East Iceland

East Iceland has long been shaped by fishing, trade and farming communities living along narrow fjords and beneath steep mountain walls. For centuries the region was relatively isolated from the rest of the country — the surrounding mountains and glaciers made overland travel difficult, so communities developed strong local identities and maintained close ties with the sea.

The town of Seyðisfjörður became a vital gateway to Europe when Norwegian herring merchants established a trading post there in the 19th century. In 1906, Iceland received its first connection to the outside world when a submarine telegraph cable landed at Seyðisfjörður, linking the island to Scotland and beyond. This made the East a surprisingly cosmopolitan corner of Iceland long before the age of aviation.

The interior of East Iceland is dominated by Vatnajökull — Europe's largest glacier — whose outwash plains and glacial rivers carved the valleys and lakes that define the region today. Lake Lagarfljót, clouded by glacial silt, gave rise to Iceland's most enduring monster legend: the Lagarfljótsormurinn, a serpent first recorded in 1345 and reportedly spotted to this day.

In recent years East Iceland has gained international attention for the discovery of Stuðlagil Canyon — a hidden gorge of towering basalt columns revealed only after a hydroelectric project lowered the river level in 2009, making it one of Iceland's newest and most spectacular natural wonders.