Mývatn is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provides a habitat for a number of waterbirds, especially ducks.
The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars and rootless vents (pseudocraters). The effluent river Laxá is known for its rich fishing for brown trout and Atlantic salmon.
Mývatn, near Höfði Nature Park
Shore of Mývatn.
The plateau surrounding Mývatn. In the distance are Gæsafjöll (882m, left), Krafla (818m, centre-left, behind the dark Vindbelgur (529m)), Hverfjall (caldera at centre), Búrfell (953m, centre-right), and Bláfjall (1222m, right).
Panorama of Mývatn from the town of Skútustaðir, November 2007
Iceland is a Nordic island country between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is linked culturally and politically with Europe and is the region's most sparsely populated country. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the country's roughly 380,000 residents. The official language of the country is Icelandic.
Norsemen landing in Iceland – a 19th-century depiction by Oscar Wergeland
Ingólfr Arnarson (modern Icelandic: Ingólfur Arnarson), the first permanent Scandinavian settler
Ósvör, a replica of an old fishing outpost outside Bolungarvík
HMS Berwick led the British invasion of Iceland.