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Raufarhöfn | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Raufarhöfn seen from the air | |
 Location of the Municipality of Norðurþing | |
  Raufarhöfn Location of Raufarhöfn in Iceland | |
| Coordinates: 66°27′15″N 15°57′00″W / 66.45417°N 15.95000°W | |
| Country |  Iceland |
| Constituency | Northeast Constituency |
| Region | Northeastern Region |
| Municipality | Norðurþing |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 188 |
| Time zone | UTC+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]
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]- ^ "History in short".
- ^ "Municipalities and urban nuclei". www.statice.is.
- ^ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (30 April 2012). "Aurora Over Raufarhöfn". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ "Raufarhafnarkirkja (1929)". Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Raufarhöfn the tiny northern most village in Iceland". 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Arctic Henge".
- ^ "The Arctic Henge". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Climate data for Raufarhöfn 1961-1990". vedur.is. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Raufarhöfn Climate Normals 1981-2010". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Vestmannaeyjar/Storhofo Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Mánaðarmeðaltöl fyrir stöð 505 - Raufarhöfn" (in Icelandic). Icelandic Meteorological Office. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
External links
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