REYKJAVIK. – Capital of Iceland; its name means “bay of smoke,” on account of the hot springs whose dense vapours often obscure the atmosphere. In a picturesque position on the southern shore of Faxa Fiord, on the western coasts of the Island, the city extends across a depression between two hills, in an area which, although desolate and poor, nevertheless remains always free of ice.
R., situated at the site of the oldest settlement in Iceland, was, at the beginning of the 19th century, a village of very modest means, with barely 300 inhabitants; this number rose to more than 33,000 in 1951. The city’s development is due to urbanisation, since a quarter of the entire Icelandic population lives there. The climate is fairly mild, with the annual average temperature varying from approximately 3° to 10°. R. is the foremost of the ports of the southwest and, like the others, is equipped chiefly for cod fishing, favourably situated with respect to the fishing districts of the northwest and southeast and to the agricultural areas of the interior, which are likewise located predominantly in the southwestern part of the Island. Through this port, recently made safer by suitable facilities, passes all of Iceland’s foreign trade. Connected by regular lines with Europe and America, R. is experiencing an increase in commercial and cultural relations with the rest of the world, as well as intensified tourist activity. R. is home to the University, the National Museum of Antiquities, the Library, the Art Museum, and a national theatre. The city, already the seat of an apostolic prefecture since 1923, has been the seat of an apostolic vicariate since 1929 (for its history V. ISLANDA). There is also a Protestant bishop: although the Constitution considers the Lutheran religion the state religion, it guarantees religious freedom.