Borgarfjörður
Encyclopedia
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
near the town of Borgarnes
Borgarnes
Borgarnes is a town located on a peninsula at the shore of Borgarfjörður in Iceland.It has a population of 1,763 . The town is located 60 km north of the capital Reykjavík and is connected to other places in Iceland through the second largest bridge in Iceland, Borgarfjarðarbrú...
. The waters of Borgarfjörður appear to be calm, however the fjord is on the contrary a rather dangerous part of the sea because of its undercurrents and shallows.
There are many flat islands lying in the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
, but for the most part they are uninhabited.
Near Borgarnes, the hringvegur (road no.1 or "ring road") passes over a bridge of 0.5 km in length at inland portion of the fjord.
The land around the fjord has been inhabited since the time of Icelandic settlement. Events in the Icelandic sagas such as that of Egill Skallagrímsson
Egill Skallagrímsson
Egill Skallagrímsson was a Viking Age warrior and skald. Egill is one of the great anti-heroes of the Icelandic sagas.-Life:...
are situated here.
The name of the fjord seems to come from the farm of Borg, which according to the sagas was founded by Egill's father Skallagrímur, who took the land around the fjord and accordingly gave the fjord the name of Borgarfjörður.
While serving as a synonym for the various townships, farms, natural attractions and areas in the region, the various inhabitated as well as less populous parts of Borgarfjörður are now generally referred to as Borgarbyggð
Borgarbyggð
Borgarbyggð is a municipality of various amalgamated populated rural areas in the West or Vesturland region of Iceland.The biggest township in the municipality is that of Borgarnes, which has a population of 1,763 inhabitants...
, a name which in Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
denotes its areas of residence and more populated parts and town centers of the region such as Borgarnes
Borgarnes
Borgarnes is a town located on a peninsula at the shore of Borgarfjörður in Iceland.It has a population of 1,763 . The town is located 60 km north of the capital Reykjavík and is connected to other places in Iceland through the second largest bridge in Iceland, Borgarfjarðarbrú...
, while yet being inclusive of many tourist resorts and attractions as well as the less populated farm and more remote natural areas. Borgarbyggð thus refers to the suburban and populated areas as well as the more rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
and less populated areas, while the name Borgafjorður resembles more and describes in detail the actual fjord and surrounding beaches as a natural habitat.