Akranes

Akraneskaupstaður
Akraneskaupstaður
Municipality
	July 2008 aerial view of Akranes.
	Coat of arms
	Location of the municipality
	Akraneskaupstaður
	Coordinates: Coordinates: 64°18′57″N 22°05′41″W / 64.3158059°N 22.09466°W
Country	Iceland
Region	Western Region
Constituency	Northwest Constituency
Government
• Mayor	Sævar Freyr Þráinsson
Area
• Total	9 km2 (3 sq mi)
Population (2019)
• Total	7,411
• Density	823.44/km2 (2,132.7/sq mi)
Postal code(s)	300, 301, 302
Municipal number	3000
Website	akranes.is

Akranes (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈaːkraˌnɛːs]) is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around 50 km (31 mi)north of the capital Reykjavík.

Langisandur in Akranes

The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942.

HistoryEdit

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 aluminum smelting plant has been in operation near the town since 1998.

Economy and sportEdit

The fishing industry remains the town's most important source of employment; commerce is also a significant employer, as Akranes acts as a service center for the 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 (3.46 mi) Hvalfjörður Tunnel, which was opened in 1998 and is one of the world's longest underwater road tunnels.

Akranes has a strong soccer tradition. The local team, Íþróttabandalag Akraness (ÍA), 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.

Notable peopleEdit

Akranes was the birthplace of the Atom poet Jón Óskar and footballers Ríkharður Jónsson and Arnór Sigurðsson.

SportEdit

The town is home to Football club Íþróttabandalag Akraness, who currently play in the Úrvalsdeild karla. The town is also home to second division club Knattspyrnufélagið Kári.