Hornstrandir () is

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 ...

's northernmost peninsula, covering at the northern end of the

Westfjords The Westfjords or West Fjords (, ) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative region, the least populous in the country. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of I ...

, to the north of the

Jökulfirðir The ''Jökulfirðir'' (, "glacier fjords") form a system of five fjords in Westfjords, Iceland, situated north of Ísafjarðardjúp and south of the Hornstrandir peninsula. They are named for '' Drangajökull'', a glacier situated to the south ...

and to the northwest of Drangajökull glacier.

Ecosystem

The area covers of

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

and alpine land with rich but fragile vegetation, and protected as Hornstrandir Nature Reserve since 1975, under some of the strictest preservation rules in Iceland. The area's nature thrived as very few people resided there. In the 1950s, the handful of its residents who were based on agricultural livelihood left. However, decades later, some of their descendants returned and rebuilt their old houses, and much of the land is privately owned.

, meaning Glacier Fjords, is the formation of five fjords and bays, four of which consist the entire southern land and most twisted coastline of Hornstrandir while the fifth (Leirufjörður) lies just south of the peninsula. From west to east, the four fjords consisting the south shore are Hesteyrarfjörður, Veiðileysufjörður, Lónafjörður, and Hrafnsfjörður, with the last forming the southwestern tip separating Hornstrandir from the rest of the Westfjords.

Tourism

Hornstrandir attracts both half-day visitors and hikers, and has three main attractions. One attraction is the bird cliffs surrounding the bay of Hornvík, reaching a height of more than 500 metres on the bay's eastern side and described as "a magnet of gigantic proportions" for teeming of birds. Second, what is described as an "unmatched pure and tranquil nature" and "strong sense of remoteness" for lack of infrastructure and few tourists in relation to the "sheer size" of the area; and that people can hike for days without seeing any other person. The third, which stems from the previous two, along with hunting-ban, is the land being a haven for the

Arctic fox The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Tundra#Arctic tundra, Arctic tundra biome. I ...

, with a description of high probability to spot one.

Gallery

Hornstrandir - Iceland - 2017 (36590305800).jpg Hornstrandir - Iceland - 2017 (36179154843).jpg Hornstrandir - Iceland - 2017 (36179159543).jpg Hornstrandir - Iceland - 2017 (36179258593).jpg

References

External links

{{Authority control Peninsulas of Iceland Westfjords