Village in Northeast Constituency, Iceland
Raufarhofn
(
Icelandic pronunciation:
[?rœyːvar?hœpn?]
) is a village located on the northeastern tip of the
Melrakkasletta
[?m?l?rahka?stlj?hta]
peninsula in
Iceland
.
History
[
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]
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 Raufarhofn 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
Voluspa
(Prophecy of the Seeress).
[3]
Sights
[
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]
The church was built in 1928 by
Guðjon Samuelsson
, 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
[?heim?skœyts?c?rð?]
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
[
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]
Raufarhofn village
The climate is tundra (Koppen:
ET
). As the northernmost community of mainland
Iceland
, Raufarhofn is also the coldest with an annual average of 2.7 °C (36.9 °F).
[8]
| Climate data for Raufarhofn, 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
]
Raufarhofn Airport
is located approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the village.
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
