HafnarfjörðurHafnarfjörður (ˈhapnarˌfjœrðʏr̥), officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður (ˈhapnarˌfjarðarˌkhœipˌstaːðʏr̥), is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region, on the southwest coast of the country. At about 30,000 inhabitants, Hafnarfjörður is the third-most populous city in Iceland after Reykjavík and Kópavogur. It has established local industry and a variety of urban activities, with annual festival events.
Settlement of IcelandThe settlement of Iceland (landnámsöld ˈlantˌnaumsˌœlt) is generally believed to have begun in the second half of the ninth century, when Norse settlers migrated across the North Atlantic. The reasons for the migration are uncertain: later in the Middle Ages Icelanders themselves tended to cite civil strife brought about by the ambitions of the Norwegian king Harald I of Norway, but modern historians focus on deeper factors, such as a shortage of arable land in Scandinavia.
Selfoss (town)Selfoss (ˈsɛlˌfɔsː) is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of the Ölfusá river. It is the seat of the municipality of Árborg. The Icelandic Route 1 runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella. The town is a centre of commerce and small industries with a population of around 10,000 (2023), making it the largest residential area in South Iceland. Selfoss was settled by Þórir Ásason sometime after 1000, but the Sagas of Icelanders mention that Ingólfur Arnarson was there during the winter of 873-74, under the Ingólfsfjall mountain, which is west of the Ölfusá river.
