Westfjords
Parts of this article (those related to risk of coastal flooding from sea level rise from melting glacier(s)) need to be updated.(April 2021) |
Vestfirðir | |
---|---|
Country | Iceland |
Seat | Ísafjörður |
Area | |
• Total | 22,271 km2 (8,599 sq mi) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,115 |
• Density | 0.3/km2 (0.8/sq mi) |
The Westfjords or West Fjords (Icelandic: Vestfirðir [ˈvɛstˌfɪrðɪr̥], ISO 3166-2:IS: IS-4) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative district. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a 7-km-wide isthmus between and . The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads very circuitous and communications by land difficult. In addition many of the roads are closed by ice and snow for several months of the year. The Vestfjarðagöng road tunnel from 1996 has improved that situation. The cliffs at Látrabjarg comprise the longest bird cliff in the northern Atlantic Ocean and are at the westernmost point in Iceland. The Drangajökull glacier is located in the north of the peninsula and is the fifth-largest of the country, but the only glacier of the region.
Population[]
The lack of flat lowlands in the area limits the potential for agriculture, which is mostly restricted to low-intensity sheep grazing near the fjords. 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 2020 was 7,115. The district capital and by far the largest settlement is Ísafjörður (population around 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% |
2020 | 7,115 | 1.95% |
Main settlements in the Westfjords[]
- Reykhólar
- Bolungarvík
- Ísafjörður
- Tálknafjörður
- Flateyri
- Suðureyri
- Hnífsdalur
- Súðavík
- Bíldudalur
- Þingeyri
- Patreksfjörður
- Skálanes
- Hólmavík
- Drangsnes
Climate[]
The box is for , at the tip of the peninsula 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Ísafjörður. Westfjords is generally the coldest area at sea level in Iceland, because of the East Greenland Current.
hideClimate data for Goltur | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 10 (50) |
10 (50) |
11 (52) |
11 (52) |
17 (63) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
18 (64) |
15 (59) |
15 (59) |
13 (55) |
11 (52) |
19 (66) |
Average high °C (°F) | 1 (33) |
2 (35) |
3 (37) |
4 (40) |
7 (44) |
9 (49) |
11 (51) |
11 (51) |
7 (45) |
5 (41) |
4 (40) |
2 (35) |
6 (42) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −2 (29) |
0 (32) |
1 (33) |
2 (36) |
4 (40) |
7 (45) |
8 (47) |
8 (47) |
6 (42) |
3 (38) |
3 (37) |
0 (32) |
3 (38) |
Average low °C (°F) | −3 (26) |
−2 (29) |
−1 (30) |
1 (33) |
2 (36) |
5 (41) |
7 (44) |
7 (44) |
4 (40) |
2 (35) |
1 (34) |
−1 (30) |
2 (35) |
Record low °C (°F) | −11 (12) |
−10 (14) |
−13 (9) |
−7 (19) |
−4 (25) |
−2 (28) |
2 (36) |
1 (34) |
−3 (27) |
−5 (23) |
−9 (16) |
−9 (16) |
−13 (9) |
Average relative humidity (%) | 75 | 77 | 76 | 79 | 77 | 82 | 83 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 80 | 78 | 79 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 6 | 9.2 | 12.7 | 16.6 | 20.7 | 23.4 | 21.5 | 18.1 | 13.9 | 10.3 | 6.9 | 4.6 | 13.7 |
Source: Weatherbase[1] |
Law[]
In 1615, 32 shipwrecked Basque whalers were killed by locals, after which the magistrate made it law that any Basque person seen in the region should be instantly killed. This law was repealed in May 2015.[2]
Image gallery[]
Westfjords
Dýrafjörður
Puffins in Látrabjarg
Oldest steel ship in Iceland
Látrabjarg
Hrafnseyrarheiði
Hvítanes
Suðureyri
Landscape near Þingeyri
See also[]
- Barðaströnd
- Westfjords Heritage Museum
- Regions of Iceland
- Tunnels in Iceland
- Basque–Icelandic pidgin
References[]
- ^ "Weatherbase: WEATHER AVERAGES SUMMARY for Goltur, Iceland". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on June 1, 2013.
- ^ Tharoor, Ishaan (28 May 2015). "Iceland revokes 400-year-old legal right in Westfjords district to kill Basques on sight". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
External links[]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Westfjords. |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vestfirðir. |
- Westfjords Tourist Board
- Westfjords website
- Images from the Westfjords (English and German)
- Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2010
- The Bestfjords blog
- Aurora Arktika
Coordinates: 65°44′15″N 22°10′14″W / 65.73750°N 22.17056°W
- Westfjords
- Peninsulas of Iceland