Norðurþing Municipality was formed in a merger of four municipalities following municipal elections in May 2006. The municipalities that emerged were Húsavíkurbær (Húsavík), Kelduneshreppur, Öxarfjarðarhreppur and Raufarhafnarhreppur.
The toal number of inhabitants in Norðurþing is approximately 2900, about 86% of the population live in Húsavík (2200) and the small villages Raufarhöfn (200) and Kópasker (120). The remaining population lives in rural areas, mostly east of Húsavík.
The municipality is one of the largest in Iceland in geographic terms or a total of 3800 km2. The road from Húsavík to Raufarhöfn, the northernmost village in the municipality is 138 km.
Norðuþing runs three elementary schools as well as being one of four municipalities which jountly run an elementary school serving children from rural areas south of Húsavík. It also runs a music school in connection with all elementary schools and three kindergartens, or playschools. Big emphasis is on cooperation between all elementary schools, the music schools and kindergartens.
There are four swimming pools and sports halls in Norðurþing, three ports, three general service stations, three public libraries, four local community houses and three fire departments.
In addition to overseeing and organizing festivities in connection with holidays such as the National day, Christmas and New Years, the municipality is responsible for three local cultural "fairs" in three different locations. In the fall, Raufarhöfn focuses on a week of culture and entertainment, cultural day in Kópasker is in the first Saturday of December and the Húsavík festival, Sweet days and Swedish days, are held in the third week of July.
