Vatnajokull National Park is a national park in southeastern Iceland, established in 2008 by merging two earlier national parks with the surrounding highlands, and centered on Vatnajokull, the largest ice cap in Iceland and one of the largest in Europe by volume. The park covers a substantial share of Iceland's total land area, encompassing subglacial volcanoes, including Bardarbunga and Grimsvotn, alongside glacial rivers, waterfalls and canyons carved by repeated volcanic and glacial activity. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 and is administered by the Icelandic Environment Agency.
Facts
Classification
Governance TypeGovernance by Government 1 International DesignationUNESCO World Heritage Site 2 Designation Category Established Year Area (sq km) Governing Body
Governing Body (category)National park public institution 1 Sources
1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Vatnajökull National Park - Dynamic Nature of Fire and Ice
UNESCO World Heritage CentreJustification, protection and management requirementsQuote, Justification, protection and management requirements
The government agency Vatnajökull National Park (Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður) is the primary state agency responsible for implementing the park legislation, and is an effective organization, supported at all levels by the Icelandic government, local municipalities and businesses.
2. Vatnajokull National Park - Wikipedia
Extract
is one of three national parks in Iceland
Infobox: established
June 7, 2008
Infobox, area
14,967 km2
Lead section
On 5 July 2019 Vatnajökull National Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
Part Of: Iceland, Lead paragraph
[ˈvahtnaˌjœːkʏlsˌθjouðˌkarðʏr̥] ) is one of three national parks in Iceland,
On Continent: Europe, Lead paragraph names Iceland; continent follows from the atlas record for Iceland
pronounced [ˈvahtnaˌjœːkʏlsˌθjouðˌkarðʏr̥] ) is one of three national parks in Iceland
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