Hvalfjörður
Encyclopedia
Hvalfjörður is situated in the west of Iceland
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...

 between Mosfellsbær
Mosfellsbær
Mosfellsbær is a town in south-west Iceland, situated some east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. It has a total area of and its population as of September, 2011 was 8,886....

 and Akranes
Akranes
Akranes 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...

. The fjord is approximately 30 km long and 5 km wide.

The name Hvalfjörður is derived from the large number of whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...

s which could be found and caught there. Until the 1980s, one of the biggest whaling stations in Iceland was located in this fjord. In the past the fjord also contained a large number of herring fisheries.

During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, a naval base
Naval base
A naval base is a military base, where warships and naval ships are deployed when they have no mission at sea or want to restock. Usually ships may also perform some minor repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usually stay on the ships but are undergoing maintenance while...

 of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 navies could be found in this fjord. One of the piers built by the United States Navy was later used by the Hvalur whaling company, until commercial whaling was shut down in the 1980s.

Until the late 1990s, those travelling by car had to make a long detour of 62 km around the fjord on the hringvegur
Route 1 (Iceland)
Route 1 or the Ring Road is a main road in Iceland that runs around the island and connects all habitable parts of the country . The total length of the road is ....

 (road no.1), in order to get from the city of 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...

 to 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...

. As of 1998, the tunnel Hvalfjarðargöngin, which shortens the trip considerably, was opened to public traffic. The tunnel is approximately 5,762 m in length, and cuts travel by car around the fjord by about an hour. The tunnel runs to a depth of 165 m below sea level.

The innermost part of the fjord shows an interesting mixture of volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

 mountains and green vegetation in summertime. At Botnsá f.ex. lupin
Lupin
Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins or lupines , is a genus in the legume family . The genus comprises about 280 species , with major centers of diversity in South and western North America , and the Andes and secondary centers in the Mediterranean region and Africa Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins...

s are to be seen, different sorts of other flowers and moss, as well as small forests of birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...

wood and conifers. The area displays a good example of the planting of forests, a project that has been going on in Iceland for some years.

A hiking trail to the highest waterfall in Iceland
Waterfalls of Iceland
Iceland is unusually suited for waterfalls. This small island country has a north Atlantic climate that produces frequent rain or snow and a near-Arctic location that produces large glaciers, whose summer melts feed many rivers...

, Glymur
Glymur
The waterfall Glymur, with a cascade of 196 m, is the highest waterfall of Iceland.It is situated at the rear end of the Hvalfjörður. Since the opening of the tunnel under this fjord, most people bypass the area...

, has its origin at the innermost end of the fjord.

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