- Snæfellsnes
The Snæfellsnes peninsula is situated to the west of
Borgarfjörður in the west ofIceland .It has been named "Iceland in Miniature", as many national sights can be found in the areaFact|date=February 2007, including the
Snæfellsjökull volcano , regarded as one of thesymbol s of Iceland. With its height of 1446m, it is the highest mountain on the peninsula and has a glacier called the ("jökull") at its peak. The volcano can be seen on clear days fromReykjavík , a distance of about 120 km away. The mountain is also known as the setting of the novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth " by the French authorJules Verne .It is one of the main settings in the "
Laxdœla saga ", and was the birthplace of the first West Norse member of theVarangian Guard ,Bolli Bollasson . Other historical people who lived in the area according to the saga includeGuðrún Ósvífursdóttir ,Bolli Þorleiksson and Snorri theGoði .People believing in
esoteric think the volcano to be the center of a special field of powers.Fact|date=February 2007The area surrounding Snæfellsjökull has been designated a national park by the government of Iceland.
Local fishing villages and small towns on the northern shore of Snæfellsnes include Rif,
Ólafsvík ,Grundarfjörður ,Stykkishólmur andBúðardalur .Near
Hellissandur , lies the tallest construction in Western Europe, the Longwave Radio Mast at Hellissandur.Snaefellsnes Community has recently become the first
Green Globe Certified Community in Iceland & Europe and only the 4th in the world.Snaefellsnes Community has been committed to the
Green Globe Programme since 2003 and have successfully Benchmarked for the past 5 consecutive years. In June 2008, the Snaefellsnes Community reached certification status as a Green Globe Community ["Green Globe International, Inc. Congratulates Iceland's Snaefellsnes Peninsula for Achieving Green Globe Community Certification" 11 June 2008 cnn.com]ee also
*
Geography of Iceland
*Volcanoes of Iceland
*Green Globe References
External links
* [http://english.ust.is/Snaefellsjokullnationalpark/ Information on the national park]
* [http://www.ourworldtravels.com/iceland/kirkjufell-grundarfjordur Photo of mountain Kirkjufell near Grundarfjörður]
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