Vestmannaeyjar trip planner

Vestmannaeyjar is a town and archipelago off the south coast of Iceland.The largest island, Heimaey, has a population of 4,135. The other islands are uninhabited, although six have single hunting cabins. Vestmannaeyjar came to international attention in 1973 with the eruption of Eldfell volcano, which destroyed many buildings and forced a months-long evacuation of the entire population to mainland Iceland. Approximately one fifth of the town was destroyed before the lava flow was halted by application of 6.8 billion litres of cold sea water.GeographyThe Vestmannaeyjar archipelago is young in geological terms. The islands lie in the Southern Icelandic Volcanic Zone and have been formed by eruptions over the past 10,000–12,000 years. The volcanic system consists of 70–80 volcanoes both above and below the sea.Vestmannaeyjar comprises the following islands:Heimaey (13.4km2)Surtsey (1.4km2)Elliðaey (0.45km2)Bjarnarey (0.32km2)Álsey (0.25km2)Suðurey (0.20km2)Brandur (0.1km2)Hellisey (0.1km2)Súlnasker (0.03km2)Geldungur (0.02km2)Geirfuglasker (Vestmannaeyjar) (0.02km2)the islands Hani, Hæna, Hrauney and the skerry Grasleysa are called Smáeyjar (small islands). Total: 16.3km2