Grindavík

Grindavíkurbær
Municipality
Skyline of Grindavíkurbær
Skyline of Grindavíkurbær
Coat of arms of Grindavíkurbær
Coat of arms
Location of Grindavíkurbær
Location of Grindavíkurbær
Grindavíkurbær is located in Iceland
Grindavíkurbær
Grindavíkurbær
Coordinates: 63°50′N 22°26′W / 63.833°N 22.433°W / 63.833; -22.433
CountryIceland
RegionSouthern Peninsula
ConstituencySouthwest Constituency
Government
 • MayorFannar Jónasson
Area
 • Total425 km2 (164 sq mi)
Population
 • Total3,669[1]
 • Density6.80/km2 (17.6/sq mi)
Postal code
240
Municipal number2300
Websitegrindavik.is

Grindavík (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkrɪntaˌviːk] (audio speaker iconlisten)) is a fishing town on the southern part of the Southern Peninsula in Iceland.

It is one of the few towns with a harbor on the southern coast of this peninsula. Most of the people in Grindavík work in the fishing industry. The Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland's most famous tourist attractions, is located 5 kilometres (3 mi) from the town center.

In November 2023, with an increasing and severe seismic activity, a state of emergency was declared and Grindavík was evacuated, because a magma tunnel was formed under the town and there is a risk that it could cause a volcanic eruption in the form of a fissure vent in the town.[2]

On 18 December 2023, at around 22:00 local time (GMT), the volcano erupted as a fissure vent, as expected, which was 4 kilometres (2 mi) long. The volcanic eruption was 3 kilometres (2 mi) northeast of Grindavík.[3] Lava fountains, up to 100 metres (330 ft) high, could be seen from Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Authorities said they were highly prepared.[4]

Twin towns – sister cities

Grindavík is twinned with:[5]

  • Portugal Ílhavo, Portugal
  • France Jonzac, France
  • England Penistone, England, United Kingdom
  • Sweden Piteå, Sweden
  • Finland Rovaniemi, Finland
  • Poland Uniejów, Poland

References

  1. ↑ "Iceland warns likelihood of volcanic eruption is significant after hundreds of earthquakes". CBS News. 14 November 2023.
  2. ↑ France-Presse, Agence (12 November 2023). "Iceland: experts predict feared volcanic eruption could destroy town near Reykjavik". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ Ward, Mitchell McCluskey, Taylor (2023-12-18). "Volcano erupts on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula". CNN. Retrieved 2023-12-19.{cite web}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Moses, Claire (2023-12-18). "After Weeks of Warnings, Iceland Volcano Erupts in Plumes of Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  5. ↑ "Vinabæir". grindavik.is (in Icelandic). Grindavík. Retrieved 12 February 2020.

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grindavík.