Suðurnes and the Reykjanes Peninsula

Towns and communities

Reykjanesbær was formed in 1994 by merging Keflavík, Njarðvík and Hafnir. It is the fourth most populous municipality in Iceland. Keflavík is often called the "Beatles town" because of its strong musical history, and it is home to the Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll. Grindavík is a long-established fishing town on the south coast. Suðurnesjabær was formed by merging Sandgerði and Garður in 2018, and Vogar is the smallest municipality.

Keflavík Airport

Keflavík Airport was built by the US military during the Second World War. From 1951 to 2006 there was an American military base there under the defence agreement. Today it is Iceland's main international airport, handling millions of passengers every year. Leifur Eiríksson Air Terminal opened in 1987 and has been expanded many times.

Natural attractions

• The Blue Lagoon – the country's most famous tourist attraction. It formed from the waste water of the Svartsengi geothermal plant, and the water is rich in silica and algae.
• The Bridge Between Continents – a footbridge over a fissure between the North American and Eurasian plates.
• Gunnuhver – a powerful mud and steam area near Reykjanes lighthouse.
• Reykjanesviti and Valahnúkur – Iceland's first lighthouse was built on Valahnúkur in 1878; the current lighthouse dates from 1908.
• Kleifarvatn and Seltún – a mysterious lake and a colourful geothermal area at Krýsuvík.
• Krýsuvíkurberg – a bird cliff with thousands of seabirds.
• Garðskagaviti – a popular spot to watch the sunset and the northern lights.

The Reykjanes eruptions

After a break of about 800 years, eruptions resumed on the Reykjanes Peninsula in March 2021 at Geldingadalir by Fagradalsfjall. The eruption lasted about six months and hundreds of thousands of people hiked to see it. There were further eruptions in the area in August 2022 and at Litli-Hrútur in July 2023.

On 10 November 2023 a magma intrusion formed beneath Grindavík and the town was evacuated. Since December 2023 there have been repeated eruptions along the Sundhnúkur crater row, north of the town. Protective barriers were built to shield Grindavík, the Svartsengi power plant and the Blue Lagoon, and lava has flowed over roads and a few houses on the edge of Grindavík.

History and culture

Fishing from open boats was practised in Suðurnes from the time of the settlement, and there were important fishing stations there. Víkingaheimar in Reykjanesbær houses the Viking ship Íslendingur, a replica of the Gokstad ship that sailed to North America in 2000. Sandgerði has a nature and research centre, and in Grindavík the Saltfish Museum has told the story of salt-cod production.