Westfjords
Encyclopedia
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
: Vestfirðir, ISO 3166-2:IS
ISO 3166-2:IS
ISO 3166-2:IS is the entry for Iceland in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Iceland, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
: IS-4) is the name for the large peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in northwestern 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...
. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a 7 km wide isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
between Gilsfjörður and Bitrufjörður. The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
s surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads circuitous and communications difficult. The cliffs at Látrabjarg
Látrabjarg
Látrabjarg, in Iceland, marks the western-most part of Europe. It hosts millions of birds, the cliffs are occupied by puffins, northern gannets, guillemots and razorbills. It is vital for their survival as it hosts up to 40% of the world population for some species e.g. the Razorbill. It is...
comprise the longest bird cliff
Bird cliff
Bird 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, the Svalbard archipelago and on islands off Northern Norway...
in the northern Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and are at the westernmost point in Iceland. The Drangajökull
Drangajökull
Drangajökull is the northernmost glacier of Iceland. It is situated south-west of the peninsula Hornstrandir in the Vestfirðir region. The glacier covers an area of at an altitude of . It is the only Icelandic glacier entirely under 1 km height and also the only one that has not shrunk in recent...
glacier is located in the north of the peninsula and is the fifth largest of the country, but the only glacier of the region.
The lack of flat lowlands in the area makes it unsuitable for agriculture, but good natural harbors in many of the fjords and their proximity to fishing areas are vital for the local economy. The Westfjords are very sparsely populated: the total population in 2007 was 7,380. The capital and by far the largest town is Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður is a town in the north west of Iceland, seat of Ísafjarðarbær municipality.The town draws its name from the fjord and the fjord was given its name simultaneously to the island...
(pop. ~ 4000).
| year | population | % of Iceland's population |
| 1920 | 13,443 | 14.24% |
| 1930 | 13,133 | 12.09% |
| 1940 | 13,130 | 10.80% |
| 1950 | 11,300 | 7.83% |
| 1960 | 10,507 | 5.86% |
| 1970 | 10,050 | 4.91% |
| 1980 | 10,479 | 4.53% |
| 1990 | 9,798 | 3.80% |
| 2000 | 8,150 | 2.86% |
| 2007 | 7,309 | 2.32% |
Main settlements in the Westfjords
- ReykhólarReykhólarReykhólar is an Icelandic village in the Westfjords, in the northwest area of the country.The village with around 120 inhabitants has a swimming pool, camp site, hostel and a tourist office that is open during the summer.-External links:*...
- BolungarvíkBolungarvíkBolungarvík is a fishing village and municipality in the North-West of Iceland, located at the Vestfirðir peninsula, approximately 14 kilometres from the town of Ísafjörður and 473 km from the capital city Reykjavík....
- Brjánslækur
- ÍsafjörðurÍsafjörðurÍsafjörður is a town in the north west of Iceland, seat of Ísafjarðarbær municipality.The town draws its name from the fjord and the fjord was given its name simultaneously to the island...
- TálknafjörðurTálknafjörðurTálknafjörður is a fjord located in southern Westfjords between Patreksfjörður and Bildudalur in Iceland.The term is also used for the immediate village and municipality. One third of its population is of Polish origin...
- FlateyriFlateyriFlateyri is a village situated in the Westfjords of Iceland.With a population of approximately 237, it is the largest settlement on Önundarfjörður.-History:...
- SuðureyriSuðureyriSuðureyri is a small Icelandic fishing village perched on the tip of the 13 km-long Súgandafjörður in the Westfjords.The community was isolated for years by the huge mountains and rough road that led over them. Now it is connected to Ísafjörður by a 5 km tunnel.The village has tours set...
- SúðavíkSúðavíkSúðavík is a village and municipality and a fishing village on the west coast of Álftarfjörður in Vestfirðir, Iceland .The population of Súðavík is around 190.-Overview:...
- BíldudalurBíldudalurBíldudalur is a village situated on the coast of Arnarfjörður, one of the Westfjords in Iceland.It is situated in the Vesturbyggð municipality and has 166 inhabitants ....
- ÞingeyriÞingeyriThingeyri is a settlement in the municipality of Ísafjarðarbær, Iceland.It is located on the coats of the fjord Dýrafjörður in the mountainous peninsula Westfjords...
- PatreksfjörðurPatreksfjörðurPatreksfjörður is an Icelandic village in the Westfjords with 627 inhabitants .The town was named after Saint Patrick who was the spiritual guide of Örlygur Hrappson, the original settler in the area...
- SkálanesSkálanesSkálanes is a nature reserve in Iceland.The nature reserve and centre are owned and managed by Ólafur Pétursson and his family. The day to day running of the reserve is undertaken by Ólafur with the help of a wide variety of people from the local Icelandic community and from...
- ReykjanesReykjanesReykjanes or Reykjanesskagi is a peninsula and a volcanic system situated at the south-western end of Iceland, near the capital of Reykjavík....
- HólmavíkHólmavíkHólmavík is a small town in the western part of Iceland, by Steingrímsfjörður.It is the largest settlement in Strandir and serves as a centre of commerce for the county. Hólmavík is part of the Strandabyggð municipality and has 375 inhabitants...
- DrangsnesDrangsnesDrangsnes is a small town in the western part of Iceland, at the mouth of Steingrímsfjörður and near Hólmavík.It is part of the Kaldrananeshreppur municipality and only has 67 inhabitants . It got its name from a tall rock named Kerling of what is said that it is one of three troll women who tried...
External links
- Fisherman Hotel Suðureyri (in Icelandic, English and German)
- Westfjords Tourist Board
- Westfjords website
- Images from the Westfjords (English and German)
- Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2010
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