Iceland encyclopedia
Iceland, in detail.
Articles on Iceland’s landscapes, landmarks, history, folklore and culture.
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Landscapes and landmarks
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Aldeyjarfoss
A powerful waterfall framed by dark basalt columns in the highlands, reached via gravel road and a short walk.
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Arctic Fox
The Arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus, is Iceland's only native land mammal. Known as melrakki, refur or tófa, it was present long before human settlement and has a long history of isolation from other Arctic fox populations.
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Arnarstapi
Arnarstapi is a coastal settlement on Snæfellsnes where a small harbour lies among basalt columns, fissures and caves. Fishing, maritime trade, seabirds and the stories associated with Snæfellsjökull all contribute to its history.
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Asbyrgi canyon
Ásbyrgi is a horseshoe-shaped canyon in the Jökulsárgljúfur area of Vatnajökull National Park. Cliffs reaching about 100 metres surround woodland and the small pond Botnstjörn in North Iceland.
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Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica, is a North Atlantic seabird known in Icelandic as lundi. Iceland is an important breeding centre, with colonies around the coast and on offshore islands, including the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago.
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Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal bathing lagoon in a lava field on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Its water comes from a natural geothermal reservoir, but the surface lagoon originated through human industrial activity.
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Dettifoss
Dettifoss is a major waterfall on Jökulsá á Fjöllum in northeast Iceland. It forms part of the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon landscape, where volcanic rock and powerful river erosion meet.
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Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach is the visitor nickname for Fellsfjara, the black-sand coastline beside Jökulsárlón. Its scattered pieces of glacier ice connect the beach directly to the lagoon and the glacier landscape inland.
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Dimmuborgir lava field
Dimmuborgir is an area of lava pillars, arches and cavities near Lake Mývatn in northeast Iceland. The formations preserve the remains of a lava lake that drained roughly 2,300 years ago.
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Djupalonssandur
Djúpalónssandur is a black-pebble shore in Snæfellsjökull National Park. Its wave-polished stones, strength-testing boulders and scattered shipwreck remains preserve different aspects of the relationship between the volcanic coast and fishing communities.
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Dynjandi
Dynjandi is a broad, stepped waterfall above Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords. Its approximately 100-metre descent is the largest feature in a sequence of falls along the Dynjandisá river.
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Eldfell
Eldfell is the volcanic cone formed on Heimaey during the 1973 eruption. Its name means Fire Mountain. The eruption created a new landmark beside an inhabited town and became a major case study in attempts to influence advancing lava.
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Fjadrargljufur
Fjaðrárgljúfur is a winding canyon near Kirkjubæjarklaustur in South Iceland. Its steep walls consist mainly of móberg, volcanic material formed in association with ice or water, through which the Fjaðrá river continues to flow.
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Geysir Geothermal Area
Steam, hot springs and erupting water make Haukadalur a close-up encounter with Iceland’s geothermal landscape.
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Godafoss waterfall
Goðafoss is a broad waterfall on the Skjálfandafljót river near Fosshóll in North Iceland. Its name and associated traditions link a natural landmark with the country's conversion to Christianity.
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Grabrok crater
An accessible volcanic crater with a short trail to the rim and wide views over Borgarfjordur.
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Grjotagja lava cave
A small lava cave with a geothermal pool made famous by Game of Thrones; bathing is usually not advised due to temperature swings.
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Gullfoss Waterfall
The Hvítá river falls in two stages at Gullfoss, one of the landmark stops on Iceland’s Golden Circle.
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Heimaey
Heimaey is the largest island in Vestmannaeyjar and the site of the archipelago's town and fishing harbour. Its human history includes overseas raiding, the growth of motorised fishing and the evacuation and rebuilding of a community after a volcanic eruption.
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Hekla
Hekla is an active volcano in South Iceland, recognisable by its elongated summit ridge. Its repeated eruptions have shaped both the surrounding landscape and historical ideas about Iceland's volcanic environment.
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Hengifoss
Hengifoss is a waterfall in Fljótsdalur, East Iceland, dropping approximately 128 metres into a steep gorge. Red sedimentary bands between dark basalt layers make its cliffs a conspicuous record of the region's geological past.
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Hljodaklettar rock formations
Basalt rock formations and echoing cliffs in Jokulsargljufur, reached by short walking paths.
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Höfn
Höfn is a fishing and service town in Hornafjörður in southeast Iceland. Its name means harbour, and the relationship between sheltered water, shifting coastal sediment and commercial access has been central to its development.
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Hverir geothermal area
Hverir, also called Hverarönd, is a geothermal area at the eastern foot of Námafjall near Lake Mývatn. Bubbling mud pools, steam vents and mineral-stained ground expose part of a much larger underground geothermal system.
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