Westman Islands

The Vestmannaeyjar, or Westman Islands, form an archipelago off the south coast of Iceland, with Heimaey as the only inhabited island. The islands are geologically young — Surtsey, the southernmost, emerged from the sea in 1963 — and in 1973 a volcanic eruption on Heimaey buried part of the town and extended the island's landmass. Puffin colonies nest on the cliffs in large numbers each summer, and the Eldheimar museum documents the 1973 eruption.