Húsavík is a town in
NorðurþingNorðurþing is a municipality located in northern Iceland., it had a population of 2,905 and covered . The biggest town in the municipality is Húsavík, with a population of approximately 2,200 inhabitants. Other settlements include Kópasker and Raufarhöfn....
municipality on the north coast of
IcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
on the shores of
SkjálfandiSkjálfandi, geologically more a bay than a fjord, is located in the North of Iceland. The word Skjálfandi literally translates to "trembling" which might refer to earthquakes which do occur quite frequently...
bay with 2,237 inhabitants.
Overview
The income of the inhabitants is derived from
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and
fishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, as well as retail and small industry. Until recently, Húsavík was the export harbour for silica was extracted from the nearby lake,
MývatnMývatn is a shallow eutrophic lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from Krafla volcano. The lake and its surrounding wetlands have an exceptionally rich fauna of waterbirds, especially ducks...
.
The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church, built in 1907.
According to the
LandnámabókLandnámabók , often shortened to Landnáma, is a medieval Icelandic written work describing in considerable detail the settlement of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries AD.-Landnáma:...
("Book of Settlement"), Húsavík was the first place in Iceland to be settled by Norsemen. But the Swedish
VikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
Garðar SvavarssonGarðarr Svavarsson was a Swedish man who is considered by many to be the first Scandinavian to live in Iceland, although only for one winter....
stayed there for one winter around 870 A.D. The name of the town means "bay of houses": probably referring to Garðar's homestead, on which have been the only houses then in Iceland.
Húsavík is served by
Húsavík AirportHúsavík Airport or Husavik Airport is an airport serving Húsavík, Iceland....
.
Tourism
Húsavík has become a centre of
whale watchingWhale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
in
IcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
due to
whaleWhale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s of different species that frequently enter the bay. The
Húsavík Whale MuseumThe Húsavík Whale Museum is a non-profit organization established in 1997. The Húsavík Whale Museum is situated in Húsavík, a small town in north east Iceland, on the shores of Skjálfandi Bay, just below the Arctic Circle at 66° N....
is located in the town. It is also home to the
Icelandic Phallological MuseumThe Icelandic Phallological Museum in Húsavík, Iceland houses the world's largest collection of penises and penile parts. By July 2011, it had 276 penises taken from 46 species, including Homo sapiens...
, which contains penis specimens from every mammal that lives in Iceland, including a 67-inch
sperm whaleThe sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
penis, and a donated human penis.
The region of
MývatnMývatn is a shallow eutrophic lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from Krafla volcano. The lake and its surrounding wetlands have an exceptionally rich fauna of waterbirds, especially ducks...
, with its interesting
geologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and diverse animal life, is nearby.
Jökulsárgljúfur National ParkJökulsárgljúfur National Park was a national park, situated in the north of Iceland around the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum. It lay to the north of the Dettifoss waterfall. On 7 June 2008, it became a part of the larger Vatnajökull National Park....
with the horseshoe shaped canyon
Ásbyrgithumb|right|200px|The rock "island" in the centre of Ásbyrgi canyonÁsbyrgi canyon lies in the north of Iceland, about two hours' drive to the east from Akureyri. The horseshoe-shaped depression is part of the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park and measures approximately 3.5 km in length and 1.1 km across...
and the waterfalls
DettifossDettifoss is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe.It is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The falls are 100...
,
HafragilsfossHafragilsfoss is a waterfall in Iceland.The waterfall flows downstream from Dettifoss within the depths of the Jökulságljúfur canyon. This waterfall is also on the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, making it a powerful waterfall...
and
SelfossSelfoss is a waterfall in the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum in the north of Iceland which drops over some waterfalls about 30 km before flowing into Öxarfjörður, a bay of the Arctic Sea....
is also not far from the town.
Sports
ÍF VölsungurÍþróttafélagið Völsungur is an Icelandic football club from the town of Húsavík located on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay.-History:*1927 : Foundation of clubThey last played in Iceland's top tier in the 1988 season....
is the local football club, they last played in Iceland's top tier in the 1988 season.
Twin towns — Sister cities
KarlskogaKarlskoga is a locality and the seat of Karlskoga Municipality in Örebro County, Sweden with 27,500 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:It is located at the northern shore of lake Möckeln, and the small settlement was initially called Möckelns bodar...
, SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Fredrikstadis a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
, NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
RiihimäkiRiihimäki is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. It is somewhat of a railway junction, since the railway tracks going from different parts of the nation to Helsinki merge there. Sako, Ltd...
, FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Aalborg-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
, DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
QeqertarsuaqQeqertarsuaq is a port and a town in Qaasuitsup municipality, located on the south coast of Qeqertarsuaq Island, an island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, it is home to a campus of the University of Copenhagen...
, GreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
FuglafjørðurFuglafjørður is a village on Eysturoy's east coast in the Faroe Islands. Its name means "fjord of birds".* Population: 1562* Location: * Postal code : FO 530* Municipality: Fuglafjardar* Football team: ÍF Fuglafjørður...
, Faroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
Eastport, MaineEastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
, USA |
External links