Westfjords
| Vestfirðir |
| The Vestfirðir area |
| Country |
Iceland |
| Seat |
Ísafjörður |
| Area |
| • Total |
22,271 km2 (8,598.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) |
| • Total |
7,300 |
| • Density |
0.3/km2 (0.8/sq mi) |
The Westfjords or West Fjords (Icelandic: Vestfirðir, ISO 3166-2:IS: IS-4) is the name for the large peninsula in northwestern Iceland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a 7 km wide isthmus between Gilsfjörður and Bitrufjörður. The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads circuitous and communications difficult. 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.
The lack of flat lowlands in the area makes it unsuitable for agriculture, but 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: the total population in 2007 was 7,380. The capital and by far the largest town is Ísafjörður (pop. ~ 4000).
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% |
Main settlements in the Westfjords
See also
External links