As a young person, I always thought it was unfortunate how low the mountains are in Iceland compared to other islands on the Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic. Even Jan Mayen, to the north of Iceland, has a higher mountain, Beerenberg, which stands at 2,277 meters, despite the island’s area being only 0.3% of Iceland’s. On the Azores, the highest mountain is Mount Pico, reaching 2,351 meters, while the next island to the south, Madeira, has its highest peak at only 1,862 meters, almost the same height as Snæfellsjökull to the east.
Thus, Madeira is the only island on the Atlantic Ridge with a lower highest point than our own Hvannadalshnúkur in Öræfajökull, which stands at 2,110 meters. The highest mountain in the Canary Islands is Teide on Tenerife, which is 3,715 meters high, while the volcano Pico do Fogo on Cape Verde rises from the sea floor to 2,829 meters above sea level..
Austur-Skaftafellssýsla 2020/2022 : A7R IV : FE 1.8/135mm GM, FE 1.4/85mm GM
Photos and text : Páll Stefánsson
