Flateyri
| Flateyri | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Location of the Municipality of Ísafjarðarbær |
|
 Flateyri
|
|
| Coordinates: 66°03′N 23°31′W / 66.050°N 23.517°W | |
| Country |
 Iceland
|
| Constituency | Northwest Constituency |
| Region | Westfjords |
| Municipality | Ísafjarðarbær |
| Population (January 2011) | |
| • Total | around 180 |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
Flateyri is a village situated in Iceland's Westfjords. With a population of approximately 180, it is the largest settlement in Önundarfjörður.
Flateyri has been a trading post since 1792, and temporarily became a major whaling center in the 19th century. In October 1995 an avalanche hit the village, destroying 29 homes and killing 20 people. Since then a deflecting dam has been built to protect the village from any further avalanches. In the 1990s, Flateyri prospered as a fishing village and, but after the 2008–11 financial crisis hit its main fishing companies shut down and many people left. A German fishing company has set up base in Flateyri and is currently fishing in and just out of Önundarfjörður.
The Esso gas station in Flateyri was the subject of a Belgian documentary in a series about gas stations around the world. The avalanche 1995 was also a subject of a feature documentary, 66°23 North West (The Day of The Avalanche), which premiered in a Reykjavik cinema on the 15th anniversary of the avalanche in 2010.
Coordinates: 66°03′N 23°31′W / 66.050°N 23.517°W
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