Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of

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 ...

, around north of the capital

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

. The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942.

History

Akranes was settled in the 9th century by the brothers Þormóður and Ketill, sons of Bresi, who came from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The town started to form in the mid-17th century as a fishing village. In 1942, it was formally chartered, and in the following years it had the biggest surge in population in its history. Industry has been a big and growing employer: a cement plant has been operated in the town since the 1950s, and an

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...

plant has been in operation near the town since 1998.

Economy

The fishing industry remains the town's most important source of employment. Akranes also acts as a service center for the large rural region surrounding it. The town is expected to grow in the coming years because of an increase in industrial activity and improvements in transportation to the

area. The

Hvalfjörður Tunnel The Hvalfjörður Tunnel ( is, Hvalfjarðargöng ) is a road tunnel under the Hvalfjörður fjord in Iceland and a part of Route 1. It is long and reaches a depth of below sea level. Opened on 11 July 1998, it shortens the distance from Reykjav ...

, opened in 1998, is one of the world's longest underwater road

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

Notable people

Akranes was the birthplace of the Atom poet

Jón Óskar Jón Óskar Ásmundsson (18 July 1921, in Akranes – 20 October 1998, in Reykjavík) was an Icelandic poet born in Akranes Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around north of the capital Reykjavík. The ...

and footballers

Ríkharður Jónsson Ríkharður Jónsson (12 November 1929 – 14 February 2017) was an Icelandic football player and manager. He made his debut for the Icelandic national team in 1947, and got 33 caps and 17 goals until 1965. This made him top goalscorer of th ...

and

Arnór Sigurðsson Arnór Sigurðsson (born 15 May 1999) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Swedish club IFK Norrköping on loan from the Russian club PFC CSKA Moscow. He represents the Iceland national team. Club ca ...

Sport

Akranes has a strong

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

tradition. The local team,

Íþróttabandalag Akraness Íþróttabandalag Akraness (abbreviated ÍA), is an Icelandic sports club founded in 1946 and based in the town of Akranes, west Iceland. Among the main sports its members can practice are basketball, football, golf, horsemanship, gymnastics, v ...

(ÍA), which currently plays in the Úrvalsdeild karla, has for many years been among the best of the

Icelandic football league system The Icelandic football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Iceland. a fifth level was added to the previous men's format of four levels. there are 79 participating men's teams and 27 women's teams in the footb ...

, who was born in the town, is often considered to be one of Iceland's finest footballers. He both played for and managed ÍA. Former

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

midfielder

Siggi Jónsson In the Völsung cycle, Sigi is the ancestor of the Völsunga saga, Völsung lineage. In the ''Völsunga saga'', he is said to be one of the sons of Odin. He is also listed among Odin's sons in the ''Nafnaþulur''. He has a son called Rerir. He w ...

was also born in Akranes and had three seasons as a player with ÍA. The town is also home to second division club

Knattspyrnufélagið Kári Knattspyrnufélagið Kári, commonly known as Kári, is an Icelandic football club from the town of Akranes Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around north of the capital Reykjavík. The area where Akr ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Akranes is twinned with: *

Bamble Bamble is a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund. General information Name The Old Norse form of the name ...

, Norway *

Närpes Närpes (; fi, Närpiö ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and Municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located in Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia (region), Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, region. T ...

, Finland *

Qaqortoq Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq municipalities of Greenland, municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town and the municipal capital in ...

, Greenland *

Sørvágur :''There is also a town called Vágur on Suðuroy.'' Sørvágur ( da, Sørvåg) is a village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands. It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður. Sørvágur is the largest village in Sørvágur ...

, Faroe Islands *

Tønder Tønder (; german: Tondern ) is a town in the Region of Southern Denmark. With a population of 7,505 (as of 1 January 2022), it is the main town and the administrative seat of the Tønder Municipality. History The first mention of Tønder might ...

, Denmark *

Västervik Västervik is a city status in Sweden, city and the seat of Västervik Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden, with 36,747 inhabitants in 2021. Västervik is one of three coastal towns with a notable population size in the province of Småland. Cl ...

, Sweden

Gallery

Puerto de Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 005.JPG, Akranes harbour Montaña volcánica Akrafjall, Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 003.JPG, Akrafjall, located nearby Balas de paja, Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 019.JPG, Straw bales near Akranes Antiguo faro de Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 008.JPG, Old lighthouse of Akranes Faros de Akranes, Vesturland, Islandia, 2014-08-14, DD 017.JPG, New lighthouse of Akranes

References

External links

* Populated places established in the 9th century {{Iceland-geo-stub