Vestfirðir
The Vestfirðir area
The Vestfirðir area
CountryIceland
SeatÍsafjörður
Area
 • Total22,271 km2 (8,599 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total7,115
 • Density0.3/km2 (0.8/sq mi)
A map of the Westfjords

The Westfjords or West Fjords (Icelandic: Vestfirðir, Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈvɛstˌfɪrðɪr̥] ⓘ, ISO 3166-2:IS: IS-4) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative district, the least populous administrative district. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a seven-kilometre-wide isthmus between Gilsfjörður [ˈcɪlsˌfjœrðʏr̥] and Bitrufjörður [ˈpɪːtrʏˌfjœrðʏr̥]. The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads very circuitous and communications by land difficult. In addition many of the roads are closed by ice and snow for several months of the year. The Vestfjarðagöng road tunnel from 1996 has improved that situation. The cliffs at Látrabjarg comprise the longest bird cliff in the northern Atlantic Ocean and are at the westernmost point in Iceland. The Drangajökull glacier is located in the north of the peninsula and is the fifth-largest of the country, but the only glacier of the region. Westfjords is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.[1]

Population

The lack of flat lowlands in the area limits the potential for agriculture, which is mostly restricted to low-intensity sheep grazing near the fjords. Good natural harbors in many of the fjords and their proximity to fishing areas are vital for the local economy. The Westfjords are very sparsely populated, even by Icelandic standards: the total population in 2020 was 7,115. The district capital and by far the largest settlement is Ísafjörður (population around 4,000).

Population decline
year population  % of Iceland's population
1920 13,443 14.24%
1930 13,133 12.09%
1940 13,130 10.80%
1950 11,300 7.83%
1960 10,507 5.86%
1970 10,050 4.91%
1980 10,479 4.53%
1990 9,798 3.80%
2000 8,150 2.86%
2007 7,309 2.32%
2020 7,115 1.95%

Main settlements in the Westfjords

Climate

The box is for Goltur [ˈkɔl̥tʏr̥], at the tip of the peninsula 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Ísafjörður. Westfjords is generally the coldest area at sea level in Iceland, because of the East Greenland Current.

Climate data for Goltur
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10
(50)		 10
(50)		 11
(52)		 11
(52)		 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 19
(66)		 18
(64)		 15
(59)		 15
(59)		 13
(55)		 11
(52)		 19
(66)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 1
(33)		 2
(35)		 3
(37)		 4
(40)		 7
(44)		 9
(49)		 11
(51)		 11
(51)		 7
(45)		 5
(41)		 4
(40)		 2
(35)		 6
(42)
Daily mean °C (°F) −2
(29)		 0
(32)		 1
(33)		 2
(36)		 4
(40)		 7
(45)		 8
(47)		 8
(47)		 6
(42)		 3
(38)		 3
(37)		 0
(32)		 3
(38)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3
(26)		 −2
(29)		 −1
(30)		 1
(33)		 2
(36)		 5
(41)		 7
(44)		 7
(44)		 4
(40)		 2
(35)		 1
(34)		 −1
(30)		 2
(35)
Record low °C (°F) −11
(12)		 −10
(14)		 −13
(9)		 −7
(19)		 −4
(25)		 −2
(28)		 2
(36)		 1
(34)		 −3
(27)		 −5
(23)		 −9
(16)		 −9
(16)		 −13
(9)
Average relative humidity (%) 75 77 76 79 77 82 83 81 82 79 80 78 79
Mean daily sunshine hours 6 9.2 12.7 16.6 20.7 23.4 21.5 18.1 13.9 10.3 6.9 4.6 13.7
Source: Weatherbase[2]

Law

In 1615, 32 shipwrecked Basque whalers were killed by locals, after which the magistrate made it law that any Basque person seen in the region should be instantly killed. This law was repealed in May 2015.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Westfjords, Visit. "The Westfjords now EarthCheck Certified". Visit Westfjords. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  2. ↑ "Weatherbase: WEATHER AVERAGES SUMMARY for Goltur, Iceland". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on June 1, 2013.
  3. ↑ Tharoor, Ishaan (28 May 2015). "Iceland revokes 400-year-old legal right in Westfjords district to kill Basques on sight". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Westfjords.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vestfirðir.

65°44′15″N 22°10′14″W / 65.73750°N 22.17056°W / 65.73750; -22.17056

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