Kópasker () is a small

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

with approximately 120 inhabitants in the municipality of

Norðurþing Norðurþing () is a municipality located in northern Iceland. Norðurþing was formed in 2006 when the municipalities of Húsavík, Öxarfjörður, Raufarhöfn, and Kelduneshreppur were merged after special elections in January 2006 and the regi ...

, situated on the eastern shore of

Öxarfjörður Öxarfjörður () is a broad fjord in northeastern Iceland, situated between the Tjörnes and Melrakkaslétta headlands. Geography Öxarfjörður is encircled by mountain ranges to the west and east, and the Gjástykki lava fields and an area ...

in northeast

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 ...

. Kópasker (church 1).jpg, Church of Kópasker: ''Snartarstaðarkirkja'' KópaskerGeneralView.jpg, General view

Overview

The first residential house in Kópasker, Bakki, was built in 1912 by Árni Ingimundarson. Bakki burned down in 1988. Kópasker grew around the operation of the

Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

, providing services to local agriculture and fisheries. Meat-processing is the biggest industry in Kópasker, represented by the slaughterhouse and lamb-processing factory, Fjallalamb. The District Museum is located at the church site Snartarstaðir by Kópasker. In the village there is also an exhibition at the Kópasker Earthquake Center describing the big earthquake of 1976 that measured 6.3 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

and destroyed several houses and other structures in the area. ''Snartarstaðarkirkja'' is a Protestant stone church which seats about 90 persons. It was inaugurated on 5 March 1929 after the old church of Kópasker had been torn down. The church remained undamaged by the earthquake of 1976. The cross at the top of the tower was added in 1979 on the occasion of the 50th jubilee of the inauguration.http://kirkjukort.net/kirkjur/snartarstadakirkja_0384.html In Kópasker there is a shop, garage, health care centre, school, bank, campsite and guesthouses. North of Kópasker is the peninsula Melrakkaslétta, with its abundant birdlife, and also the northernmost point of mainland Iceland, Hraunhafnartangi. The village has its own airport, Kópasker Airport, located approximately a kilometre north of the town.

References

External links

Norðurþing (official website): Kópasker

Visit North-East Iceland (official travel guide): Öxarfjörður and Melrakkasletta

North Iceland (official travel guide): Kópasker

Travelnet: Kópasker

Fjallalamb

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kopasker Populated places in Northeastern Region (Iceland)