Akranes

Akranes, town (1993 pop. 5,233), SW Iceland, on a peninsula in the Faxaflói. It is a fishing port and industrial center, with a huge cement plant.

Akranes, Iceland

Town seal
City nickname: "Skaginn"
Location of west seaport Akranes (left/center)
County	Akraneskaupstaður
Constituency	Northwest
Area	8.2 km² (3.17mi²)
Population (July 2008)	6,549
Density	771.0/km²
Postal code	300
Latitude / Longitude
Municipal website

Akranes is seaport town of 6,549 people (July 1 2008 est.) on the west coast of Iceland.

History

The town started to form in the 19th century as a fishing village, and in 1942, it was formally chartered and in the following years, experienced the biggest surge in population in its history.

Industry has been a big and growing employer: a cement plant has been operated in the town since the 1950s, and an aluminum smelting plant has been in operation near the town since 1998.

Currently

The fishing industry remains the town’s most important source of employment, but commerce is also a significant employer as Akranes acts as a service center for a large rural region surrounding it.

The town is expected to grow further in the coming years because of growing industry and improvements of transportation to the Reykjavík area, following the construction of the 5.57 km long Hvalfjörður Tunnel which was opened in 1998, one of the world’s longest underwater road tunnels.

Akranes' has a strong football tradition and the local team, ÍA, has for many years been among the best of the Icelandic football league. Former Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal midfielder Siggi Jonsson was born in Akranes and had three spells as a player with IA.

External links

• official site
• local museum
• Information about Akranes