15 Facts About Reykjavik

1.

Reykjavik was one of them and the only one to hold on to the charter permanently.

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2.

In 1845 Alþingi, the general assembly formed in 930 AD, was re-established in Reykjavik; it had been suspended a few decades earlier when it was located at Þingvellir.

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3.

The location of Alþingi in Reykjavik effectively established the city as the capital of Iceland.

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4.

In 1972, Reykjavik hosted the famous world chess championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.

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5.

City of Reykjavik is mostly located on the Seltjarnarnes peninsula, but the suburbs reach far out to the south and east.

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6.

Reykjavik is a spread-out city: most of its urban area consists of low-density suburbs, and houses are usually widely spaced.

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7.

At 64° north, Reykjavik is characterized by extremes of day and night length over the course of the year.

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8.

Nonetheless, Reykjavik is one of the cloudiest and coolest capitals of any nation in the world.

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9.

Reykjavik is by far the largest and most populous settlement in Iceland.

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10.

Borgartun is the financial centre of Reykjavik, hosting a large number of companies and three investment banks.

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11.

Reykjavik has been at the centre of Iceland's economic growth and subsequent economic contraction over the 2000s, a period referred to in foreign media as the "Nordic Tiger" years, or "Iceland's Boom Years".

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12.

Reykjavik has two seaports, the old harbour near the city centre which is mainly used by fishermen and cruise ships, and Sundahofn in the east city which is the largest cargo port in the country.

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13.

Reykjavik is the capital, and in fact Iceland's only city, and as such, it plays a vital role in all cultural life in the country.

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14.

Reykjavik is home to Icelandic medieval literature, including the Sagas of the Icelanders and the Poetic Edda, landmarks of world literature still widely read and translated today.

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15.

Reykjavik city was designated as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2011 and joined then the UNESCO Creatives Cities network.

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