Overview
Reykjavik, on the coast of Iceland, is the country's capital and largest city. It's home to the National and Saga museums, tracing Iceland’s Viking history.
Description
Reykjavik is by far the largest municipality in Iceland and as well the capital city of the country. The capital area has about a total of 60% of Iceland’s population, which is about 320.000 people.
Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland according to Landnama, the Book of Settlement, built his farm on the peninsula where the city stands today. Arnarson is said to have decided the location of his settlement using a traditional Norse method. He cast his high seat pillars into the ocean when he saw the coastline, then settled where the pillars came to shore, though not many scholars would argue that this romantic story is fully credible. The town got its name “Smoky Bay” or Reykjavík, after the columns of steam that rose from the hot springs in the area and made such a deep impression on the first settlers.
The striking concrete Hallgrimskirkja church and rotating Perlan glass dome offer sweeping views of the sea and nearby hills. Exemplifying the island’s volcanic activity is the geothermal Blue Lagoon spa, near the village of Grindavik.