Flatey (Skjálfandi)
| Flatey | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Skjalfandi | |
| Geographical location | 66 ° 9 '54 " N , 17 ° 51' 35" W | |
|
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| length | 2.5 km | |
| width | 1.7 km | |
| surface | 2.8 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 20 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Flatey ( Isl. For "flat island") is an Icelandic island in the Skjálfandi bay . It is located about 27 km northwest of Húsavík . With a length of 2.5 km and a width of 1.7 km, it is the fifth largest island in Iceland . Nevertheless, the highest point of the island is only 20 m above sea level, which earned it the name of flat island .
The first settlers settled on Flatey shortly after the first settlement in Iceland, but the number of permanent residents was usually very low. The peak was reached in 1942 when 120 people lived here. With the growth of other localities nearby, many citizens migrated to these more attractive habitats until all residents had left the island in 1967. Today the island is only inhabited in the summer when many tourists visit the island and represent a respectable source of income.
The Skjálfandi bay is ideal for fishing, especially cod and sea hares are fished here and represent the main source of income. In addition, Flatey is also above average for arable farming by Icelandic standards. The inhabitants of the island can produce almost all everyday products , regardless of the main island Ísland ; practically every household has a dairy cow as well as some sheep and chickens.
There are few buildings on the island. The most important are the schoolhouse built in 1929, an old church that was closed in 1884, the new church built in 1960, a radio telegraph from 1931 and a lighthouse built in 1913 and renovated in 1963.
An attraction of interest to tourists is the biodiversity of the birds that live on the island. Thirty of the 37 species native to Iceland can be seen breeding on the island, including puffin , tern , whimbrel and plover .