Ísafjörður is a town in the north west of Iceland. The town draws its name from the fjörd and the fjord was given name simultaneously to the island. With a population of about 4,000 Ísafjörður is the largest town in the peninsula of Vestfirðir, and the seat of the Ísafjarðarbær municipality, which includes the nearby Hnífsdalur, Flateyri, Suðureyri, and Þingeyri. It is located on a spit of sand, or eyri, in the Skutulsfjörður fjord which meets the waters of the larger Isafjarðardjúp fjord.
The town is connected via road to Bolungarvík which lies 15 km to the northwest, and to the small town of Súðavík to the east. The partly one-lane Breiðadals-og Botnsheiðagöng (Breiðadals-og Botnsheiðar Tunnel), completed in 1996, leads to the small towns of Flateyri and Suðureyri, as well as the more southern parts of the Westfjords. Ísafjörður also has an airport with regular flights to Reykjavík. |
