🇮🇸 Akranes is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around 50 km (31 mi) north of the capital Reykjavík.
The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942.
History Akranes was settled in the 9th century by the brothers Þormóður and Ketill, sons of Bresi, who came from Ireland. The town started to form in the mid-17th century as a fishing village. In 1942, it was formally chartered, and in the following years it had 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 aluminium smelting plant has been in operation near the town since 1998.
Economy The fishing industry remains the town's most important source of employment. Akranes also acts as a service centre for the large rural region surrounding it.
The town is expected to grow in the coming years because of an increase in industrial activity and improvements in transportation to the Reykjavík area. The 5.57 km-long (3.46 mi) Hvalfjörður Tunnel, opened in 1998, is one of the world's longest underwater road tunnels.
Sport Akranes has a strong football tradition. The local team, Íþróttabandalag Akraness (ÍA), which currently plays in the Úrvalsdeild karla, has for many years been among the best of the Icelandic football league system. Ríkharður Jónsson, who was born in the town, is often considered to be one of Iceland's finest footballers. He both played for and managed ÍA. Former Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal midfielder Siggi Jónsson was also born in Akranes and had three seasons as a player with ÍA. The town is also home to second division club Knattspyrnufélagið Kári.
Akranes has a population of over 8,000 people. Akranes also forms part of the wider Western Region which has a population of over 16,662 people. It is also a part of the larger Iceland Country. Akranes is situated 50 km north of Reykjavík.
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Akranes has links with:
🇳🇴 Bamble, Norway 🇫🇮 Närpes, Finland 🇬🇱 Qaqortoq, Greenland 🇫🇴 Sørvágur, Faroe Islands 🇩🇰 Tønder, Denmark 🇸🇪 Västervik, Sweden🇷🇺 Arkhangelsk 64.538
🇷🇺 Severodvinsk 64.562
🇸🇪 Skellefteå 64.75
🇷🇺 Novy Urengoy 66.087
🇸🇳 Guédiawaye -17.394
🇲🇷 Nouadhibou -17.04
🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada -25.673
🇵🇹 Angra do Heroísmo -27.217
🇧🇷 João Pessoa -34.864
🇧🇷 João Pesso -34.867
Locations Near: Akranes -22.0947,64.3158
🇮🇸 Reykjavík -21.942,64.147 d: 20.1
🇮🇪 Castlebar -9.302,53.854 d: 1368.1
🇮🇪 Sligo -8.476,54.272 d: 1352.2
🇮🇪 Donegal -8.11,54.654 d: 1327.1
🇮🇪 Galway -9.064,53.277 d: 1432.6
🇮🇪 Letterkenny -7.72,54.957 d: 1311.2
🇮🇪 Tralee -9.705,52.269 d: 1516.6
Antipodal to: Akranes 157.905,-64.316
🇳🇿 Invercargill 168.373,-46.413 d: 17923.7
🇳🇿 Queenstown 168.658,-45.033 d: 17769.5
🇳🇿 Dunedin 170.474,-45.884 d: 17824.5
🇦🇺 Hobart 147.33,-42.883 d: 17539.5
🇦🇺 Rosny Park 147.367,-42.85 d: 17536.6
🇳🇿 Canterbury 171.58,-43.543 d: 17550.3
🇦🇺 Launceston 147.133,-41.433 d: 17378.4
🇳🇿 Christchurch 172.617,-43.517 d: 17524