Kolbeinsey

Kolbeinsey is a small, remote basalt islet located to the north of Iceland and is one of the country’s northernmost emergent landforms. It has served as a maritime landmark and was historically used in discussions about Iceland’s northernmost territorial limits.

The islet is tiny and lacks permanent human structures or habitation; its geology is volcanic basalt and it is subject to strong oceanic waves and weather. Visitors do not land regularly and approach is difficult because of rough seas.

Over the 20th and 21st centuries Kolbeinsey has declined in size as wave action and erosion removed rock from the islet. The remaining rock is intermittently exposed depending on tides and storm events.

Kolbeinsey sits north of mainland Iceland in the Greenland Sea sector of the North Atlantic, well offshore from the nearest Icelandic coast and exposed to open ocean conditions.

• Erosion: The islet is uninhabited and has been shrinking due to wave erosion and sea action; it no longer supports vegetation across most of its surface.

Kolbeinsey lies far offshore and is not accessible to the public. Observations are made by specialized vessels from northern Icelandic ports; such trips are rare and heavily weather-dependent.

• Kolbeinsey is rapidly eroding and is not safe or legal to land on - observation by boat at a distance is the only realistic option.
• Boat sightings are weather-dependent; the islet is north of Iceland's mainland and seas can be rough year-round.
• If interested in maritime borders, search Icelandic government publications - Kolbeinsey is key to island territorial calculations.