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Route 1 (Iceland)
Encyclopedia
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Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
that runs around the island and connects all habitable parts of the country (the interior of the island being uninhabited). The total length of the road is 1339 kilometres (832 mi).
For almost all its length, the road is two lanes wide with one lane in each direction. Where it passes through larger towns and cities it may be expanded to more lanes, as well as in the Hvalfjörður Tunnel
Hvalfjörður Tunnel
Hvalfjörður Tunnel is a road tunnel under the Hvalfjörður fjord in Iceland and a part of the Route 1 . It is 5,762m long and reaches depth of 165m below sea level. Opened on 11 July 1998, it shortens the distance from Reykjavík to the western and northern parts of the island by 45 km...
. Most smaller bridges are single lane and made of wood and/or steel. The road is paved
Pavement (material)
Road surface or pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past cobblestones and granite setts were extensively used, but these surfaces have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete. Such...
with asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
for most of its length, but there are still stretches in the east part of the country with an unpaved gravel surface
Gravel road
A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the United States. In New Zealand, they are known as 'metal roads'...
. The Iceland Road Administration, Vegagerðin
Vegagerðin
Vegagerðin , previously known as Vegagerð ríkisins for many decades, is a state run institution in Iceland whose purpose is to construct and maintain roads and infrastructure in rural areas and between urban areas...
oversees the maintenance and creation of national to small access roads in the country.
Traffic on the road varies a lot depending on location; in and near Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
it is around 5,000–10,000 vehicles per day, but the stretches farthest away from larger towns see fewer than 100 vehicles per day on average.
The circle was finished in 1974 to celebrate the country's 1100 years of settlement when the longest bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
in Iceland over Skeiðará
Skeiðará
The river Skeiðará is a relatively short glacier river . It has its source on the glacier Skeiðarárjökull, one of the southern arms of the Vatnajökull in the south of Iceland....
river in Southern Iceland was opened.
The Ring Road is popular with tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
since it covers most of the country and many interesting sights are not far from it. It has been an especially popular tour with Icelandic families on summer vacation, but in later years the route is becoming more popular with foreigners who like to either rent a car or bring their own on the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
to Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður is a town and municipality in the Eastfjords of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name.As of January 2011, the town has 668 inhabitants....
.
The south part of the Ring Road is sometimes destroyed by sudden massive floods
Jökulhlaup
A jökulhlaup is a glacial outburst flood. It is an Icelandic term that has been adopted by the English language. It originally referred to the well-known subglacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull, Iceland which are triggered by geothermal heating and occasionally by a volcanic subglacial...
caused by geothermal
Geothermal
Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:* The geothermal gradient and associated heat flows from within the Earth- Renewable technology :...
heat and volcano eruptions melting ice under Iceland's inland icecap
Icecap
Icecap my refer to* Ice cap, a geographical feature* Icecap , a blog skeptical of global warming* Raleigh IceCaps, a defunct ECHL Hockey Team...
s (usually Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country.-Size:With an area of 8,100 km², Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe by volume and the second largest in area Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in...
)
Driving on Route 1
Although paved, some portions of the road are still the original 1940s country roads, and contain hazards such as blind curves and blind hills, one lane bridges, and narrow passes. In winter, icy roads and sheer winds can make travel especially hazardous.The maximum speed on most of the road is 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour) where paved and 80 kilometers per hour over gravel. If driving on the road, it is advised to visit Iceland's official road bureau websites and weather station to lay out a route before starting.
List of cities and towns on Route 1
Travelling clockwise (initially northward) from Reykjavik, the following communities and settlements are located on Route 1.- ReykjavikReykjavíkReykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
- MosfellsbærMosfellsbærMosfellsbær is a town in south-west Iceland, situated some east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. It has a total area of and its population as of September, 2011 was 8,886....
- GrundarhverfiGrundarhverfiGrundarhverfi or Kjalarnes, is the least populous suburb in the municipality of Reykjavík with a population of around 600 inhabitants. Grundarhverfi was an independent municipality, until it joined Reykjavík in 1998. It takes about 18 kilometers to drive from Grundarhverfi to Reykjavík and it takes...
- BorgarnesBorgarnesBorgarnes is a town located on a peninsula at the shore of Borgarfjörður in Iceland.It has a population of 1,763 . The town is located 60 km north of the capital Reykjavík and is connected to other places in Iceland through the second largest bridge in Iceland, Borgarfjarðarbrú...
- BifröstBifröst (town)Bifröst is a small settlement in western Iceland, in the Mýrasýsla county.It is located in the Northwest Political constituency and is the site of Bifröst University, a small private campus university. In the town of Bifröst there is a convenience store called Samkaup strax, a coffee house, a...
- BrúBrúBrú is a farmstead and road junction in northwestern Iceland in Vestur-Húnavatnssýsla county. It is located in the Northwest Political constituency. It has a filling station and a guesthouse....
- BlönduósBlönduósBlönduós is a town and municipality in the north of Iceland, in the county of Austur-Húnavatnssýsla, 245 km from Reykjavík.The town has a population of around 850 and a small 9-hole golf course, and is a good base for touring the Húnaflói area....
- AkureyriAkureyriAkureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality ....
- ReykjahlíðReykjahlíðThe village of Reykjahlíð has approximately 300 inhabitants and is situated on the shores of Lake Mývatn in the north of Iceland. It is the seat of the municipality of Skútustaðahreppur.-Overview:...
- EgilsstaðirEgilsstaðirEgilsstaðir is a town in east Iceland on the banks of Lagarfljót river.It is part of the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað, the county seat of Norður-Múlasýsla and the largest settlement of the Austurland region with, as of 2011, a population of 2,257 inhabitants.-Overview:Egilsstadir is located at...
- BreiðdalsvíkBreiðdalsvíkBreiðdalsvík is a young fishing town in Iceland.It is part of the municipality of Breiðdalshreppur and is located near Egilsstaðir and Breiðdalsheiði on a very large cove with the same name. With a population of only 139, the town consists mostly of transient guests...
- DjúpivogurDjupivogurDjúpivogur is a small town and municipality located on a peninsula in eastern Iceland, near the island of Papey and on the fjord Berufjörður.As of 2011, it has a population of 352....
- HöfnHöfnHöfn or Höfn í Hornafirði is an Icelandic fishing town in the south-eastern part of the country.As of 2011, the population of the town was 1,641. This harbour town, the second largest in the south-eastern part of Iceland, gives scenic views of Vatnajökull...
- KirkjubæjarklausturKirkjubæjarklausturThe village Kirkjubæjarklaustur is a village in the south of Iceland on the hringvegur between Vík í Mýrdal and Höfn. It is part of the municipality of Skaftárhreppur with approximately 120 inhabitants.-Location:...
- Vík í MýrdalVík í MýrdalThe village of Vík is the southernmost village in Iceland, located on the main ring road around the island, around by road SSE of Reykjavík....
(Vík) - SkógarSkógarSkógar , literally forests, is a small Icelandic village with a population of roughly 25 located at the south of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, in the municipality of Rangárþing eystra....
- HvolsvöllurHvolsvöllurHvolsvöllur is a small town in the south of Iceland about 106 km to the east of Reykjavík.It is situated in the inland swamps of Landeyjar, in the municipality of Rangárþing eystra and has, as of January 2011, 860 inhabitants.-Overview:...
- Hella
- SelfossSelfossSelfoss can mean either of the following locations in Iceland:*Selfoss *Selfoss...
- HveragerðiHveragerðiHveragerði is a town and municipality in the south of Iceland located 45 km to the east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1.The river Varmá runs through the town. The population was 2,316 on 1 January 2011.-Overview:...