Raufarhöfn

Coordinates: 66°27′15″N 15°57′00″W / 66.45417°N 15.95000°W / 66.45417; -15.95000
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Raufarhöfn
Village
Raufarhöfn seen from the air
Raufarhöfn seen from the air
Location of the Municipality of Norðurþing
Location of the Municipality of Norðurþing
Raufarhöfn is located in Iceland
Raufarhöfn
Raufarhöfn
Location of Raufarhöfn in Iceland
Coordinates: 66°27′15″N 15°57′00″W / 66.45417°N 15.95000°W / 66.45417; -15.95000
Country Iceland
ConstituencyNortheast Constituency
RegionNortheastern Region
MunicipalityNorðurþing
Population
 (2019)
 • Total188
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)

Raufarhöfn (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈrœyːvarˌhœpn̥]) is a village located on the northeastern tip of the Melrakkaslétta [ˈmɛlˌrahkaˌstljɛhta] peninsula in Iceland.

History[edit]

At one point in time, this small village was home to largest export harbor in Iceland. In the forties and fifties, the herring frenzy dominated the Icelandic economy[1] and Raufarhöfn was an important place in that economic chain. But after the herring were fished out, the effect was devastating for the village. As of 2019, it had 188[2] inhabitants.

The village is also the site of a modern monument called the "Arctic Henge" which is aligned to the heavens and is inspired by the mythical world of the Eddic poem Völuspá (Prophecy of the Seeress).[3]

Sights[edit]

The church was built in 1928 by Guðjón Samúelsson, one of the most important Icelandic architects, and inaugurated on 1 January 1929.[4] It was renovated in 1979.[5] Circa 1996, a large stone monument, "Arctic Henge" (Heimskautsgerði [ˈheimˌskœytsˌcɛrðɪ] in Icelandic), was constructed close to the village.[6] Inspired by historic stone circles as of 2021 the site is still under construction.[7]

Geography and climate[edit]

Raufarhöfn village

The climate is tundra (Koppen: ET). As the northernmost community of mainland Iceland, Raufarhöfn is also the coldest with an annual average of 2.7 °C (36.9 °F).[8]

Climate data for Raufarhöfn, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1949–2009
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.0
(51.8)
11.0
(51.8)
12.7
(54.9)
20.4
(68.7)
25.0
(77.0)
24.5
(76.1)
25.2
(77.4)
24.8
(76.6)
22.0
(71.6)
17.2
(63.0)
14.8
(58.6)
14.2
(57.6)
25.2
(77.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 1.2
(34.2)
1.1
(34.0)
1.3
(34.3)
3.2
(37.8)
6.2
(43.2)
9.6
(49.3)
11.7
(53.1)
11.7
(53.1)
9.0
(48.2)
5.1
(41.2)
2.6
(36.7)
1.7
(35.1)
5.4
(41.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1.4
(29.5)
−1.5
(29.3)
−1.3
(29.7)
0.4
(32.7)
3.4
(38.1)
6.6
(43.9)
8.7
(47.7)
8.8
(47.8)
6.2
(43.2)
2.8
(37.0)
0.3
(32.5)
−0.9
(30.4)
2.7
(36.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.4
(24.1)
−4.3
(24.3)
−4.0
(24.8)
−2.1
(28.2)
0.9
(33.6)
4.1
(39.4)
6.4
(43.5)
6.3
(43.3)
3.7
(38.7)
0.5
(32.9)
−2.4
(27.7)
−3.9
(25.0)
-0.0
(32.0)
Record low °C (°F) −21.5
(−6.7)
−21.2
(−6.2)
−24.6
(−12.3)
−21.8
(−7.2)
−16.0
(3.2)
−3.7
(25.3)
−2.3
(27.9)
−2.2
(28.0)
−8.5
(16.7)
−12.0
(10.4)
−17.9
(−0.2)
−17.9
(−0.2)
−24.6
(−12.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 73.1
(2.88)
57.4
(2.26)
65.7
(2.59)
44.5
(1.75)
33.9
(1.33)
35.4
(1.39)
48.9
(1.93)
53.1
(2.09)
68.0
(2.68)
89.4
(3.52)
78.4
(3.09)
64.2
(2.53)
714.7
(28.14)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 14.6 11.3 13.4 9.7 7.9 7.0 9.0 10.1 12.5 15.7 13.9 13.3 138.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0 cm) 16.4 15.2 18.1 9.8 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 2.0 8.1 14.7 85.3
Average relative humidity (%) 79.0 78.6 78.4 79.9 83.7 85.6 88.2 88.4 87.0 85.5 81.2 79.2 82.9
Average dew point °C (°F) −4.6
(23.7)
−4.7
(23.5)
−4.5
(23.9)
−2.7
(27.1)
0.6
(33.1)
3.9
(39.0)
6.5
(43.7)
6.6
(43.9)
3.7
(38.7)
0.4
(32.7)
−2.4
(27.7)
−4.1
(24.6)
−0.2
(31.6)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 5.2 25.7 47.5 75.7 108.2 113.5 96.2 90.2 57.7 31.6 9.5 0.1 661.1
Source 1: NOAA (humidity 1961-1990)[9][10]
Source 2: Iceland Met Office (sun 1961-1990 and extremes)[8][11]

Transport[edit]

Raufarhöfn Airport is located approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the village.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "History in short".
  2. ^ https://www.statice.is/statistics/population/inhabitants/municipalities-and-urban-nuclei/ zipcode 675, in March 2019.
  3. ^ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (30 April 2012). "Aurora Over Raufarhöfn". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  4. ^ http://kirkjukort.net/kirkjur/raufarhafnarkirkja_0385.html
  5. ^ "Raufarhöfn the tiny northern most village in Iceland". 27 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Arctic Henge".
  7. ^ "The Arctic Henge". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Climate data for Raufarhöfn 1961-1990". vedur.is. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Raufarhöfn Climate Normals 1981-2010". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Vestmannaeyjar/Storhofo Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Mánaðarmeðaltöl fyrir stöð 505 - Raufarhöfn" (in Icelandic). Icelandic Meteorological Office. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.

External links[edit]