Húnaflói

Húnaflói
Location of Húnaflói in Iceland
Location	Northwestern Region and Westfjords
Coordinates	65°50′N 20°50′W
Type	Bay
Etymology	húnn meaning 'polar bear cub'[1] + flói meaning 'bay'[2]
Ocean/sea sources	Iceland Sea
Max. length	100 km (60 mi)
Max. width	50 km (30 mi)
Surface area	188.8 km^2 (70 sq mi)
Islands	Grímsey [is] Hrútey [is]
Settlements	Blönduós Drangsnes Hólmavík Hvammstangi Skagaströnd

Húnaflói (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhuːnaˌflouːɪ], lit. 'Polar Bear Cub Bay') is a bay of the Iceland Sea in Northwestern Region and Westfjords, Iceland. It is situated between the village of Strandir on Vestfirðir peninsula to the west and the Skagaströnd of Skagi [is] peninsula to the east. Spanning 188.8 km² (70 sq mi), it has a maximum width of about 50 km (30 mi) and length of 100 km (60 mi).^[3]

The Battle of the Gulf (Icelandic: Flóabardagi) was a naval battle on 25 June 1244 in Húnaflói, during the Age of the Sturlungs civil war. A detailed description of the battle can be found in Sturlunga saga.

Panorama of dunes of river ice on the edge of Húnaflói, cast ashore by wind, surf, and tide on the beach at Blönduós in November 2007. Vatnsnes peninsula is to the east, and Ballafjöll mountain in the Westfjords appears to the northeast.

Fauna

The bay has been proposed as a protected area for harbor seals.^[4]

References

1. Svavar Sigmundsson (7 December 2016). "Hvaðan er forskeytið húna í Húnaflóa komið?". Vísindavefurinn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
2. Williams, Richard S. (October 1995). "Icelandic-English Glossary of Selected Geoscience Terms (USGS Open-file Report 95-807)". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
3. "Náttúruminjaskrá: Húnaflói". Icelandic Institute of Natural History (in Icelandic and English). 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
4. "Leggja til að Rjúkandi og Hvalá verði friðuð" (in Icelandic). RÚV. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2022.