Ísafjörður (pronounced [ˈiːsaˌfjœrðʏr̥]) (ice fjord in Icelandic) is a town in the north west of Iceland. The town draws its name from the fjörd and the fjord was given name simultaneously to the island. With a population of about 4,000 Ísafjörður is the largest town in the peninsula of Vestfirðir, and the seat of the Ísafjarðarbær municipality, which includes the nearby Hnífsdalur, Flateyri, Suðureyri, and Þingeyri. It is located on a spit of sand, or eyri, in the Skutulsfjörður fjord which meets the waters of the larger Isafjarðardjúp fjord. The town is connected via road to Bolungarvík which lies 15 km to the northwest, and to the small town of Súðavík to the east. The partly one-lane Vestfjarðagöng (Vestfirðir Tunnel), completed in 1996, leads to the small towns of Flateyri and Suðureyri, as well as the more southern parts of the Westfjords. Ísafjörður also has an airport with regular flights to Reykjavík.




City centre Fishing has been the main industry in Ísafjörður, and the town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. A vast decline in the fishing industry, due to many reasons such as political fishing restrictions in the early eighties and natural causes, has led the inhabitants to seek work elsewhere making the population numbers decreasing. The harbor also serves ferries to nearby settlements as well as larger cruise ships for tourists visiting the area. Despite its size, small population, and historical isolation from the rest of the country, the town has a rather urban atmosphere. Ísafjörður has a school of music as well as a hospital. The older former hospital building now accommodates a cultural center with a library and showrooms. Recently the small town has become known in the country as a center for alternative music outside of Iceland, and a yearly festival, Aldrei fór ég suður, has been established to host a number of local musicians as well as bands from around Iceland and even overseas. A university center, Háskólasetur Vestfjarða, that acts as a distance learning center for the 7000 residents of the western fjords, was established in March 2005.

(from Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)