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Akureyri
Akureyri is Iceland's second-largest town and the undisputed capital of North Iceland, with a population of around 20,000 people sitting at the innermost point of Eyjafjörður, Iceland's longest fjord, about 100 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. Despite its modest size, it functions as a fully equipped city with a university, hospital, airport with domestic and international connections, a botanical garden that is one of the northernmost in the world, a ski resort on the mountain directly above the town, a geothermal spa, and a thriving restaurant and café scene. The town is perhaps best known internationally for its heart-shaped traffic lights, changed from the usual round shape during an economic downturn in 2008 as a gesture of optimism and never changed back. It serves as the natural base for exploring the Diamond Circle route, which connects Mývatn, Goðafoss, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi, and Húsavík.