Frankfurt - Iceland has just inaugurated a new national park which is the biggest in Europe, according to the country's tourist information office in Frankfurt. The 13,000 square-kilometre Vatnajokull National Park in southern Iceland takes up 13 per cent of the country's total area.
The park's main feature is the 8,000 square-kilometre Vatnajokull Glacier which is in an area with six active volcanoes offering visitors a natural combination of fire and ice.
Skaftafell National Park has been incorporated into the new park and the visitors' centre can be found there too.
A second centre is being built near the 3.5 kilometre-long Asbyrgi Canyon.
Another four visitors' centre are scheduled to open by 2012 and the number of rangers' stations is to increase from four to 11.
Around 10 million euros (16 million dollars) are being invested in the new park's infrastructure.
Iceland hopes Vatnajokull will boost tourist numbers to the island by between 5 and 7 per cent.
Internet: www.visiticeland.com.
