REYKJAVIK. - Capital of Iceland; its name means "bay of smoke" because of the thermal springs whose thick vapors often darken the atmosphere. In a picturesque position on the southern shore of Faxa Fiord, on the western coasts of the island, the city extends into a depression between two hills, in an area which, though desolate and wretched, nevertheless always remains free of ice.
R., situated on the site of Iceland's most ancient settlement, 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 urbanization, since a quarter of the entire Icelandic population lives in it. The climate is fairly mild, the annual average temperature varying from about 3° to 10°. R. is the foremost of the southwestern ports and is, like the others, equipped above all for cod fishing, in a favorable position with respect to the northwestern and southeastern fishing districts and with respect to the agricultural zones of the interior, which are likewise situated predominantly in the southwestern part of the island. Through this port, recently made safer by adequate facilities, passes all of Iceland's foreign trade. Linked by regular lines to Europe and America, R. is witnessing an increase in traffic and cultural relations with the rest of the world, as well as an intensified tourist movement. In R. are located the University, the national Museum of Antiquities, the Library, the Art Museum, and a national theater. The city, already the seat of an apostolic prefecture since 1923, has been, since 1929, the seat of an apostolic vicariate (for its history v. ISLANDA). There is also a Protestant bishop: the Constitution, while considering the Lutheran one the state religion, guarantees religious freedom.
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