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Öræfasveit
Öræfasveit () or Öræfi (previously called Litlahérað , "little district") is a western region in Austur-Skaftafellssýsla, Iceland. It lies between Breiðamerkursandur and the river Skeiðará, east of the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur and South, West and East of the Öræfajökull volcano. It has been a part of the municipality of Hornafjörður since 1998. In the Middle Ages, this region was called ''Hérað'' or ''Litlahérað'', but was deserted in the wake of the 1362 eruption of Öræfajökull and the subsequent flooding of the region. After these events, the region was simply called ''Öræfi'' ("wilderness/desolation"). Historically, the region was very isolated since two large rivers hindered access from both from the east and west. This isolation continued until the Jökulsá á Breiðamerkursandi river was traversed by the Route 1 Ring Road and the Skeiðará bridge in 1974. Skaftafell National Park was established in Öræfasveit in 1967. It merged into t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Höfn
Höfn () or Höfn í Hornafirði () is an Icelandic fishing town in the southeastern part of the country. It lies near Hornafjörður fjord. The town, the second largest in the southeastern part of Iceland, offers scenic views of Vatnajökull (the largest ice cap in Europe by volume). The community was formerly known as Hornafjarðarbær between 1994 and 1998. Geography Höfn is located on a peninsula in the southeast of Iceland. The name Höfn means harbour and it is a fishing port surrounded on three sides by the sea, with beaches on a long shoreline to the southeast. Shoals and glacial rivers traverse this area with many shifting lagoons and sand reefs being formed. Höfn is surrounded by several small islands to the east of the town, the largest of which is Mikley , followed by Krókalátur and Hellir . Nearby areas include Suðursveit (the birthplace of Þórbergur Þórðarson), Öræfasveit, Lón , Mýrar and Nes . In Nes there is a small village called Nesjahv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Austur-Skaftafellssýsla
Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police (except in Reykjavík where there is a special office of police commissioner) and carry out administrative functions such as declaring bankruptcy and marrying people outside of the church. The jurisdictions of these magistrates often follow the lines of the historical counties, but not always. When speaking of these new "administrative" counties, the custom is to associate them with the county seats rather than using the names of the traditional counties, even when they cover the same area. Composition Independent towns (''kaupstaðir'') were first created in the 18th century as urbanisation began in Iceland; this practice continued into the 1980s. The last town that was declared an independent town was Ólafsvík in 1983. Since then, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 surrounding areas) is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the biggest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate. According to the ancient manuscript , the settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Breiðamerkursandur
Breiðamerkursandur () is a glacial outwash plain in southeast Iceland. The area is mostly sand, although some vegetation is beginning to grow in the area. Breiðamerkursandur is located in the municipality of Hornafjörður. It was formed by the glaciers Breiðamerkurjökull, Fjallsjökull and Hrútárjökull during the last few centuries. As the climate cooled during the little ice age, the glaciers advanced down and out to the lowlands, piling gravel ahead. The glaciers are sources of muddy rivers who commonly change their channels frequently and carry the sediment that the weight of the glacier grinds down and across a large area. The pro glacial lake Jökulsárlón, one of Iceland's best-known tourist attractions, is located on Breiðamerkursandur. The glaciers that formed the sandur are a part of Vatnajökull, and therefore a part of Vatnajökull National Park. In 2017, the borders of the park were changed to include also the plain itself and the Jökulsárlón lake. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skeiðará
Skeiðará () is a relatively short glacier river (about 30 km long). It has its source on the glacier Skeiðarárjökull, one of the southern arms of the Vatnajökull in the south of Iceland. In spite of its short length, this river has a bad reputation. It is especially feared because of the frequent glacier runs that can be fatal. In front of Skaftafell and Skeiðarárjökull, Skeiðará has formed the Skeiðarársandur, a black plain of lava sand and ashes crossed by a lot of small rivulets which covers the whole area between the park and the sea (about 40 km long and 5 to 10 km wide). In 1996, the latest of these glacier runs took place. It destroyed parts of Route 1 (the Ring Road). The bridge was damaged by floating ice boulders the size of houses. At the peak of this glacier run, 45,000 m3/s of water were coming down. No one was harmed, scientists having very carefully monitored the volcano Grímsvötn on Vatnajökull which caused the glacier run by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Kirkjubæjarklaustur ( Icelandic for "church farm cloister", pronounced ; often referred to locally as just Klaustur) is a village in the south of Iceland on the hringvegur (road no. 1 or Ring Road) between Vík í Mýrdal and Höfn. It is part of the municipality of Skaftárhreppur and has about 500 inhabitants. It is surrounded by hills and plateaus to the north. Kirkjubæjarklaustur is roughly east of the capital Reykjavik. Location Kirkjubæjarklaustur's geographical location makes it better known than other villages its size. It is the only place between Vík and Höfn which offers services, which includes a fuel station, a bank, a post office and a supermarket. Nearby tourist attractions include the Laki craters, the Eldgjá and Skaftafell, all in Vatnajökull National Park. An attraction close to the village is '' Kirkjugólf'' ("Church floor"), a natural pavement of basalt. These are basalt columns in the earth, but only the tops can be seen, and as the name suggests, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Öræfajökull
Öræfajökull (; ' Öræfi glacier' or 'wasteland glacier') is an ice-covered volcano in south-east Iceland. The largest active volcano and the highest peak in Iceland at , it lies within the Vatnajökull National Park and is covered by part of the glacier. The original Norse settlers named the volcano Knappafellsjǫkull (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: Hnappafellsjökull ; 'knobs mountain glacier'). The current name, ''Öræfajökull'', was eventually adopted after the 1362 eruption. Description Öræfajökull is located at the southern extremity of the Vatnajökull glacier and overlooking the Ring Road between Höfn and Vík. It is the largest active volcano in the country, and on the summit crater's northwestern rim is Hvannadalshnúkur, the highest peak in Iceland at . Geographically, Öræfajökull is considered part of Vatnajökull, and the area covered by glacier is within the boundary of Vatnajökull National Park. Activity Öræfajökull has erupted twice in historic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. Population decline, counterurbanisation, the collapse of centralized authority, invasions, and mass migrations of tribes, which had begun in late antiquity, continued into the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the 7th century, North Africa and the Middle East—most recently part of the Eastern Ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eruption
Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has been observed. Some volcanoes may exhibit only one characteristic type of eruption during a period of activity, while others may display an entire sequence of types all in one eruptive series. There are three different types of eruptions: * Magmatic eruptions are the most well-observed type of eruption. They involve the decompression of gas within magma that propels it forward. * Phreatic eruptions are driven by the superheating of steam due to the close proximity of magma. This type exhibits no magmatic release, instead causing the granulation of existing rock. * Phreatomagmatic eruptions are driven by the direct interaction of magma and water, as opposed to phreatic erupti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jökulsá á Breiðamerkursandi
Jökulsá (literally ''glacier river'') is the name of several rivers in Iceland. * Jökulsá á Dal, also known as ''Jökulsá á Brú'' or ''Jökla'' * Jökulsá á Fjöllum, the second longest river in Iceland * Jökulsá á Breiðamerkursandi * , which becomes Lagarfljót * * * Jökulsá í Borgarfirði eystri, a river * Jökulsá í Fáskrúðsfirði, a small river * Jökulsá á Flateyjardal, a small river See also *List of rivers of Iceland On an island like Iceland, the rivers are short in length. None of the rivers are important as a means of navigation due to the impracticality of settlements in the Highlands of Iceland where they originate. South * Hvítá * Krossá * Kúðaflj ... * Austari-Jökulsá * {{Disambiguation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Route 1 (Iceland)
Route 1 or the Ring Road ( or ) is a national road in Iceland that circles the entire country. As a major trunk route, it is considered to be the most important piece of transport infrastructure in Iceland as it connects the majority of towns together in the most densely populated areas of the country. Economically, it carries a large proportion of goods traffic as well as tourist traffic. The total length of the road is . The road was completed in 1974, coinciding with the 1,100th anniversary of the country's settlement when the longest bridge in Iceland, crossing the Skeiðará river in the southeast, was opened. Previously, vehicles intending to travel between southern settlements, e.g. Vík to Höfn, had to travel north of the country through Akureyri, making the opening a major transport improvement to the country. Many popular tourist attractions in Iceland, such as the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, Dyrhólaey cliffs, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, as well ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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