NASA Photo of the Week

Two-thirds of all Icelanders live in the immediate area around the capital, Reykjavik.

The Westfjords are a series of peninsulas in northwestern Iceland. Even though they comprise less than one-eight of the country’s entire land area, their jagged shores account for more than half of Iceland’s total coastline.

The region is connected to the rest of the country by a 4-mile wide isthmus.

The lack of any significant flat lowlands make it unsuitable for agriculture, but an abundance of good natural harbors and the proximity to fishing areas make the Westfjords an important part of Iceland’s economy.

Only a few more than 7,000 people inhabit the peninsulas, compared to a population of 200,000 around the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik.

According to the Landnámabók (the historic book of settlement), the Westfjords capital of Ísafjördur was settled by the Norse Viking Helgi Magri Hrolfsson in the 9th century.

In the 16th century, the town grew in size as it became an important post for foreign merchants.

Witch trials were common around the same time throughout the Westfjords, and many of those accused of sorcery were banished to the nearby peninsula of Hornstrandir, now a national nature reserve.

The image to the upper right was captured by NASA’s Terra satellite on September 28, 2009. The snow-covered high terrain of the Westfjords and other highlands across the rest of Iceland show up in contrast to the North Atlantic and Greenland Sea.

Satellite Image: NASA Modis Rapid Response System
Photo Insert: Westfjords Department of Tourism