Þingvellir (Icelandic: Thing Fields), is a place in the administrative district of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland,
near the Reykjanes peninsula and the Hengill volcanic area. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance
and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. It lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
It is at the northern end of Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.
Alþingi (Althing in English), the Icelandic Parliament, was established at Þingvellir in 930, and remained there until 1798.
Þingvellir National Park (or Thingvellir National Park) was founded in 1930, marking the 1,000th anniversary of the Althing.
It was later expanded to protect natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and became a World Heritage Site in 2004.
Gullfoss ("Golden Falls") is a waterfall located in the canyon of Hvítá river in southwest Iceland.
Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. The wide Hvítá rushes southward.
About a kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the right and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase"
and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 m and 21 m) into a crevice 32 m (105 ft) deep.
The Goðafoss (Icelandic: waterfall of the gods or waterfall of the goði) is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland.
It is located in the Bárðardalur district of North-Central Iceland at the beginning of the Sprengisandur highland road.
The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters.
In the year 999 or 1000 the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland.
After his conversion it is said that upon returning from the Alþingi, Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall.
Þorgeir's story is preserved in Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók.
A window in the Cathedral of Akureyri (Akureyrarkirkja) illustrates this story.
Dettifoss is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe.
Dettifoss is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland.
The falls are 100 metres (330 ft) wide and have a drop of 45 metres (150 ft) down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon.
It is the largest waterfall in Iceland in terms of volume discharge, having an average water flow of 193 m3/s.
On the west bank there are no facilities and the view on the waterfall is somewhat hindered by the waterfall's spray.
Dettifoss is located on the Diamond Circle, a popular tourist route around Húsavík and Lake Mývatn in North Iceland.
The Svartifoss ( black waterfall , after the color of the surrounding rock ) is located in Skaftafell National Park in eastern Iceland.
It lies in the municipality of Hornafjörður.
The Stórilækur ( large stream ) tumbles over a cliff edge, which is framed by basalt columns like organ pipes and flows further into Vestragil ( West Canyon ).
Downstream follow the Magnúsarfoss , Hundafoss and Þjóðafoss. As the name of the river suggests there is not a more powerful, water-rich waterfall.
The waterfall can be reached on foot from the campsite and Information Centre Skaftafell in a good half hour.
Below the waterfall are the remains of a small power plant available. From here the nearby farms were supplied.
Skógafoss is a waterfall situated on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliffs of the former coastline.
After the coastline had receded seaward (it is now at a distance of about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) from Skógar), the former sea cliffs remained,
parallel to the coast over hundreds of kilometres, creating together with some mountains a clear border between the coastal lowlands and the Highlands of Iceland.
The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft).
Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days.
According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall.
The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again.
The ring was allegedly given to the local church. The old church door ring is now in a museum, though whether it gives any credence to the folklore is debatable
