Westfjords
administrative district and large peninsula in northwestern Iceland
The Westfjords or West Fjords (Icelandic: Vestfirðir) is the name of a large peninsula and region in northern Iceland. It is next to the Denmark Strait and faces the east coast of Greenland. The Westfjords have a lot of mountains and fjords around the coast. Because of this, the road system is complex and communicating by land is difficult.
The largest settlement is Ísafjörður, with a population of 4,000 people.
Because of the East Greenland Current, the Westfjords are generally the coldest area in Iceland.
In 1615, 32 shipwrecked Basque whalers were killed by locals. This caused the government to pass a law allowing the murder of any Basque person seen in the Westfjords. This law was ended in May 2015.[1]
Settlements change
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- Scenery of the Westfjords
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File:Iceland2008-Latrabjarg.cliff.JPG -
File:Hvitanes, Vestfirðir, Islandia, 2014-08-15, DD 073.JPG
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References change
- ↑ 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.