Dalvík () is the main village of the
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 ...
ic municipality of
Dalvíkurbyggð. Its population is approximately 1,400.
[Hagstofa Íslands](_blank)
''Statistics Iceland'' Website
The town's name means "
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
."
Geography
Dalvík is on the western shore of
Eyjafjörður
Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri.
Physical geography
The fjord is ...
in the valley of
Svarfaðardalur.
Transportation
Dalvík
harbor
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
is a regional commercial
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...
for import and fishing. The
ferry Sæfari, which sails from Dalvík, serves the island of
Grímsey
Grímsey () is a small Icelandic island, off the north coast of the main island of Iceland, straddling the Arctic Circle. In January 2018 Grímsey had 61 inhabitants.
Before 2009, Grimsey constituted the ''hreppur'' (municipality) of Grí ...
, Iceland's northernmost community, which lies on the
Arctic Circle.
Culture
The annual
Fiskidagurinn mikli Fiskidagurinn mikli (, "The Great Fish Day") is an annual festival held in Dalvík, 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 ...
is held the Saturday after the first Monday of August, attended by up to 30,000 people who enjoy a free fish buffet sponsored by the local fishing industry.
[The Great Fish Day](_blank)
, ''Iceland Review article''.
Dalvík has had four representatives at the Eurovision song contest for Iceland, despite its small size.
Sports
In sports, Dalvík is probably most known for
alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...
.
Böggvisstaðafjall is one of the best known ski areas in Iceland. The town has produced a series of skiers who have represented Iceland in the Olympics, World Cups, World Championships, and European Cups, as well as other international and national competitions. Amongst these have been
Daníel Hilmarsson
Daníel Hilmarsson (born 8 February 1964) was an Icelandic alpine skier. He competed in three events at the 1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ...
,
Sveinn Brynjólfsson
Sveinn Brynjólfsson (born 27 July 1975) is an Icelandic alpine skier. He competed in the men's slalom at the 1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), ...
and
Björgvin Björgvinsson
Björgvin Björgvinsson (born 11 January 1980, in Dalvík) is an Icelandic alpine skier who competed for Iceland at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He speaks Icelandic and German. He also competed for Iceland at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Iceland part ...
.
Football teams from the village have had their ups and downs but have managed to produce some nationally known players; the most recognized one is former
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
and
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
forward
Heiðar Helguson.
Hamar golf club
Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lak ...
has a 9-hole course, a short drive outside Dalvík.
Economy
The local
economy
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with t ...
is based upon
fisheries and
fish processing
The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...
.
Dalvík is also a tourist destination for boat trips in
whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 20 ...
and
heli skiing
Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift.
History
In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The i ...
.
Other information
The
Dalvik process virtual machine in the
Android operating system
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of deve ...
was named after this village.
Journal entry
referencing the source of the name While the Dalvik virtual machine has been discontinued, replaced by Android Runtime in current versions of Android, .dex
(''Dalvik EXecutable'') and .odex
(''Optimized Dalvik EXecutable'') files are still used, so the Dalvik bytecode is still used for all Android apps.
References
External links
Dalvíkurbyggð municipality
Fiskidagur official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalvik
Populated places in Northeastern Region (Iceland)