Iceland

places

Iceland

Our land of lakes forever fair
below blue mountain summits,
of swans, of salmon leaping where
the silver water plummets,
of glaciers swelling broad and bare
above earth's fiery sinews —-
the Lord pour out his largess there
as long as earth continues!

- Jonas Hallgrimsson

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Icelandic Regions

Historically, Iceland was divided into farthings that were named after the cardinal directions. Now, Iceland is usually divided into 8 regions: Capital Region, Southern Peninsula, West, Westfjords, Northwest, Northeast, East and South. These divisions are primarily intended to assist with planning a holiday in Iceland.

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Siglingafélag
Icelandic Regions

Reykjavik

Reykjavik, the world’s northernmost capital, is the most populated of Icelandic regions.

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Thingvellir
Icelandic Regions

Golden Circle

Golden Circle (derived from the name of Gullfoss - golden waterfall), is not actually a region, but a tourist route in southern Iceland, covering about 190 mi looping from Reykjavík to Þingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall, the geothermal area in Haukadalur (which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokku), the Kerið volcanic crater, and the town of Hveragerði.

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Dyrhólaey
Icelandic Regions

Suðurland

Suðurland (southern region) with its largest town Selfoss encompasses most of the Golden Circle. In addition, there are waterfalls - Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi and Skogafoss, Eyjafjallajökull volcano, sand beaches of Vik (and awesome views nearby from Dyrhólaey, Kirkjufjara and Reynisdrangar), Eldhraun lava field, and 2 million old river canyon of Fjaðrárgljúfur.

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Jökulsárlón Lagoon
Icelandic Regions

Austurland

Austurland (eastern region) with its largest town Egilsstaðir is home for a jagged coastline of Austfirðir (Eastfjords). In addition, there are glaciers - Svinafellsjokull and Vatnajökull (the largest in Iceland covering 9% of the country and part of Vatnajökull national park), horn shaped mountains - Vestrahorn, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, waterfalls Svartifoss (in Skaftafell national park), Sveinsstekksfoss, Folaldafoss, Rjukandi, and an iconic town of Seydisfjordur with rainbow painted streets.

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Þjóðvegur
Icelandic Regions

Norðurland

Norðurland (comprising of Norðurland eystra and Norðurland vestra regions) with towns of Akureyri and Sauðárkrókur is home for several incredible wonders: Hverir geothermal fields, Mývatn geothermal area surrounding Lake Mývatn, caldera of Krafla volcano, a kilometer wide Hverfjall crater, pseudo-craters in Skútustaðagígar, Hofdi nature reserve, the basalt rock Hvítserkur and gigantic waterfalls of Dettifoss and Hafragilsfoss, and Selfoss.

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Búðakirkja
Icelandic Regions

Vesturland

Vesturland (western region) with its largest town of Akranes, is famed for Snæfellsjökull National Park and its several iconic spots: Kirkjufell mountain, black-pebbled Djúpalónssandur and Dritvík beaches, Londrangar basalt cliffs, coastal villages of Arnarstapi and Hellnar, Gerðuberg cliffs, Eldborg Crater, and numerous waterfalls: Barnafoss, Kirkjufellsfoss, Glymur, Hraunfossar and Bjarnarfoss.

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Icelandic Attractions

Known as "The Land of Fire and Ice", Iceland is home to the largest glaciers in Euruope, some of the world's most active volcananoes with long summer days and short winter days of few hours of daylight. Yet, Iceland is also known for its numerous waterfalls, churches and iconic lifestock.

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Selfoss
Icelandic Categories

Icelandic Waterfalls

Starting with the most famous of Icelandic waterfalls, the aptly named Gullfoss ('The Golden Waterfall') that belongs to the famous Golden Circle, Iceland is home for numerous gigantic waterfalls.

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Búðakirkja
Icelandic Categories

Icelandic Churches

For a nation of only 330,000 people, there are more than 350 churches across Iceland, which leads some to think think that Icelanders are particularly religious. While 85% of Iceland's inhabitants are supposedly Christian, the country is considered the sixth-most atheistic nation globally.

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Icelandic Horses
Icelandic Categories

Icelandic Livestock

The Icelandic horse, long-lived and hardy, is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. These are small and at times pony-sized. In addition, raising of livestock, sheep (the traditional mainstay) and cattle  is the main occupation in Icelandic agriculture.