Don's Home Places Europe Iceland
Sights | Activities | Tours - Transportation: | Weather | History-About: | Geology:
Iceland, Reykjavik, Gullfoss, Stóri klakkur, Torfajökull, Skogafoss, Kerlingarfjöll, Thingvellir, Jökulsárlón, Vatnajökull, Torfajökull, Eyjafjallajokull, Myrdalsjokull, Reykjanes, Blue Lagoon, Krýsuvík, Seltún, Hekla, Eyjafjallajökull, Grímsvötn, Katl
Map at LonelyPlanet | Reykjavik | Iceland Map and Iceland Satellite Images | Relief Map
SW Iceland - Reykjavík area | Reykjanes Peninsula | Iceland Map -- National Geographic
Only volcaneos near Reykjavík, Iceland are shown. See geology below for others.

If you search for Klakkur (rock or cliff) you will find several different mountains. Small Klakkur (Litli klakkur), 54 m high, and Big Klakkur (Stóri klakkur), 72 m high, are part of the Dímonarklakkar islands which is part of the Breiðafjarðar islands, but I couldn't find them on a map. Another, 1115 m high, is in the Kerlingarfjöll area. Google maps finds the one on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Surtsey off the SW coast is the youngest island in the world, actually a volcano, emerging in an eruption lasting between 1963 and 1968. Only scientists are allowed to visit this island today.

Sights: Golden Circle - Thingvellir, Gullfoss & Geysir

gullfoss, Iceland Thingvellir (Þingvellir) - In 930 AD, while most of Europe was mired in feudalism and conflict, chieftains in Iceland gathered in a natural amphitheater to the north and west of Reykjavik and formed what is often referred to as the world's first parliament, the Althing. In Thingvellir, you can stand on a bluff and see the Mid-Atlantic ridge as it carves its way north and east into the island's interior.

gullfoss, IcelandGullfoss - "Golden Falls" with its 105-foot double-cascade into the churning Hvita glacial river

Geyser, IcelandGeysir - The English word geyser comes from Icelandic. It comes from a single geyser located in the South West of Iceland. Geysir only performs once or twice a year now, but Strokkur, right next to it spouts a 60-100 foot jet about once every five minutes.
   
Note: Look at  www.ReykjavikTaxi.is and check on the service there,
it was cheaper to go Golden circle with them than the bus companies.

Skogafoss - Waterfall 200 ft drop

Jökulsárlón Lagoon - A blue lagoon at the base of  Vatnajokull glacier filled with many icebergs. 
National Park Vatnajökull Iceland
Explore Vatnajökull National Park - Sierra Magazine 
Ingolfshofdi Nature Preserve - Pufin observing
  Ingólfshöfði |YouTube

Whale Watching: Elding Reykjavik, Iceland - Boat tour
  Whale Safari and Puffin Island Tour from Reykjavik- Lonely Planet
  Life of Whales - Reykjavik -TripAdvisor

 
 Islenski Hesturinn, The Icelandic Horse - Riding Tours
 
Fire, Ice, and Water: Iceland - Sierra Club Outings

 LonelyPlanet
 Royal Caribean
  Things to do in Iceland:  TripAdvisor

  Activities - Adventure:
Artic Adventures:
   Day trip, Adventure Combination and Activities from Reykjavik / Combo Trips
   River Rafting Adventure Tour on Hvítá River. Arctic Adventures
Iceland Glacier Adventure Tours From Skaftafell and Reykjavík / GlacierGuides.is
Iceland Tours - Iceland Hiking Tours - Iceland Adventure Tours | MountainGuides.is
We organize trips to Ingólfshöfði nature reserve and to Hvannadalshnúkur,
   Iceland's highest peak and glacier hiking and ice climbing trips.
Iceland Adventure Travel - National Geographic Adventure Magazine
Fimmvorduhals - Hiking trip | EveryTrail Between Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull glaciers. Map
  View new (2010) craters Magni and Móði of the Fimmvörðuháls volcano.

SouthWest Iceland
southwest island
(Note: Four towns including Selfoss merged to form Arborg.)

Reykjanes Peninsula
Reykjanes Peninsula, Keflavik International Airport, Iceland         Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Tours - Transportation:
Iceland has no public railways, although proposals to build a passenger line between Keflavík and Reykjavík have been made.
There is ferry service to several of the islands.

Air Keflavik International Airport is on the Reykjanes Peninsula South West of Reykjavik

Bus:
Bus Schedules In Iceland, Transportation In Iceland | Nordic Adventure Travel (NAT) Nordic Adventure Travel (NAT) - Bus schedule - Thingvellir geysir gullfoss
Reykjavík Excursions
Iceland travel deals | BusTravel.is
Transport in Iceland - Wikipedia
It is possible to sail to Iceland on the car-and-passenger ferry Norröna, operated by Smyril Line. The Norröna plies among the Faroes and Esbjerg in Denmark, Bergen in Norway, Scotland's Shetland Islands, and Seyðisfjörður on the east coast of Iceland.
See Boat & Ferry Travel | Fodor's
Icelandair operates regular direct flights—which take 5½ hours to the nearest destinations—to Boston, New York's JFK Airport, Baltimore, Orlando, and Minneapolis. It also flys to/from London's Heathrow Airport and Copenhagen.

About - History:
Celtic monks arrived sometime in the 8th Century A.D. According to traditional history, Ingolfur Arnarson was the first Norse settler on Iceland in 874 A.D.

Between 1262 and 1944 Iceland was a part of Norway then Denmark.

The U.S. replaced England as occupying Iceland in 1941, even though the U.S. had not entered World War II yet.

  • An American patrol aircraft called a PBY spotted the German Battleship Bismarck and gave its position to the Royal Navy, although the U.S. was not involved with World War II yet.
  • Because of acoustics Icelanders could hear the guns of the Bismarck and HMS Hood as they dueled more than 100 miles from where the action took place.
Iceland went from being one of the poorest nations in the world to one of the wealthiest in just 60 years. Achieving their independence allowed Iceland to develop their own economy. The Marshall Plan really helped them. Specifically in the last decade Iceland became very involved in financial services and investment banking. Although Iceland suffered a serious setback in 2008, their economy is growing again.

Rather than using family names – as is the custom in all mainland European and North and South American nations – Icelander use a bit of metronymic or metronymic names. People can choose their own last names, so if Johanna decided she wanted to be identified as Katrin’s daughter, she would be Johanna Katrinsdottir (Katrin’s daughter). So Icelanders are listed in the telephone book by their FIRST names!

Iceland’s recent ice age began in the 18th century. Because of the much colder conditions, this forced 15,000 Icelanders to settle in Canada, out of a population of 70,000.

Thanks to Joe Condrill, lecturer with Royal Caribbean cruise lines, for the information above.

Geology:
Iceland Geology
Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American Plate is moving away from the Eurasian plate at the rate of about 1 inch per year. See North Atlantic

General outlines of the plate boundary in Iceland. Reykjanes Ridge enters Iceland at the tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula (RP). The Hengill triple junction is located at the east end of RP, from where the Western Volcanic Zone (WVZ) extends to the north and the South Iceland Seismic Zone (SISZ) connects it with the Eastern Volcanic Zone (EVZ). EVZ extends north towards the centre of the Iceland mantle plume and the Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ) extends north of the plume centre. The plate boundary is characterized by en-echelon volcanic systems, in which the volcanic and tectonic activity takes place.

Geothermal Power:
Geothermal energy is the heat energy that occurs naturally in the earth. The energy is recovered from the heat of the earth's core. In nature, geothermal heat shows up in the form of volcanoes, hot springs and geysers.
In certain locations, it is concentrated and is close enough to surface waters to be brought to the surface for many different purposes. When it is above 150 degree Celsius, it is considered hot enough to be used to generate electricity and heat in Iceland.

The geothermal heat is mostly used to heat fresh water which, when hot, can be utilized directly for central heating. 89% of all the houses in Iceland are heated this way.
Five major geothermal power plants exist in Iceland, which produce approximately 26.2% (2010) of the nation's energy.
Apart from geothermal energy, 73.8% of the nation’s electricity is generated by hydro power, and 0.1% from fossil fuels.
See: Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Areas:
Seltún geothermal area, Krýsuvík - Wikipedia | Krísuvík Volcano facts & information | VolcanoDiscovery:

Volcanoes:
Iceland has about 130 volcanic mountains, of which 18 have erupted since the settlement of Iceland, circa 900 CE.
Four, Hekla, Eyjafjallajökull, Grímsvötn and Katla have erupted since 2000.
In 2011 the Grímsvötn eruption caused widespread European air travel disruption.
See:
Iceland volcano ash cloud: UK flight disruption continues - Telegraph

Surtsey off the SW coast which erupted between 1963 and 1968 created the youngest island in the world.

See:
Geology | waterfire.fas.is
Iceland volcano and earthquake blog
List of volcanoes in Iceland - Wikipedia
ScienceDirect.com - Journal of Geodynamics - The Reykjanes Ridge between 63°10′N and Iceland
Plate Tectonics

Postglacial eruptive history of the Western Volcanic Zone, Iceland
Iceland Volcanoes
Source: jonfr.com

Links:
Reykjavik
North Atlantic
List of volcanoes in Iceland - Wikipedia
Iceland Horse Riding Vacation Blue Lagoon Europe
Iceland Guide -- National Geographic
  Iceland's Heated Debate - Exploit a wealth of clean energy or keep their landscape pristine.
New earthquake swarms rattle volcanic glaciers in Iceland 
ScienceDirect.com - Journal of Geodynamics - Volcanism in Iceland in historical time: 
Transatlantic Cruise


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last updated 4 Oct 2012