Surtsey, IcelandSurtsey, Iceland
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surtsey_Island1.jpg
Author: CanonS2
photo licensing

Surtsey is a volcanic island off the southern coast of Iceland. It is an island that emerged from under the sea on 14 November, 1963.

Surtsey was the result of a volcanic eruption that took place 130 meters (426 feet) below the surface of the sea. The eruption was continuous until 5 June, 1967, by which time the island of Surtsey had reached its maximum size of 2.7 square kilometers. Since then it has steadily reduced in size caused by wave erosion. By 2002, Surtsey is only 1.4 square kilometers.

The island of Surtsey was named after Surtr, the fire giant of Norse mythology. The emergence of this new island gave scientists and opportunity to study the flora and fauna that colonises it over time.

Surtsey was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee which was held in Quebec City, Canada, on 2 - 10 July, 2008.

Surtsey in the mistSurtsey in the mist
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surstey_Island2.jpg
Author: CanonS2
photo licensing

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 63 18 11 W 20 36 8 32 km off the coast of Iceland
Inscription Year: 2008
Type of Site: Natural
Inscription Criteria: IX

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website



Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.

Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.