Flatey () is an island of the western islands, a cluster of about forty large and small islands and islets located in

Breiðafjörður Breiðafjörður (, ''wide fjord'') is a large shallow bay, about wide and long, to the west of Iceland. It separates the region of the Westfjords (Vestfirðir) from the Snæfellsnes peninsula to the south. Breiðafjörður is encircled by mo ...

on the northwestern part of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. Flatey and its surrounding islands are, as a creation, believed to have forged from under the weight of a great glacier during the previous

Ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

. In terms of size, Flatey is some two kilometers long and about one kilometer wide, of which most is flat land (hence its name, meaning "flat island" in Icelandic), with scarcely any hills to be found.

Population

The island has a seasonal habitation; most houses there are occupied only during summer. In winter, the island's total population is five people. In spite of this, Flatey used to be one of the main cultural centres of Iceland, with its no-longer existing

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

(founded in 1172) standing on the highest point of the island as its beacon of knowledge. In the middle of the 19th century, Flatey was still a cultural and artistic centre but doubled as a hub of commerce for the northwest, having received its town charter from the Danish crown in 1777. From 1777 and on until around the latter part of the last century, Flatey enjoyed a healthy growth of its population and was for a long time, relative to size, massively populated. Due to social change and changes of production and ensuing change of values and demands in the work place, its steady population has dwindled down to the minimum needed to support the community on a regular basis, a community which, during summer and holidays, multiplies in size due to a massive influx of second home owners, regular domestic visitors and foreign tourists.

Geography

The island has only a single road, which leads from the

ferry dock A ferry slip is a specialized docking facility that receives a ferryboat or train ferry. A similar structure called a barge slip receives a barge or car float that is used to carry wheeled vehicles across a body of water. Often a ferry intended ...

to the so-called "old village", which consists of some restored and traditionally-painted old houses of the island's original inhabitants. There is also the old harbour, from where besides visitors and inhabitants travelling to and fro, the island's

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

are taken over to the mainland for slaughter. Besides sheep, most of Flatey's natural life consists of various kinds of mostly migratory birds, especially the

puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

. Flatey also has a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

, built in 1926. The church's interior is painted with scenes of the island life, made by a Spanish painter, , in the 1960s in return for free accommodation when he was visiting the island. The island also inhabits the oldest and smallest library in Iceland, established in 1864. This

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

was once home to the '' Flatey Book'', the largest of medieval Icelandic manuscripts.

References

* Þorsteinn Jósepsson, Steindór Steindórsson og Páll Líndal: Landið þitt Ísland, A-G, Örn og Örlygur, 1982. * Björn Hróarsson: Á ferð um landið, Borgarfjörður og Mýrar, Mál og menning, 1994.

Footnotes

External links

Flatey information

Flatey information on the Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flatey, Breidafjordur Western Region (Iceland) Populated places in Iceland Islands of Iceland

Population

Geography

See also

References

Footnotes

External links