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Kjölur
Kjölur () is a plateau in the highlands of Iceland, roughly defined as the area between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers. It lies at an elevation of about 600–700 metres. Geography At the northern end of the Kjölur road, near the headwaters of the Blanda river, the hot springs of Hveravellir provide a warm oasis. Not far from Hveravellir, the Kerlingarfjöll, a volcanic mountain range, is situated to the north-east of the Kjölur road. History Like Sprengisandur highland road, the area was probably known since the first times of Icelandic settlement and is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. A track along Langjökull was used as a shortcut between regions during summer. This is today known as ''Kjalvegur hinn forni'' (Old Kjalvegur) and is still in use for trekking and horse-riding. Piles of stones mark the track through the highland desert. After some people had perished in a snowstorm by the end of the 18th century, the Kjölur road was forgotten for abou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Langjökull
Langjökull (, Icelandic for "long glacier") is the second largest ice cap in Iceland (953 km2), after Vatnajökull. It is situated in the west of the Icelandic interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur. Its volume is 195 km³ and the ice is up to thick. The highest point of the ice cap (at ''Baldjökull'' at the northern end of Langjökull) is about above sea level. In the past, the largest recorded surface area was in 1840. Situation and form The glacier is roughly parallel to the direction of the country's active volcanic zone: north-east to south-west. It is about long and wide, and has a slightly narrower point roughly between the lake Hvítárvatn on the Kjölur mountain road to the east and the Þrístapajökull glacier to the west, near another smaller glacier, Eiríksjökull, which is not quite connected to Langjökull. It is the nearest large glacier to Reykjavík. The area of the glacier includes some mountains, e.g. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kjalvegur
Kjalvegur () is a highland road in Iceland, crossing Kjölur from north to south. History Formerly, the name referred to a horse-track closer to Langjökull, west of the current road. This track now goes by the name ''Kjalvegur hinn forni'' (Ancient Kjalvegur), and is closed to motorized traffic. Geography The road begins in the south of Iceland near Haukadalur and behind the Gullfoss waterfall, ending in the north near ''Blönduós''. The road traverses the interior between two glaciers, Langjökull and Hofsjökull. It is the second longest of the roads through the Highlands of Iceland. It takes about 5 hours to traverse by car, the road is generally rough, but river crossings are bridged. See also * Route 35 (Iceland) * Sprengisandsleið * Kjölur Kjölur () is a plateau in the highlands of Iceland, roughly defined as the area between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers. It lies at an elevation of about 600–700 metres. Geography At the northern end of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highlands Of Iceland
The Highlands of Iceland ( is, hálendið ) are a sparsely inhabited plateau that covers most of the interior of Iceland. They are situated above 400–500 metres (1300–1600 feet) and are mostly an uninhabitable volcanic desert, because the water precipitating as rain or snow infiltrates so quickly into the ground that it is unavailable for plant growth. This results largely in a surface of grey, black or brown earth, lava and volcanic ashes. A few oasis-like areas, such as Herðubreiðarlindir near Askja, are found only in proximity to rivers. Icelanders categorise the Highlands as: * "Háls", meaning a broad mountain ridge between valleys, such as the one near Langavatn north of Borgarnes; or * "Heiði", meaning the real highlands, such as those alongside the Sprengisandur road. Most of the numerous glaciers, such as Vatnajökull, Langjökull and Hofsjökull, are also part of the Icelandic Highlands. Vegetation is only found on the shores of the glacier rivers. There is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Route 35 (Iceland)
Route 35 is one of the interior roads of Iceland. The road is divided into two main sections. The first part is called () and runs from about one kilometer northwest of Selfoss up to Gullfoss. It is a road for all cars. The second part is {{IPA-is, ˈcʰalˌvɛːɣʏr̥}. This is a highland road which runs over the Kjölur plateau. The mountain road has the number F35. Route 35 in total is 237 km long. Biskupstungnabraut From the Ring Road (1) the road heads north-east through Árnessýsla forming the primary route to the tourist hotspots of Geysir and Gullfoss. Along the way the road meets several other routes such as Þingvallavegur (36), Laugarvatnsvegur (37) with distinctive peninsulas and Skálholt Way (31) and Hrunamannavegur (30). Near the road are a number of attractions. These include volcanic crater lake Kerið, waterfall Faxi in Tungufljóti and of course, Geysir and Gullfoss. The road crosses the Alviðra. The original bridge was built in 1905 and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kerlingarfjöll
Kerlingarfjöll () is a tall mountain range in Iceland situated in the Highlands of Iceland near the Kjölur highland road. They are part of a large tuya volcano system of . The volcanic origin of these mountains is evidenced by the numerous hot springs and rivulets in the area, as well as red volcanic rhyolite stone of which the mountains are composed. Minerals that have emerged from the hot springs also color the ground yellow, red and green. The area was known formerly for its summer ski resort, but this was dismantled in 2000. Since 2000, Kerlingarfjöll has been operated as a highland resort, offering accommodation and food services to guests in the area. On March 17 in 2017 the ''Iceland Monitor'' stated that the Kerlingarfjöll Mountains and geothermal area were being turned into a nature reserve. Although parts of the place already had protection, the whole 367 square kilometres are to be under the protection of the state of Iceland. There have been thoughts of using th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sprengisandur
Sprengisandur () is a highland plateau in Iceland, defined roughly as the area between the Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers. History and etymology Like Kjölur and Kaldidalur, Sprengisandur is an ancient pass - during the time of the Icelandic Free State (ca. 930–1265) it was one of the several important north–south routes that connected remote regions of the island to the Plains of the Parliament, Þingvellir, where the yearly parliament, Alþingi, was held each year at midsummer. In the sagas of Icelanders it is often called simply ''Sandr'' "Sand" or ''Sandleið'', "Sand trail". At its southern end, it was joined with another such route, Fjallabaksvegur nyrðri, running west from Landmannalaugar mountain hot springs area. Sprengisandur is only accessible during summer - like other parts of the inner desert, it is impassable in winter because of the snow, and in spring because of floods. While being the shortest way to the Alþingi for some Icelanders, for ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hveravellir
Hveravellir () is a geothermal field (high temperature field) of the Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull subglacial volcanic system in the north of Langjökull glacier. Description Hveravellir geothermal area is a small nature reserve and a tourist centre located in 600 m a.s.l. at the Kjölur mountain route between the glaciers Hofsjökull and Langjökull, Central Iceland. It is part of the Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull volcanic system. The place has been a popular resting place in highland travels since the age of settlement, 1100-1200 years ago. It is frequently mentioned in the old sagas, annals and folklore. Refuge huts have been situated there from the early beginning. The main geothermal activity is at the northern border of the large lava shield Kjalhraun . The main geothermal area covers around 2.5 km². The hot springs are of various types, geysers, fumaroles, solfataras, boiling pits and warm springs with lower temperatures. The currently active geysers only have sm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the polar regions, where little precipitation occurs, and which are sometimes called polar deserts or "cold deserts". Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location. Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night put strains on the rocks, which consequently break in pieces. Although rain seldom occurs in deserts, there are occasional downpours that can result in flash floods. Rain falling on hot rocks can cause them to shatter, and the resulting fragments and rubble strewn over t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northwestern Region (Iceland)
Northwestern Region ( is, Norðurland vestra ) is one of the traditional eight regions of Iceland The regions of Iceland are eight areas of Iceland that roughly follow the arrangement of parliamentary constituencies as they were between 1959 and 2003. These regions are not incorporated polities but rather recognized groupings of municipalitie ..., located in the north of the island. The largest town in the region is Sauðárkrókur, with a population of 3000. One of the primary attractions of the area is the basalt rock Hvítserkur, 15 meters high and resembles a dragon that throws its head to take a sip of water. References External links * {{iceland-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Region (Iceland)
Southern Region ( is, Suðurland , lit: ''Southern Land'') is a region of Iceland. The population of the region was 28,399 (1 January 2020). The largest town in the region is Selfoss, with a population of 6,000. See also * Regions of Iceland The regions of Iceland are eight areas of Iceland that roughly follow the arrangement of parliamentary constituencies as they were between 1959 and 2003. These regions are not incorporated polities but rather recognized groupings of municipalitie ... External links *Source {{iceland-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fjalla-Eyvindur
Fjalla-Eyvindur ( Icelandic for "Eyvindur of the Mountains"; 1714–1783) was an Icelandic outlaw. He and his wife Halla are reported to have fled into the remote highlands of Iceland after 1760. They lived in the wilderness for 20 years. A hot spring named Eyvindarhver is named after him. The Icelandic playwright Jóhann Sigurjónsson dramatised his life in 1911 as ''Fjalla-Eyvindur''. This play contains the lullaby "Sofðu unga ástin mín", still used by many Icelandic parents. In 1918, the play was made into the Swedish film ''The Outlaw and His Wife'', directed by Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in .... External linksHveravellir Outlaws Icelandic criminals 18th-century Icelandic people 1714 births 1783 deaths {{Iceland-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
