Reykjavik

Sister cities

• Vilnius

History

According to legend, the first permanent Norse settlement in Iceland was established at Reykjavík by Ingólfr Arnarson circa AD 870, as described in the Book of Settlement. Ingólfr is said to have decided the location of his settlement using a traditional Norse method: when land was in sight, he cast his high seat pillars overboard and promised to settle where the gods decided to bring them ashore. Two of his slaves then searched the coasts for three years before finding the pillars in the bay which eventually became the site of Reykjavík. The name is of Old Norse origin, derived from the roots ('smoke') and ('bay'). The name is said to be inspired by steam rising from hot springs in the region. The original name was Reykjar-vík, with an "r" suffix for the genitive singular of reykr; the modern version reykja- uses the genitive plural. The name's meaning is still transparent in modern Icelandic, and in modern Norwegian (røyk + vik). The name originally referred to both the bay on the northern shore of the modern city centre, between and Laugarnes, as well as the estate and farm of Ingólfr Arnarson. This form of the name fell out of use shortly after settlement, and the estate was referred to as Vík á Seltjarnarnesi until the name Reykjavík was revived when urban development began centuries later. The site of the modern city centre was farmland until the 18th century. In 1752, King Frederik V of Denmark donated the estate of Reykjavík to the corporation. The leader of this movement was Skúli Magnússon. In the 1750s, several houses were built to house the wool industry, which was Reykjavík's most important employer for a few decades and the original reason for its existence. Other industries were undertaken by the Innréttingar, such as fisheries, sulphur mining,…

Geography

Reykjavík is located in the southwest of Iceland. The Reykjavík area coastline is characterized by peninsulas, coves, straits, and islands. During the Ice Age (up to 10,000 years ago) a large glacier covered parts of the city area, reaching as far out as Álftanes. Other parts of the city area were covered by sea water. In the warm periods and at the end of the Ice Age, some hills like Öskjuhlíð were islands. The former sea level is indicated by sediments (with clams) reaching (at Öskjuhlíð, for example) as far as above the current sea level. The hills of Öskjuhlíð and Skólavörðuholt appear to be the remains of former shield volcanoes which were active during the warm periods of the Ice Age. After the Ice Age, the land rose as the heavy load of the glaciers fell away, and began to look as it does today. The capital city area continued to be shaped by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, such as the one 4,500 years ago in the mountain range Bláfjöll, when the lava coming down the Elliðaá valley reached the sea at the bay of Elliðavogur. The largest river to run through Reykjavík is the Elliðaá River, which is non-navigable. It offers salmon fishing within the city limits. Mount Esja, at , is the highest mountain in the vicinity of Reykjavík. The city of Reykjavík is mostly located on the Seltjarnarnes peninsula, but the suburbs reach far out to the south and east. Reykjavík is a spread-out city: most of its urban area consists of low-density suburbs, and houses are usually widely spaced. The outer residential neighbourhoods are also widely spaced from each other; in between them are the main traffic arteries and a lot of empty space. The city's latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state (Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, is…

Most-observed species

• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,233
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,046
• Graylag Goose

  Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,656
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,207
• Lesser Black-backed Gull

  Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,048
• Redwing

  Turdus iliacus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,400
• Common Eider

  Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,000
• Whooper Swan

  Cygnus cygnus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,723

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2026-08-25
  33 km SW of Sandgerði, Iceland
• M 4.4 — 2026-08-25
  47 km SW of Sandgerði, Iceland
• M 4.2 — 2026-06-01
  18 km NNW of Hveragerði, Iceland
• M 4.1 — 2026-03-23
  18 km W of Grindavík, Iceland
• M 4.2 — 2026-03-23
  35 km WSW of Grindavík, Iceland
• M 4.4 — 2026-03-23
  45 km WSW of Grindavík, Iceland