VESTMANNA ISLANDS

Vestmanna also spelled Vestmann, or WestmanIcelandic Vestmannaeyjar group of 14 small Icelandic islands off Iceland's southern shore. They have a total area of about 8 square miles (21 square km). Volcanic in origin, the islands are rocky and barren, with precipitous cliffs up to 1,000 feet (300 m) in height rising straight up from the Atlantic Ocean. The largest and only inhabited island is Heimaey, 4 miles (6 km) in length, on which the town of Vestmannaeyjar is located. Cod fishing and some limited farming are the chief economic activities. The fiery emergence in 196367 of the volcanic isle of Surtsey, 14 miles (23 km) southwest, covered the island group with a layer of ash.