| Official Name: | Vestfirðir |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Iceland |
| Seat: | Ísafjörður |
| Area Total Km2: | 22271 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 7115 |
| Population Density Km2: | 0.3 |
The Westfjords or West Fjords (Icelandic: Vestfirðir, pronounced as /is/, : IS-4) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative region, the least populous in the country. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a seven-kilometre-wide isthmus between Gilsfjörður in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈcɪlsˌfjœrðʏr̥/ and Bitrufjörður in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈpɪːtrʏˌfjœrðʏr̥/. The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads very circuitous and communications by land difficult. In addition many of the roads are closed by ice and snow for several months of the year. The Vestfjarðagöng road tunnel from 1996 has improved that situation. The cliffs at Látrabjarg comprise the longest bird cliff in the northern Atlantic Ocean and are at the westernmost point in Iceland. The Drangajökull glacier is located in the north of the peninsula and is the fifth-largest of the country, but the only glacier of the region. Westfjords is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.[1]
The lack of flat lowlands in the area limits the potential for agriculture, which is mostly restricted to low-intensity sheep grazing near the fjords. Good natural harbors in many of the fjords and their proximity to fishing areas are vital for the local economy. The Westfjords are very sparsely populated, even by Icelandic standards: the total population in 2020 was 7,115. The district capital and by far the largest settlement is Ísafjörður (population around 4,000).
| population | % of Iceland's population | ||
| 1920 | 13,443 | 14.24% | |
| 1930 | 13,133 | 12.09% | |
| 1940 | 13,130 | 10.80% | |
| 1950 | 11,300 | 7.83% | |
| 1960 | 10,507 | 5.86% | |
| 1970 | 10,050 | 4.91% | |
| 1980 | 10,479 | 4.53% | |
| 1990 | 9,798 | 3.80% | |
| 2000 | 8,150 | 2.86% | |
| 2007 | 7,309 | 2.32% | |
| 2020 | 7,115 | 1.95% |
The box is for Göltur in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈkɔl̥tʏr̥/, at the tip of the peninsula 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Ísafjörður. Westfjords is generally the coldest area at sea level in Iceland, because of the East Greenland Current.
In 1615, 32 shipwrecked Basque whalers were killed by locals, after which the magistrate made it law that any Basque person seen in the region should be instantly killed. This law was repealed in May 2015.[2]
The Westfjords are famous for their large Arctic Fox population. The density of Arctic Fox in some parts of Hornstrandir nature reserve (such as Hornvik) is the highest in the world.
In addition, Látrabjarg cliffs in the south-west of the peninsula are the most important seabird nesting site in Iceland, and one of the most important in Europe. The most common birds in the Westfjords are the Arctic tern, northern fulmar, black-legged kittiwake, Atlantic puffin, common guillemot, black guillemot, red-necked phalarope and ducks such as the common eider and harlequin duck.