Counties of Iceland
Encyclopedia
Iceland
is traditionally divided into 23 counties
, sýslur, and 25 independent towns, kaupstaðir. Today this division is no longer significant as far as administration is concerned. Iceland is now split up between 26 sýslumenn
(magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police
(except in Reykjavík
where there is a special office of police commissioner) and carry out administrative functions such as declaring bankruptcy
and marrying
people outside of the church. The jurisdictions of these magistrates often follow the lines of the traditional counties but not always. When speaking of these new "administrative" counties the custom is to associate them with the county seats rather than using the names of the traditional counties, even when they cover the same area.
in 1983. Since then, the laws regarding municipalities
have been changed in such a way that there is no longer any distinction made between urban or rural municipalities.
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...
is traditionally divided into 23 counties
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
, sýslur, and 25 independent towns, kaupstaðir. Today this division is no longer significant as far as administration is concerned. Iceland is now split up between 26 sýslumenn
Sýslumaður
Sýslumaður is an office or title created in Iceland when it submitted to the King of Norway in 1262-1264. This sort of office had already been established in Norway, called sysselmann in contemporary Norwegian...
(magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
(except in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
where there is a special office of police commissioner) and carry out administrative functions such as declaring bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and marrying
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
people outside of the church. The jurisdictions of these magistrates often follow the lines of the traditional counties but not always. When speaking of these new "administrative" counties the custom is to associate them with the county seats rather than using the names of the traditional counties, even when they cover the same area.
Composition
Independent towns (kaupstaðir) were first created in the 18th century as urbanization began in Iceland, this practice continued into the 1980s the last town that was declared an independent town was ÓlafsvíkÓlafsvík
Ólafsvík is a fishing town on the western end of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland., it had 1,010 inhabitants. It is situated in the county of Snæfellsnes- og Hnappadalssýsla, in the region of Vesturland and it is the administrative centre of the municipality of Snæfellsbær.-Overview:Because of...
in 1983. Since then, the laws regarding municipalities
Municipalities of Iceland
The municipalities of Iceland are local administrative areas in Iceland that provide a number of services to their inhabitants such as kindergartens, elementary schools, waste management, social services, public housing, public transportation, services to senior citizens and handicapped people...
have been changed in such a way that there is no longer any distinction made between urban or rural municipalities.
Traditional counties
The traditional counties are:- ÁrnessýslaÁrnessýslaÁrnessýsla is a large county of south-western Iceland. It has an area of 8287 km². In 2004, its population was 6,778....
- Austur-Barðastrandarsýsla
- Austur-HúnavatnssýslaAustur-HúnavatnssýslaAustur-Húnavatnssýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Norðurland vestra region of the country....
- Austur-SkaftafellssýslaAustur-SkaftafellssýslaAustur-Skaftafellssýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Austurland region of the country....
- BorgarfjarðarsýslaBorgarfjarðarsýslaBorgarfjarðarsýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Vesturland region of the country. Its only city is Akranes. Along the southern border of the county with Kjósarsýsla, is the waterfall Glymur located, witch is notable for being Iceland's tallest waterfall....
- DalasýslaDalasýslaDalasýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Vesturland region of the country. Its only city is Búðardalur....
- Eyjafjarðarsýsla
- GullbringusýslaGullbringusýslaGullbringusýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Suðurnes region. Its cities are Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær, Garður, Sandgerði, Vogar and Grindavík. Internationally known places within the region include Keflavik international airport and the Blue Lagoon....
- Kjósarsýsla
- MýrasýslaMýrasýslaMýrasýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Vesturland region of the country. Its only city is Borgarnes....
- Norður-ÍsafjarðarsýslaNorður-ÍsafjarðarsýslaNorður-Ísafjarðarsýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Westfjords region of the country. Its cities are Bolungarvik and the municipality Ísafjörður. The county includes a non-human habitat zone, called Hornstrandir, which is also the most northern point of the westfjords region. The...
- Norður-MúlasýslaNorður-MúlasýslaNorður-Múlasýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Austurland region of the country....
- Norður-ÞingeyjarsýslaNorður-ÞingeyjarsýslaNorður-Þingeyjarsýsla is a county in northeastern Iceland. It includes Hraunhafnartangi, the northernmost point in mainland Iceland....
- RangárvallasýslaRangárvallasýslaRangárvallasýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Suðurland region of the country....
- SkagafjarðarsýslaSkagafjarðarsýslaSkagafjarðarsýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Norðurland vestra region of the country....
- Snæfellsnes-og Hnappadalssýsla
- StrandasýslaStrandasýslaStrandasýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Westfjords region of the country....
- Suður-MúlasýslaSuður-MúlasýslaSuður-Múlasýsla is a county in eastern Iceland. It includes Gerpir, the easternmost point in Iceland....
- Suður-ÞingeyjarsýslaSuður-ÞingeyjarsýslaSuður-Þingeyjarsýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Norðurland eystra region of the country....
- Vestur-Barðastrandarsýsla
- Vestur-HúnavatnssýslaVestur-HúnavatnssýslaVestur-Húnavatnssýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Norðurland vestra region of the country....
- Vestur-ÍsafjarðarsýslaVestur-ÍsafjarðarsýslaVestur-Ísafjarðarsýsla is a county of Iceland. It is located in the Westfjords region of the country. Its cities are all in one municipality called Ísafjörður....
- Vestur-SkaftafellssýslaVestur-SkaftafellssýslaVestur-Skaftafellssýsla is a county in southern Iceland. It includes Kötlutangi, the southernmost point in mainland Iceland....
Independent towns
The 24 independent towns are:- ÁlftanesÁlftanesÁlftanes is a town, municipality and low-lying peninsula which extrudes from the eastern part of Reykjanes, located in Iceland's Greater Reykjavík Area....
- AkranesAkranesAkranes is a port town and municipality located on the west coast of Iceland.It is the ninth most populous town in Iceland after Mosfellsbær and Árborg with a population of 6,623 people...
- AkureyriAkureyriAkureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality ....
- BolungarvíkBolungarvíkBolungarvík is a fishing village and municipality in the North-West of Iceland, located at the Vestfirðir peninsula, approximately 14 kilometres from the town of Ísafjörður and 473 km from the capital city Reykjavík....
- DalvíkDalvíkDalvíkurbyggð is a municipality in the north of Iceland.The population of the municipality is about 2,000- History :The municipality of Dalvíkurbyggð was formed in 1998 by the merger of three districts of outer Eyjafjörður: the town of Dalvík and the rural districts of Svarfaðardalur and Árskógur...
- Eskifjörður
- GarðabærGarðabærGarðabær is a municipality in the Greater Reykjavík area of Iceland.As of January 2011, its population was 10,909....
- GrindavíkGrindavíkGrindavík is a fishing town at the peninsula of Reykjanes at the south-western coast of Iceland.It is one of the few cities with a harbour at this coast. Most of the 2,800 inhabitants work in the fishing industry...
- HafnarfjörðurHafnarfjörðurHafnarfjörður is a port town and municipality located on the south-west coast of Iceland, about 10 km south of Reykjavík....
- HúsavíkHúsavíkHúsavík is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,237 inhabitants.-Overview:The income of the inhabitants is derived from tourism and fishing, as well as retail and small industry...
- ÍsafjörðurÍsafjörðurÍsafjörður is a town in the north west of Iceland, seat of Ísafjarðarbær municipality.The town draws its name from the fjord and the fjord was given its name simultaneously to the island...
- KeflavíkKeflavíkKeflavík is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. In 2009 its population was of 8,169.In 1995 it merged with Njarðvík and Hafnir to form a municipality called Reykjanesbær with a population of 13,971 .- History :...
- KópavogurKópavogurKópavogur is a city and Iceland's second largest municipality, with a population of 30,779.It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Greater Reykjavík Area. The name literally means seal pup bay...
- NeskaupstaðurNeskaupstaðurNeskaupstaður is a town located on the fjord Norðfjörður on the eastern side of Iceland. It is part of the municipality of Fjarðabyggð and, as of 2011, it has a population of 1,437.-History:...
- ÓlafsfjörðurÓlafsfjörðurÓlafsfjörður is a town in the northeast of Iceland located at the mouth of the fjord Eyjafjörður.The town is connected to Eyjafjordur via a 3.5 km one-lane tunnel...
- ÓlafsvíkÓlafsvíkÓlafsvík is a fishing town on the western end of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland., it had 1,010 inhabitants. It is situated in the county of Snæfellsnes- og Hnappadalssýsla, in the region of Vesturland and it is the administrative centre of the municipality of Snæfellsbær.-Overview:Because of...
- ReykjavíkReykjavíkReykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
- SauðárkrókurSauðárkrókurSauðárkrókur is a town in Skagafjörður in northern Iceland and a part of the municipality of Skagafjörður.Sauðárkrókur is the largest town in Northwest Iceland and the second-largest town on the north coast of Iceland, with a population of 2,635. It is the centre for commerce and services in the...
- Selfoss
- SeltjarnarnesSeltjarnarnesSeltjarnarnes is an Icelandic township located within the Greater Reykjavík area.It took on its current political form shortly after the Second World War and was formally created as a township in 1947. It is the smallest Icelandic township by land ....
- SeyðisfjörðurSeyðisfjörðurSeyðisfjörður is a town and municipality in the Eastfjords of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name.As of January 2011, the town has 668 inhabitants....
- SiglufjörðurSiglufjörðurSiglufjörður is a small fishing town in a narrow fjord with the same name on the northern coast of Iceland.Population in January 2011 was 1,206 but the town has been shrinking in size since the 1950s when the town reached its peak with 3,000 inhabitants....
- Vestmannaeyjar
See also
- Farthings of IcelandFarthings of IcelandHistorically, Iceland was divided into four landsfjórðungar or farthings, that were named after the Cardinal directions. These were administrative divisions established in 965 for the purpose of organising regional assemblies and for regional courts...
- Regions of IcelandRegions of Iceland|There are eight regions of Iceland, mainly used for statistical purposes. The district court jurisdictions also follow this division. The postal code system follows the regions as well with a few exceptions. Before 2003 the regions were also used as constituencies for elections to Alþingi...
- Municipalities of IcelandMunicipalities of IcelandThe municipalities of Iceland are local administrative areas in Iceland that provide a number of services to their inhabitants such as kindergartens, elementary schools, waste management, social services, public housing, public transportation, services to senior citizens and handicapped people...
- Constituencies of IcelandConstituencies of IcelandIceland is divided into 6 constituencies for the purpose of selecting representatives to the Alþingi .-History:The current division was established by a 1999 constitution amendment and was an attempt to balance the weight of different districts of the country whereby voters in the rural districts...