Hornstrandir facts for kids
Hornstrandir is a very special place in Iceland. It's a large piece of land, almost surrounded by water, called a peninsula. You can find it at the very northern tip of Iceland's Westfjords region. It covers about 580 square kilometers, which is a pretty big area! It lies north of the Jökulfirðir (Glacier Fjords) and northwest of the Drangajökull glacier.
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Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
Hornstrandir is a wild and beautiful area. It has different types of land like tundra (a treeless plain), deep fjords, and high alpine areas. The plants here are rich but also very delicate.
Protected Area
Because of its unique nature, Hornstrandir has been a protected nature reserve since 1975. It has some of the strictest rules in Iceland to keep it safe. This means people must be very careful not to disturb the plants and animals.
Life in Hornstrandir
For a long time, very few people lived in Hornstrandir. The area's nature really thrived because of this. In the 1950s, the last few families who lived there, mostly farmers, moved away. However, many years later, some of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren have returned. They have rebuilt their old family homes, and much of the land is still owned by these families.
The Glacier Fjords
Jökulfirðir means "Glacier Fjords." This is a group of five fjords and bays. Four of these fjords make up the entire southern coast of Hornstrandir. The fifth fjord is just south of the peninsula.
Names of the Fjords
If you look from west to east, the four fjords that form the south shore of Hornstrandir are:
- Hesteyrarfjörður
- Veiðileysufjörður
- Lónafjörður
- Hrafnsfjörður
Hrafnsfjörður is the last one and forms the southwestern tip. It separates Hornstrandir from the rest of the Westfjords.
Images for kids
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See also
In Spanish: Hornstrandir para niños
