Atlantica - 01.06.2002, Page 54

The Natural
Border
52 A T L A N T I C A
Icelandic beaches are very diverse, each part of the country laying
claim to its own set of strong characteristics. The endless, black south
beach is without a port and mysterious. The West and East Fjords are
the oldest parts of the country. There, an ice-age glacier buried count-
less more fjords, some straight and wide, others thin and long. Many
of the most beautiful beaches in Iceland are found on Snæfellsnes, in
the west, where age-old lava meets the mouth of the sea. The north of
Iceland, with its broad-shouldered fjords, is where the midnight sun
sends light from the north over high summer.
And in every part of the country, there is a multitude of birds which
seek their nutrition from the sea; the most numerous bird species being
the puffin, which numbers six million breeding pairs.
The longest stretch of road in the country is the ring road Number 1,
which mostly follows the beach, except at the northeast corner of the
country, in the West Fjords and on Snæfellsnes. The ring road is 1,339
km (863 miles) long, while Iceland’s shoreline stretches for 4,970 km
(3,220 miles). Along the road, there are many exciting places to
explore, one of which is Hraunhafnartangi on Melrakkaslétta, the north-
ernmost point of Iceland, stretching 50 metres north of the Arctic Circle.
There you will meet thousands of Arctic terns, who are the sole inhab-
itants of the stark cape.
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH OF ARNARSTAPI, SNÆFELLSNES
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