Eastern Region (Iceland)

Austurland
Austurfirðir

The Austurland area
Country Iceland
Seat Egilsstaðir
Area
 • Total 22,721 km2 (8,773 sq mi)
Population (2007)
 • Total 15,300
 • Density 0.6/km2 (2/sq mi)

Eastern Region (Icelandic: Austurland, also known as Austfirðir: "Eastfjords") is a region in eastern Iceland. Its area is 22,721 square kilometres (8,773 sq mi) and in 2007 its population was 15,300.

The largest town in the region is Egilsstaðir, with a population of 2,300. The oldest municipality is Djúpivogur, which got their trading licence in 1589, had a population of 470 in 2015.

One of the best known localities in the world for Iceland spar (also known in Medieval times as solar stones) was in “Helgustaðir” in Eskifjörður.[1] The purity and transparency of crystals of Iceland spar from Helgustaðir, and the property of double refraction they displayed, made it of interest to scientists from the late 17th century onwards, and it subsequently "played a significant role in the early development of several fields in the physical sciences including wave optics, crystallography, and crystal physics".[2] The Helgustaðir mine closed in 1925, and in 1975 the site was declared as a natural monument.[3]

The only car and passenger ferry that sails between Iceland and the European continent calls at Seyðisfjörður once a week in the summer months and intermittently the rest of the year.

References

  1. ↑ Daniel E Russell, The Iceland Spar Quarry at Helgustadir, Iceland, mindat.org, 17 February 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Kristjansson, L. (2002): Iceland spar: The Helgustadir Calcite Locality and its Influence on the Development of Science. Journal of Geoscience Education, 50, 419-426. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Helgustadir Mine, Reydarfjörđur, Eastern Region, Iceland, mindat.org, 24 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.

Coordinates: 65°17′N 14°23′W / 65.283°N 14.383°W / 65.283; -14.383


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