Sauðárkrókur () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
on the
Skagafjörður
Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland.
Location
Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi, Skagi Peninsula to the west. Ther ...
in northern
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 ...
. It is the seat of both the
Sveitarfélagið Skagafjörður ('Municipality of Skagafjörður') and the
Northwestern Region.
Sauðárkrókur is the largest town in Northwest Iceland and the second-largest town on the north coast of Iceland, with a population of 2,612. It is the centre for commerce and services in the district, and an important link in Iceland's food production. The population of Sauðárkrókur has grown steadily in recent years, and its economy is relatively diverse.
Economic mainstays are fisheries, dairy production, light industry and broad-based services such as computer and engineering operations, financials, consulting, design and printing. The natural hot pool located north of Sauðárkrókur is mentioned in the ''
Grettis saga''.
Etymology
Sauðárkrókur got its name from the creek that runs through the land. The creek is named
Sauðá, and the name Sauðárkrókur indicates that this is the coast where Sauðá meets the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...
. Directly translated to English, the name would be 'Sheep-river-hook'.
History
First settlements
Iceland was settled in the late 9th century, mostly by Scandinavian
Vikings
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
. The Skagafjörður region had many settlers, who divided the land according to commonly acknowledged rules. The land where Sauðárkrókur stands was first taken by the Viking Sæmundr Suðureyski ("Sæmundur from the South Islands". 'South Islands' is the name Vikings gave the
Hebrides
The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...
islands off the coast of Scotland), but as he was marking his land another Viking, called Skefill, successfully "stole" the land where the oldest part of the town is today. These settlers did not build their homes at Sauðárkrókur, and the current site of the town was not settled until about 1,000 years later.
Market and merchants
Docking ships in Skagafjörður was not an easy task for sailors and merchants. Few natural harbors are to be found, especially on the west coast of the fjord, and most merchants docked at the trading posts of
Hofsós,
Grafarós and
Kolkuós on the east coast of the fjord. During the Danish monopoly (1602–1787) Hofsós was the only permitted trading post in Skagafjörður. At that time the river
Héraðsvötn was a huge obstacle for those living on the west side of the fjord, and many people died crossing the river to reach the market. As the population on the west side of the valley grew, so did the need for an accessible market place; and several times privateers tried their luck by illegally trading from their ships by the shore of Sauðárkrókur. In 1856 Sauðárkrókur became a permitted trading post, and merchants were allowed to trade from their ships.
The first inhabitants
In 1871 the first real settlement at Sauðárkrókur took place. The blacksmith Árni Árnason, with his wife Sigríður Eggertsdóttir and several children, settled there to provide blacksmith services to the growing farming community in this prosperous region. The couple also decided to sell drinks and overnight services; this part of the business grew fast and earned Árni a new nickname, "Árni Vert" or "innkeeper Árni". In 1873 the first merchant settled in Sauðárkrókur. The shopkeeper Erlendur Hallsson built the second house here, trading from his living room. By 1900 around 400 inhabitants lived here, and the settlement was evolving into a fully formed village with a hospital, school and church.
Climate
Sauðárkrókur has a mild
subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Dfc'') bordering on a
tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...
(''ET''). Average temperature year round in Sauðárkrókur is about , with an average low temperature of around in the coldest months of the year (January–February).
Being located in the North Atlantic, the region is quite windy. However severe storms are unusual. Average wind speed in the town of Sauðárkrókur is 6.7 m/s. with wind directions from North and South to South-west. The average annual precipitation is about 460 mm (20 inches) distributed fairly evenly over the year, although spring and early summer seems to be the driest season.
Sauðárkrókur experiences
midnight sun
Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...
for 4 to 5 days around the time of the
summer solstice
The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...
. This is due to
atmospheric refraction
Atmospheric refraction is the deviation of light or other electromagnetic wave from a straight line as it passes through the atmosphere due to the variation in air density as a function of height. This refraction is due to the velocity of light ...
since the town lies just south of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circl ...
. Although Sauðárkrókur doesn't experience polar night, the shortest length of daylight is 3 hours 1 minute, from 11:46
UTC until 14:47
UTC on the
winter solstice
The winter solstice, or hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's geographical pole, poles reaches its maximum axial tilt, tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern Hemisphere, Northern and So ...
.
Transport
The town and neighbouring area is served by
Sauðárkrókur Airport
Sauðárkrókur Airport is an airport serving Sauðárkrókur, a village on the Skagafjörður bay in northern Iceland.
The Hegranes non-directional beacon (Ident: HE) is 1.8 nautical miles northeast of the airport.
Airlines and destinations
Wi ...
, although it does not have scheduled flights. The nearest airport with scheduled flights is
Akureyri Airport, about away by road. The town is connected to the
Route 1 via
Varmahlíð through route 75 or alternatively via
Blönduós through routes 744 and 74 (when road conditions are suitable).
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...
is about away by road.
Sports
The town has a stadium, the
Sauðárkróksvöllur, built in 2004.
The local sports club is
UMF Tindastóll.
Notable people
*
Sigurlaugur Elíasson (1957-) - painter and poet
*
Eyjólfur Sverrisson (1968-) - national football team player and manager
*
Ásgeir Ægisson (2001-) - musician, stage name Ouse
*
Erla Þorsteinsdóttir (1933-2022) - singer
*
Vilhjálmur Árnason (1983-) - politician
References
External links
The official webpage for the municipality of SkagafjörðurSauðárkrókur Local informationTourist webpage for the destination SkagafjörðurInformation for investors and industries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saudarkrokur
Populated places in Northwestern Region (Iceland)
Skagafjörður