Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Þingvellir National Park
, Iceland's oldest national park, protects a scenic 84-sq-km lake,
the geologically significant Almannagjá rift, and is the site of the original Alþing (National
Assembly). The park is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Snæfellsjökull National Park
in west Iceland was established in June 2001. The park
protects the Snæfellsjökull glacier (made famous by Jules Verne), the surrounding lava
fields and coast.
Vatnajökull National Park
is the largest national park in all of Europe and covers
roughly 13% of Iceland. It was founded in 2008 by uniting two previously established na-
tional parks: Skaftafell in southeast Iceland, and Jökulsárgljúfur further north. The park
protects the entirety of the Vatnajökull ice cap, the mighty Dettifoss waterfall, and a great
variety of geological anomalies.
The Forlagið (Mál og Menning) series of maps now includes some fun themed ones - if
it's your cup of tea, pick up their
Fuglakort
(Birdwatcher's Map),
Höggunarkort
(Tectonic
Map),
Jarðfræðikort
(Geological Map) or
Plöntukortið
(Botanical Map). The text is in
Icelandic, English and German.
Energy Dilemmas
Iceland's small population, pristine wilderness, lack of heavy industry and high use of geo-
thermal and hydroelectric power give it an enviable environmental reputation. Its use of
geothermal power is one of the most creative in the world, and the country's energy ex-
perts are now advising Asian and African industries on possible ways to harness geo-
thermal sources.
However, power supplies provided free by bountiful nature are not just of interest to
Icelanders. Foreign industrialists in search of cheap energy also have their eye on the
country's glacial rivers and geothermal hotspots. Alcoa, an American aluminium-smelting
company, was responsible for one of Iceland's most controversial schemes: the
Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric station in east Iceland, completed in 2009, was the biggest con-
struction project in Iceland's history. It created a network of dams and tunnels, a vast reser-
voir, a power station and miles of power lines to supply electricity to a fjord-side smelter
80km away in Reyðarfjörður.
Alcoa makes much PR out of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint - and it's true, the
aluminium it manufactures in Iceland uses cheap, green energy from renewable sources
