The mountain is located on the Mýrdalssandur outwash plain about 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Vík í Mýrdal, and was an island in the Atlantic Ocean.

At the time of the settlement of Iceland, it was already connected to the mainland, but there was still a fjord at its side, which was used to shore ships.

Later, the jökulhlaups, connected with the eruptions of the Katla volcano in Mýrdalsjökull, gathered so much sand and gravel that it was now not at the shore but surrounded by the mainland and the fjord was filled.

After the eruption of Katla in 1918, a tongue of land, Kötlutangi [ˈkʰœhtlʏˌtʰauɲcɪ], led out into the sea so far that it was regarded as the southernmost point of Iceland.

The farm was regarded as relatively well-off because of the side-income from the hunt for seabirds and the collection of eggs.