Iceland Portal

Grundarfjörður Grundarfjörður, a picturesque village right in the middle of the Snaefellsnes peninsula. Grundarfjörður is that kind of place that you wished you lived in. Nice and cozy houses, clean streets and  [ ... ] + Full Story	Snæfellsjökull national park Snæfellsjökull National Park situated on the Snæfellsness peninsula. The park was established on June 28, 2001 and its proximity to Reykjavik (approx. 2 hours drive) makes it one of the most visite [ ... ] + Full Story	Akranes Akranes is seaport town of 6,549 people (July 1 2008 est.) on the west coast of Iceland. The town started to form in the 19th century as a fishing village, and in 1942, it was formally chartered and  [ ... ] + Full Story
Ólafsvík Ólafsvík is a fishing town in the west part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, in the region of Vesturland. The town approx. 1,100 inhabitant. Ólafsvík is the main town of the Snæfellsbaer municipal [ ... ] + Full Story	Snæfellsnes The Snæfellsnes peninsula is situated to the west of Borgarfjörður in the west of Iceland. It has been named Iceland in Miniature, as many national sights can be found in the area, including the Sn [ ... ] + Full Story

The West Iceland region stretches from Hvalfjordur in the south to Gilsfjordur in the north. The eastern border reaches inland as far as the Langjokull glacier and the western extreme is the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The main towns in the region are Akranes, Borgarnes. Stykkisholmur, Olafsvik and Grundarfjordur. A range of rugged mountains forms the backbone of the Snæfellsnes penisula with several prominent mountains culminating in the magnificent snowcovered cone of Snæfellsjokull.

The geological structure of Snæfellsnes is unusually varied, with basalt, gabbro, granofir, rhyolite, volcanic tuff and various forms of lava from serveral different periods. A volcanic belt lies under the mountain range, but no erupiions have occurred in modern times. Only one lava flow in the region is thought to have run since the settlement, in Hnappadalur in the 10th century. Older lave flows are evident in many places, especially around the glaciers, some of them reaching down into the valleys below. One of the largest areas of lave is in the valley of Nordurardalur, emitted from the Grabrokar craters. Although a long time has passed since volcanic activity affected the region, there is geothermal heat in many areas. Many placce names reflect the presence of hot or warm water, such as Laugar (warm or hot springs), Varmaland, and names beginning with Reyk-, referring to the steam (although the word actually means smoke). There are more apas in West Iceland than in any other region; good examples can be found at Raudimelur and Stadarsveit. There are vast numbers of lakes and mountains tarns, most in the areas of Arnarvatnsheidi and Myrar. Almost all of them contain good stocks of trout. Some of the countrys bestknown and most fruitful salmon rivers are in West Iceland: the Rivers Hvita, Nordura and Thvera in Borgarfjordur, Haffjardara and Laxa í Dolum. West Iceland has been one of the most intensely farmed areas in the country since the days of the settlement despite having large areas of lava and rugged mountains. Areas of woodland add variety to the landscape. Undulating heaths provide good grazing around the lave fields.

Of the many high mountains in West Iceland, Snæfellsjokull Glacier is the best known and the highest. The glacier caps a volcanic cone with a 200m deep summit crater rimmed with cliffs of ice. The colcano has not erupted for several hundred years. Baula is a prominent, conical mountain of rhyolite, clearly visible from many parts of the region. The countrys second largest glacier, Langjokull, lies on West Icelands eastern border, coverint 950 km2 and reaching a height of 1,355m. Thorisjokull and Eiríksjokull are two smaller glaciers west of Langjokull. Two large bays lie to the noteh and south of Snæfellsnes, Faxafloi and Breidafjordur respectively. Several fjords cut into the coastline including Hvalfjordur, Borgarfjordur and Hvammsfjordur. There are many islands in Breidafjordur, and some of them for instance Brokey, Hrappsey and Akureyjar, were once inhabited. There are also many islands and reefs off the coast near Myrar, such as Hjorsey and Hafursey. The West Iceland landscape is uniquely varied and good ecamples of the distinctive geology can be found in the volcanic mountains, on the rolling heaths and arable lowlands, or along the rugged coastline.