The largest island,Heimaey, has a population of 4,414,[2] most of whom live in the archipelago's main town, Vestmannaeyjabær. The other islands are uninhabited, although six have single hunting cabins. Vestmannaeyjar came to international attention in 1973 with the eruption ofEldfell volcano, which destroyed many buildings and forced a month-long evacuation of the entire population to mainland Iceland. Approximately one-fifth of the town was destroyed before the lava flow was halted by application of 6.8billion litres of cold sea water.[3]
Elliðaey island.Suðurey, Hellisey, Súlnasker and Geldungur islands.Smáeyjar islands
The Vestmannaeyjararchipelago is young in geological terms. The islands lie in the Southern Icelandic Volcanic Zone and have been formed by eruptions over the past 10,000–12,000 years. The volcanic system consists of 70–80volcanoes both above and below the sea.[4]
the islands HaniIcelandic pronunciation:[ˈhaːnɪ], HænaIcelandic pronunciation:[ˈhaiːna], HrauneyIcelandic pronunciation:[ˈr̥œːinˌeiː] and theskerry GrasleysaIcelandic pronunciation:[ˈkrasˌleiːsa] are calledSmáeyjar (Icelandic pronunciation:[ˈsmauːˌeiːjar̥], small islands).
Total: 16.3 square kilometres (6.3 sq mi)
There are 18 islands and about 30 rock stacks and skerries. All the islands have been built up in submarine eruptions and consist of alternating layers ofpalagonitetuff andlava. The oldest geological formations are in the northern part of Heimaey ("Home Island"), the largest island and the only inhabited one.Basalt columns can be seen in many places, and the sea has eroded the soft rock of the shoreline and scooped out many picturesquecoves and grottos, which are among the special features of the islands.
There was a submarine eruption southeast of Hellisey in 1896. The next eruption began on 14 November 1963. It lasted about four years – one of the longest inIcelandic history – and gave birth to Surtsey, the 15th island in the group. In theeruption of 1973 that lasted for 155 days, Heimaey grew by about 2.1 square kilometres (0.81 sq mi). The Vestmannaeyjar group is about 38 kilometres (24 mi) long and 29 kilometres (18 mi) broad, the closest point lying about 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the mainland.
There is generally very little snow, but a lot of rain. Owing to this microclimate, returning migrant birds are often first seen in the spring and they set out from the islands in the autumn. All of Iceland's seabirds can be found in Vestmannaeyjar: theguillemot,gannet,kittiwake,Iceland gull, andpuffin. The puffin is the most plentiful species and is the Vestmannaeyjar emblem. More than 30 species of birds nest in their millions in the cliffs and grassy ledges, and other species make irregular appearances.
There are about 150 plant species in the flora of the islands, and about 80 types of insect have been identified.The waters around the Vestmannaeyjar contain some of the North Atlantic's richest fishing grounds. The two main commercially exploited species in Iceland,cod andhaddock, are found in abundance in Vestmannaeyjar. Other species, such asflat-fish,herring andcapelin, are also commonly harvested as they migrate through the area in the autumn and winter.Lobsters and oceanperch are found in large numbers in the deep water to the southeast of the islands.Seals, small types ofwhale and other marine species are also present in large numbers around the islands.
The townspeople have a tradition of guiding stray puffins to safe locations.[5]
With extremely high precipitation considering the latitude, Vestmannaeyjar features asubpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) under theKöppen climate classification. It is often very windy in the islands, and the highest wind speed measured in Iceland (61 metres per second; 140 mph; 220 km/h) was recorded inStórhöfði, the southern of the island's two major peninsulae. The main wind directions are easterly and south-easterly. The islands enjoy the country's highest average annual temperature, the Gulf Stream having a strong warming effect, especially in winter.[citation needed]
Climate data for Vestmannaeyjar, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1949–2013
Title page of the book byÓlafur Egilsson who was captured by Barbary corsairs in 1627Map of the archipelagoFebruary 2009 south aerial view ofSúlnaskerGeldungur,Hellisey,Álsey,Brandur,Suðurey,Heimaey,Bjarnarey,Elliðaey, with the Icelandic mainland in the backgroundHeimaklettur seen from the top ofEldfell Volcano which erupted 23 January 1973Vestmannaeyjar as seen from route 1, mainland IcelandDevelopment of the coastline of Heimaey during the eruption of Eldfell in 1973Heimaklettur seen fromStakkagerðistún which is a public park in the middle ofHeimaey
The islands are named afterGaels who had been captured intoslavery byNorsemen. TheOld Norse wordVestmenn, literally "Westmen", was applied to the Celts of Britain and Ireland, and retained inIcelandic even though Iceland is further west than Britain and Ireland. (In contrast, the Norse Gaels often called themselvesOstmen orAustmenn – "East-men".)
Not long afterIngólfr Arnarson arrived in Iceland, hisblood brotherHjörleifr Hróðmarsson was murdered by the thralls he had brought with him. Ingólfur tracked them down to the Vestmannaeyjar and killed them all in retribution, hence the name Vestmannaeyjar (the islands of the west men). This is speculated to have occurred in AD 875.
On 16 July 1627, in an event known as theTurkish Abductions, the islands were captured by a fleet of three ships ofBarbary Pirates fromAlgiers, who stayed there until 19 July under the control ofOttomans. They had earlier raided theeast of Iceland andMurat Reis fromSalé in Morocco had commanded another raid inGrindavík in June of that year. The pirates captured 234 people from the islands and took them on a 27-day voyage to Algiers, where most of them spent the rest of their lives in bondage.[10] One of the captives, Lutheran ministerÓlafur Egilsson, managed to return in 1628 and wrote a book about his experience.[11] In 1636, ransom was paid for 34 of the captives, and most of them returned to Iceland. After this, a small fort was built on Skansinn (that is, "the bastion"), and an armed guard was established to keep watch from the mountainHelgafell for the approach of ships.
For centuries, the people of the Vestmannaeyjar had a hard struggle for existence, living from fishing and wild birds and their eggs, which they gathered in the cliffs and rock stacks offshore. At the end of the 19th century, when the population was about 600, great changes took place in the lifestyle of the islanders. In 1904, the first motorised boat was purchased, and more followed soon afterwards. By 1930, the population had risen to 3,470. The Vestmannaeyjar have always been at the forefront of developments in fishing and sea food processing, and are the most productive fishing centre in the country. Shortage of fresh water was also a problem for a long time, but a great improvement took place in 1968 when a pipeline was laid.
The area is very volcanically active, like the rest of Iceland. There were two major eruptions in the 20th century: the eruption in 1963 that created the new island ofSurtsey, and theEldfell eruption of January 1973, which created a 200-metre-high mountain where a meadow had been, and caused the island's 5,000 inhabitants to be temporarily evacuated to the mainland.
A ferry service runs fromLandeyjahöfn (closer) and sometimes under bad conditionsÞorlákshöfn (further away).[13] The new Landeyjahöfn harbour opened in 2010, shortening the sailing time to around 40 minutes.[14] A new hybridelectric ferry with a 3 MWh battery and capacity for 550 passengers and 75 cars started operating the 13 km route in July 2019.[15][16][17] It uses 100 MWh per week, replacing 35 tonnes of fuel. In bad weather, the longer route to Þorlákshöfn requires fuel.[18]
Vestmannaeyjar Airport was previously served by regular flights toReykjavík; however, as of 2023, there are no regular flights.Icelandair has served the airport with charter flights for theÞjóðhátið festival in 2022 and 2023.
The islands are famed in Iceland for their major annual festival,Þjóðhátíð ("The National Festival"), which attracts thousands of people. The festival was first held in 1874, at the same time as the commemoration of the millennium of the settlement of Iceland. Vestmannaeyjar residents had been prevented by bad weather from sailing to the mainland for the festivities and thus celebrated locally.[19]
The islands feature as the primary location inYrsa Sigurðardóttir's novelAshes to Dust, which uses the 1973 eruption ofEldfell as a key element in the plot.
ÍBV, based on Vestmannaeyjar, are one of the most prominent sports clubs in Iceland, having won several national championships and national cups in bothhandball andfootball.
Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir (born 1986), retired footballer and is considered by many to be the best Icelandic female footballer of all times. Played for ÍBV, Valur and also played in Sweden and Germany. Scored 79 goals in 124 games for Iceland. Voted Icelandic athlete of the year 2007.
Ólafur Egilsson (1564–1639), aLutheran minister who, in 1627 with his wife and sons, was kidnapped in theTurkish Abduction, subsequently writing a memoir of his travels
Sigurvin Ólafsson (born 1976), footballer, was born in Vestmannaeyjar and has twice been signed to ÍBV
Smári McCarthy (born 1984), information activist andIcelandic Pirate Party MP, grew up in Vestmannaeyjar, his family having moved there when he was 9
