Kópasker () is a small
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
with approximately 120 inhabitants
in the municipality of
Norðurþing
Norðurþing () is a municipality located in northern Iceland. Norðurþing was formed in 2006 when the municipalities of Húsavík, Öxarfjörður, Raufarhöfn, and Kelduneshreppur were merged after special elections in January 2006 and the regio ...
, situated on the eastern shore of
Öxarfjörður in northeast
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 s ...
.
Kópasker (church 1).jpg, Church of Kópasker: ''Snartarstaðarkirkja''
KópaskerGeneralView.jpg, General view
Overview
The first residential house in Kópasker, Bakki, was built in 1912 by Árni Ingimundarson. Bakki burned down in 1988.
Kópasker grew around the operation of the
Co-op
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
, providing services to local agriculture and fisheries. Meat-processing is the biggest industry in Kópasker, represented by the slaughterhouse and lamb-processing factory,
Fjallalamb. The District Museum is located at the church site
Snartarstaðir by Kópasker. In the village there is also an exhibition at the Kópasker Earthquake Center describing the big earthquake of 1976 that measured 6.3 on the
Richter scale
The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
and destroyed several houses and other structures in the area.
''Snartarstaðarkirkja'' is a Protestant stone church which seats about 90 persons. It was inaugurated on 5 March 1929 after the old church of Kópasker had been torn down. The church remained undamaged by the earthquake of 1976. The cross at the top of the tower was added in 1979 on the occasion of the 50th jubilee of the inauguration.
[http://kirkjukort.net/kirkjur/snartarstadakirkja_0384.html]
In Kópasker there is a shop, garage, health care centre, school, bank, campsite and guesthouses. North of Kópasker is the peninsula
Melrakkaslétta, with its abundant birdlife, and also the northernmost point of mainland Iceland,
Hraunhafnartangi.
References
External links
Norðurþing (official website): KópaskerVisit North-East Iceland (official travel guide): Öxarfjörður and MelrakkaslettaNorth Iceland (official travel guide): KópaskerTravelnet: KópaskerFjallalamb
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kopasker
Populated places in Northeastern Region (Iceland)