Norðurþing

66.047222222222 - 17.346111111111Koordinaten: 66 ° 3 ' N, 17 ° 21' W

The municipality is located in northeastern Norðurþing Islands in the region Norðurland eystra. On 1 January 2009 the municipality had 3001 inhabitants.

Geography

In the north of the municipal territory and the places Kópasker Raufarhöfn lie on the 30 km wide and 40 km long peninsula Melrakkaslétta (Eng. "level of arctic foxes "), which projects into the North Atlantic in the east of Öxarfjörður. With the Hraunhafnartangi one finds the northernmost lighthouse in Iceland. The west of the municipality is on the Bay Skjálfandi.

The community Tjörnes, which borders the municipality of Norðurþing in the northwest, is surrounded by it and from the Atlantic. Norðurþing bordered to the west by Þingeyjarsveit, to the east by Svalbarð and at one point in Langanesbyggð, on the southeast by Vopnafjörður and on the south by Fljótsdalshérað; in the southwest is the town Skútustaðir.

Climate

According to its northern coast location Norðurþing has a maritime - polar air. The mean temperature of the coldest month (January, February ) is about -2 ° C. In July, an average temperature of 9 ° C is reached. The annual average temperature is 3 ° C. The absolute temperature extremes lie at -19.2 ° C (1901) and 26.9 ° C ( 2006). The annual total precipitation is about 620 mm. The annual sum of sunshine duration is 1,000 hours.

History

Norðurþing was created by the merger of the borough Húsavík ( Isl Húsavíkurbær ) with the villages Keldunes ( Kelduneshreppur ) Öxarfjörður ( Öxarfjarðarhreppur ) and Raufarhöfn ( Raufarhafnarhreppur ) in June 2006. The alternative name suggestions Norðausturbyggð and Gljúfrabyggð could not enforce the electorate.

Places in the municipality

The largest town of the municipality is on the Húsavík Skjálfandibucht with 2279 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2009).

The small town Raufarhöfn (Eng. gap port) is located on the eastern edge of the peninsula Melrakkaslétta.

Kópasker (German skerry of seal pups ) on Öxarfjörður is a place with 137 inhabitants ( 1 January 2009).

Jökulsárgljúfur National Park

Also located on the lower reaches of the glacier river Jökulsá Fjöllum Jökulsárgljúfur National Park is located in the municipality Norðurþing. There you will find the crater row Rauðhólar.

Former municipalities

The former township of Húsavík ( Isl Húsavíkurbær ) at the Skjálfandibucht counted 2,373 inhabitants ( 2005). In 2002, the country was incorporated municipality Reykjahreppur.

The former rural community Keldunes ( Isl Kelduneshreppur ) on the south and west coast of the fjord Öxarfjörður counted 100 inhabitants ( 2005). Economic mainstay is agriculture.

The former rural community Öxarfjörður ( Isl Öxarfjarðarhreppur ) on the eastern edge of the fjord of the same name counted 330 inhabitants ( 2005) and included, inter alia, the majority of the Melrakkaslétta peninsula. The main town was Kópasker.

The former rural community Raufarhöfn ( Isl Raufarhafnarhreppur ) on the eastern edge of the peninsula Melrakkaslétta counted 228 inhabitants ( 2005).

Population Development

As now most areas except the southwest of Iceland around the capital Reykjavík, the territory of the present municipality Norðurþing is affected by population loss. From 1997 to 2006, the population decline was 13.0 %.

* On 1 December each

Sons and daughters of the town

• Skúli Magnússon (1711-1794), the first Icelandic bailiff Islands
• Jón Trausti (1873-1918), writer
• Birgitta Haukdal ( born 1979 ), pop singer