REYKJAVIK. — Capital of Iceland; its name means “bay of smoke” because of the hot springs whose dense vapours often obscure the atmosphere. Situated picturesquely on the southern shore of Faxa Fiord, on the western coast of the island, the city extends into a depression between two hills, in an area that, though desolate and bleak, remains free of ice.
R., located at the site of Iceland’s earliest settlement, was, at the beginning of the 19th century, a village of very modest means, with barely 300 inhabitants; this number has risen to over 33,000 by 1951. The city’s growth is due to urbanization, as it contains a quarter of Iceland’s entire population. The climate is fairly mild, with the annual mean temperature ranging from about 3° to 10°. R. is the leading port of the southwest and, like the others, is equipped primarily for cod fishing, being favourably situated with respect to the fishing districts of the northwest and southeast and to the agricultural zones of the interior, which are also mainly located in the southwest of the island. Through this port, recently made safer by appropriate facilities, all of Iceland’s foreign trade passes. Connected by regular lines to Europe and America, R. witnesses an increase in trade 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 theatre. The city, which has been the seat of an Apostolic Prefecture since 1923, has been the seat of an Apostolic Vicariate since 1929 (for its history V. ICELAND). There is also a Protestant bishop: the Constitution, while regarding the Lutheran faith as the state religion, guarantees religious freedom.