykjanes Ridge, a part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, on land and reaching from Esja in the north and Hengill in the east to Rey ...

). Today the area is situated within the westernmost volcanic system, Reykjanes volcanic zone (RVZ).

Landforms

Characteristic landforms of Reykjanestá are e.g. eroded and partially

submarine volcano Submarine volcanoes are underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt. Many submarine volcanoes are located near areas of tectonic plate formation, known as mid-ocean ridges. The volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges ...

es. The cliff of ''Valahnúkur'' as well as the stack ''Karl'' are their remains. They are popular

bird cliff Bird cliffs, or nesting cliffs, are steep cliffs with numerous small shelves which serve as nesting locations for bird colonies. Bird cliffs are found on islands in the North Atlantic and Arctic, such as the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the Svalbard a ...

s with nests of European herring gulls (larus argentatus), Northern fulmars (fulmarus glacialis), black-legged kittiwakes (rissa tridactyla) and ravens (corvus corax).Vegahandbókin. Ferðahandbókin þín. Landmælingar Íslands og Vegahandbókin. 2014, p.226 On the eastern side of Valahnúkar, there are impressive boulder beaches. Sometimes also the Stampar crater rows from eruptions during the 13th century within the Reykjanes Volcanic System are counted in as well as the high temperature area around the mud resp. hot water geysers of Gunnuhver . In this area a geothermal power station called Reykjanes Power Station has been installed in 2006 and produces 100 MW.

Island Eldey

From the cliffs and beach at Reykjanestá, the island of

Eldey Eldey () is a small island about off the coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland. Located west-southwest of Reykjavík, the island of Eldey covers an area of about , and rises to a height of . Its sheer cliffs are home to large ...

can be seen. The distance to Reykjanestá is 14 km, the height of the rocky island 77m. It is known to be especially popular with

morus bassanus The northern gannet (''Morus bassanus'') is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and Northeastern North America. It is the largest seabird in t ...

as a breeding place in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

. On the other hand, the Eldey Volcanic System, which is for the most part

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

, is today mostly seen as independent from Reykjanes Volcanic System. It is part of

Lighthouse
Reykjanesviti Reykjanesviti () is Iceland's oldest lighthouse, located at Reykjanestá. It serves as a landfall light for Reykjavík and Keflavík. History The tower is a tall construction, situated on the southwestern edge of the Reykjanes peninsula. The ...

In 1878, the first Icelandic lighthouse was erected near Valahnúkur. It had become necessary as the most used shipping lane next to Iceland passed by this point and the sea can be dangerous here. The 14 km broad strait between the peninsula and the island of

is often used by ships and at the same time heavy currents accompany the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide t ...

s in both directions so that the area had a bad reputationBjarnheiður Hallsdóttir, Tómas Guðmundsson: Ferðahandbók Fjölskyldunnar. Reykjavík 2007, p. 128 which many shipwrecks confirm. In 1887, the hill were it stood, was eroded by

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

action, so that the old lighthouse had to be taken down. The next lighthouse could not be constructed before 1908 and was then built up on the hill of Vatnafell at about 1 km from the coast line where it stands till today in 73 m msl.

Motion pictures in a picturesque scenery

Two known films were produced in this landscape: ''Prince of Darkness (Myrkrahöfðinginn)'', a film by the Icelandic director

Hrafn Gunnlaugsson Hrafn Gunnlaugsson (born 17 June 1948) is an Icelandic film director. He is the brother of mathematician Þorvaldur Gunnlaugsson and the lawyer Snædís Gunnlaugsdóttir and the actress Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir. He is mostly known for his series o ...

, in 2000, near the lighthouse, and

Flags of Our Fathers ''Flags of Our Fathers'' (2000) is a book by James Bradley with Ron Powers about his father, Navy corpsman John Bradley, and five United States Marines, who were made famous by Joe Rosenthal’s '' Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima'' photograph. Th ...

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

about 10 km away in and around the bays ''Litla-Sandvík'' and ''Stóra-Sandvík'' Bjarnheiður Hallsdóttir, Tómas Guðmundsson: Ferðahandbók Fjölskyldunnar. Reykjavík 2007, p. 131 in 2006.

References

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External links

Visit Reykjanes, Official Website
Tourist attractions in Iceland Reykjanes Bird cliffs of Iceland