Northwestern Region
Northwestern Region shows persistence through isolation: just 7,322 people at 0.6/km² maintain sheep farming traditions while the 2024 Silver Circle route attempts tourism diversification—Iceland's emptiest inhabited mainland region.
The Northwestern Region exists because isolation preserves—and because Iceland's least accessible mainland territory became a living museum of traditional farming. With just 7,322 residents across vast lowlands at 0.6 people/km², Norðurland vestra is Iceland's emptiest inhabited region. Sauðárkrókur (2,609 residents) anchors a territory where sheep farming persists because alternatives never arrived. The landscape's signature—Hvítserkur, a 15-meter basalt sea stack shaped by millennia of waves—symbolizes the region's geological patience. Part of the Hofsjökull glacier anchors the southern boundary, feeding rivers that never powered aluminum smelters or attracted hydroelectric projects. The Ring Road (Route 1) provides the only substantial tourism infrastructure, with hotels clustered along its path. Unlike the Westfjords' dramatic depopulation, Norðurland vestra maintained population stability through agricultural subsidies and state employment—a managed decline rather than collapse. The 'Silver Circle' tourism route (launched 2024) attempts to market the Borgarfjörður region's geothermal sites and cultural heritage as year-round destinations, but infrastructure remains sparse. By 2026, the region's fate depends on whether agricultural policy and remote work enable rural persistence or acceleration toward Capital Region concentration.