Reykjavik (Iceland)

Reykjavik is Iceland's main seaport, also the country's capital city and centre of cod-fishing industry. The city has population around 124,000.

• In 874 the Vikings established the first permanent settlement in Reykjavik. The community was chartered in 1786, and in 1843 became the seat of parliament. Reykjavik was made the capital of Iceland in 1918.
• Located in the southwest part of Iceland, Reykjavik is the world's northernmost metropolis. It sits on the edge of Faxa Bay, surrounded by mountains and provides easy access to fishing and skiing.
• Reykjavik claims that it's "the cleanest city on earth". It has over 50 art galleries and museums, as well as two theatre companies and a symphony orchestra. Reykjavik is also the site of Althing (parliament), Lutheran cathedral and modern Hallgrím's Church.
• From Reykjavik tourists can visit the National Park on the shores of the largest lake in Iceland, with wildflowers and abundant bird life. Here too is the "Golden Falls", Gullfoss, a double cascade in Hvita River, measuring 105 feet high and dropping in 2 stages into a mile-long gorge. Nearby is regularly spouting Geysir, a thermal spring from which all hot springs have taken their name. Out on Reykjanes Peninsula, don't miss the mud pools and stem vents of Krisuvik and the Blue Lagoon, where you can bathe in mineral-rich waters.
• Reykjavík Airport, the 2nd largest airport in Iceland after Keflavík International Airport, lies inside the city, south of the city centre. It's mainly used for domestic flights, flights to Greenland and Faroe Islands. Reykjavík Airport was built during World War II by the British occupation force on the outskirts of the then smaller Reykjavík. Since 1962, there's been controversy regarding the airport's location, since it takes up valuable space in the central part of the city.
• Reykjavík has 2 seaports, the old harbour close to the city centre which is used mainly by cruise ships and fishermen and Sundahofn in the eastern part of the city which is the biggest cargo port in Iceland.
• No public railways are available in Iceland, because of its sparse population. However, the locomotives that used to build the docks are still on display.

For season 2017, the cruise port had scheduled a total of 155 ship calls with around 130,000 passengers. During season 2016, the port was visited 113 times and by around 100,000 cruise passengers.