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72-615: It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Capital Region . The name literally means seal pup inlet . The town seal contains the profile of the church Kópavogskirkja with a seal pup underneath. Kópavogur is largely made up of residential areas, but has commercial areas and much industrial activity as well. The tallest building in Iceland, the Smáratorg Tower , is located in central Kópavogur. Kópavogur

144-523: A different field under the city council's authority. The most important board is the City Board that wields the executive rights along with the City Mayor. The City Mayor is the senior public official and also the director of city operations. Other public officials control city institutions under the mayor's authority. Thus, the administration consists of two different parts: The Independence Party

216-647: A halt in the following economic crash of 2008 . There are 14 embassies in Reykjavik, in addition to ambassadorial residences, and representative offices for Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the European Union. Per capita car ownership in Iceland is among the highest in the world at roughly 522 vehicles per 1,000 residents, though Reykjavík is not severely affected by congestion . Several multi-lane highways (mainly dual carriageways ) run between

288-453: A large number of companies and three investment banks. Reykjavík 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". The economic boom led to a sharp increase in construction, with large redevelopment projects such as Harpa concert hall and conference centre and others. Many of these projects came to

360-464: A long time in bonds of captivity to the heathens". In modern scholarship, Vikings is a common term for attacking Norsemen, especially in connection with raids and monastic plundering by Norsemen in the British Isles , but it was not used in this sense at the time. In Old Norse and Old English, the word simply meant 'pirate'. The Norse were also known as Ascomanni , ashmen , by

432-589: A more continental climate, including the Bothnian Bay basin in Scandinavia. Nonetheless, Reykjavík is one of the cloudiest and coolest capitals of any nation in the world. The highest temperature recorded in Reykjavík was 25.7 °C (78 °F), reported on 30 July 2008, while the lowest-ever recorded temperature was −24.5 °C (−12 °F), recorded on 21 January 1918. The coldest month on record

504-616: A new political party, The Best Party , win six of 15 seats, and it formed a coalition with the Social Democratic Alliance; comedian Jón Gnarr became mayor. At the 2014 election, the Social Democratic Alliance had its best showing yet, gaining five seats in the council, while Bright Future (successor to the Best Party) received two seats and the two parties formed a coalition with the Left-Green movement and

576-436: A vital role in all cultural life in the country. The city is home to Iceland's main cultural institutions, boasts a flourishing arts scene and is renowned as a creative city with a diverse range of cultural happenings and dynamic grassroots activities. Most of the country's writers live in the city, and it also provides the setting for the majority of contemporary Icelandic literature – a development that has gone hand in hand with

648-533: Is historically significant as the site of the 1662 Kópavogur meeting. This event marked the total incorporation of Iceland into Denmark–Norway when, on behalf of the Icelandic people, Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson and Árni Oddsson, a lawyer, signed a document confirming that the introduction of absolute monarchy by Frederick III of Denmark–Norway also applied to Iceland. Kópavogur is also one of Iceland's most prominent sites for Icelandic urban legends about

720-440: Is January 1918, with a mean temperature of −7.2 °C (19 °F). The warmest is July 2019, with a mean temperature of 13.4 °C (56 °F). The Reykjavík City Council governs the city of Reykjavík and is directly elected by those aged over 18 domiciled in the city. The council has 23 members who are elected using the open list method for four-year terms. The council selects members of boards, and each board controls

792-533: Is a result of exposure to the maritime winds in its exposed west coast location that causes it to be much cooler in summer than similar latitudes in mainland Scandinavia . Contrasting this, winter days are milder than anywhere in far southern Sweden and the vast majority of Denmark . In fact, winter temperatures are comparable to those of New York City , which is more than 20 degrees further south. Reykjavík averages 147 days of rain (more than 1mm) per year. Droughts are uncommon, although they occur in some summers. In

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864-565: Is also home to the hardcore strongman and powerlifting training facility 'Thor's Power Gym' owned by the strongest man of all-time Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson , which was also the venue for the iconic 501 kg (1,105 lb) World Record Deadlift on 2 May 2020. Kópavogur is twinned with: This Iceland location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Reykjav%C3%ADk Reykjavík ( / ˈ r eɪ k j ə v ɪ k , - v iː k / RAYK -yə-vik, -⁠veek ; Icelandic: [ˈreiːcaˌviːk] )

936-550: Is around 830MW, and the city has an average heating demand of 473 MW. Hot water for Reyjavík's district heating comes from two combined heat and power (CHP) geothermal power plants as well as lower temperature geothermal fields: Safnahúsið (the Culture House) was opened in 1909 and has a number of important exhibits. Originally built to house the National Library and National Archives and also previously

1008-586: 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 43 m (141 ft) above

1080-403: Is said to be inspired by steam rising from hot springs in the region. The original name was Reykja r -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

1152-413: Is the capital and largest city of Iceland . It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. Reykjavík has a population of around 140,000 as of 2023 (up from 121,822 in 2015). The Capital Region has a population of around 248,000. Reykjavík is believed to be the location of

1224-467: Is the centre of Iceland's cultural , economic , and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination among foreigners. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world. 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

1296-535: Is the centre of this heritage. It preserves manuscripts, conducts research on them and publishes texts for the public, in addition to offering research facilities and tutoring to foreign scholars and students. The Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection was added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register on 31 July 2009. Reykjavík city was designated as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2011 and joined then

1368-836: The Old Norse language . The language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is the predecessor of the modern Germanic languages of Scandinavia . During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a large-scale expansion in all directions, giving rise to the Viking Age . In English-language scholarship since the 19th century, Norse seafaring traders, settlers and warriors have commonly been referred to as Vikings . Historians of Anglo-Saxon England distinguish between Norse Vikings (Norsemen) from Norway, who mainly invaded and occupied

1440-551: The Pirate Party , which won one seat each. The Independence Party had its worst election ever, with only four seats. The mayor is appointed by the city council; usually one of the council members is chosen, but they may also appoint a mayor who is not a member of the council. The post was created in 1907 and advertised in 1908. Two applications were received, from Páll Einarsson , sheriff and town mayor of Hafnarfjörður and from Knud Zimsen , town councillor in Reykjavík. Páll

1512-484: The UNESCO Creatives Cities network. Iceland is one of the smallest linguistic areas in the world, with only around 330,000 inhabitants and very few speakers outside the country. The language has not changed much since the time of settlement in the 9th century and modern Icelanders can still read the original medieval texts with relative ease. Literature plays a vital role in cherishing and cultivating

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1584-586: The Varangian Guard . Modern Scandinavian languages have a common word for Norsemen: the word nordbo ( Swedish : nordborna , Danish : nordboerne , Norwegian : nordboerne , or nordbuane in the definite plural ) is used for both ancient and modern people living in the Nordic countries and speaking one of the North Germanic languages . The British conception of the Vikings' origins

1656-537: The huldufólk ; it also features in this capacity in the 2010 film Sumarlandið , where the stone Grásteinn is portrayed as an elf-house in the Kópavogur municipality. An independent township, Kópavogur is adjacent to Reykjavík. Kópavogur's main sports clubs are Gerpla, Breiðablik and HK . In 2010, Breiðablik clinched their first Icelandic league title in football into; furthermore, in 2012, HK won their first Icelandic league title in team handball. The town

1728-440: The world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state ( Nuuk , the capital of Greenland , is slightly further north at 64°10' (about 4 km) but Greenland is a constituent country , not an independent state). Reykjavík has a subpolar oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfc , Trewartha : Eolk ) closely bordering on a subarctic climate ( Köppen : Dfc ) in the 0°C isotherm. The city has had its present climate classification since

1800-695: The 844 raiders on Seville not only as Rūs but also al-lawdh’āna . The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , written in Old English , distinguishes between the pagan Norwegian Norsemen ( Norðmenn ) of Dublin and the Christian Danes ( Dene ) of the Danelaw . In 942, it records the victory of King Edmund I over the Norse kings of York: "The Danes were previously subjected by force under the Norsemen, for

1872-467: The British government to consent to the occupation, but it always declined on the basis of its policy of neutrality . For the remaining years of World War II , British and later American soldiers occupied camps in Reykjavík, and the number of foreign soldiers in Reykjavík became about the same as the local population of the city. The Royal Regiment of Canada formed part of the garrison in Iceland during

1944-486: The Danish Crown, and Danish traders continued to dominate trade in Iceland. Over the following decades, their business in Iceland expanded. After 1880, free trade was expanded to all nationalities, and the influence of Icelandic merchants started to grow. Icelandic nationalist sentiment gained influence in the 19th century, and the idea of Icelandic independence became widespread. Reykjavík, as Iceland's only city,

2016-493: The Danish–German border. The southernmost living Vikings lived no further north than Newcastle upon Tyne , and travelled to Britain more from the east than from the north. The Norse Scandinavians established polities and settlements in what are now Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales), Ireland, Iceland, Russia, Belarus, France, Sicily , Belgium, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Greenland , Canada, and

2088-675: The Germans, Lochlanach (Norse) by the Gaels and Dene (Danes) by the Anglo-Saxons. The Gaelic terms Finn-Gall (Norwegian Viking or Norwegian), Dubh-Gall (Danish Viking or Danish) and Gall Goidel (foreign Gaelic) were used for the people of Norse descent in Ireland and Scotland, who assimilated into the Gaelic culture. Dubliners called them Ostmen, or East-people, and

2160-657: The Independence Party. Ólafur F. Magnússon , the leader of the F-list, was elected mayor on 24 January 2008, and in March 2009 the Independence Party was due to appoint a new mayor. This changed once again on 14 August 2008 when the fourth coalition of the term was formed, by the Independence Party and the Social Democratic Alliance, with Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir becoming mayor. The City Council election in May 2010 saw

2232-463: The Innréttingar, such as fisheries , sulphur mining , agriculture, and shipbuilding. The Danish Crown abolished monopoly trading in 1786 and granted six communities around the country an exclusive trading charter. Reykjavík was one of them and the only one to hold on to the charter permanently. 1786 is thus regarded as the date of the city's founding. Trading rights were limited to subjects of

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2304-662: The Kairos Preis ( Andri Snaer Magnason ), the Swedish Academy's Nordic Literature Prize ( Guðbergur Bergsson ) and the Prix de Page ( Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir ). Contemporary Icelandic writers are published in an increased number in translations throughout the world. Norsemen The Norsemen (or Norse people ) were a North Germanic linguistic group of the Early Middle Ages , during which they spoke

2376-777: The Northmen who visited the Eastern Slavic lands originated. Archaeologists and historians of today believe that these Scandinavian settlements in the East Slavic lands formed the names of the countries of Russia and Belarus . The Slavs and the Byzantines also called them Varangians ( Old Norse : Væringjar , meaning "sworn men"), and the Scandinavian bodyguards of the Byzantine emperors were known as

2448-471: The Republic of Iceland was founded and a president , elected by the people, replaced the king; the office of the president was placed in Reykjavík. In the post-war years, the growth of Reykjavík accelerated. An exodus from the rural countryside began, largely because improved technology in agriculture reduced the need for manpower, and because of a population boom resulting from better living conditions in

2520-462: 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

2592-602: The beginning of the 20th century. At 64° north, Reykjavík is characterized by extremes of day and night length over the course of the year. From 20 May to 24 July, daylight is essentially permanent as the sun never gets more than 5° below the horizon. Day length drops to less than five hours between 2 December and 10 January. The sun climbs just 3° above the horizon during this time. However, day length begins increasing rapidly during January and by month's end there are seven hours of daylight. Despite its northern latitude, temperatures very rarely drop below −15 °C (5 °F) in

2664-406: The capital and six municipalities around it, was home to 233,034 people; that is about 64% of the country's population. On 1 January 2019, of the city's population of 128,793, immigrants of the first and second generation numbered 23,995 (18.6%), increasing from 12,352 (10.4%) in 2008 and 3,106 (2.9%) in 1998. The most common foreign citizens are Poles , Lithuanians , and Latvians . About 80% of

2736-484: The city centre, pavements and streets use geothermal snow-melting systems . Many driveways of private residences are also fitted with geothermal snow-melting systems. Geothermal hot water is also used to heat the city's numerous public pools and hot tubs. Natural hot water is used to heat roughly 90% of all buildings in Iceland. Of total annual use of geothermal energy of 39 PJ , space heating accounted for 48%. The total thermal capacity of Reykjavíks hot water production

2808-609: The city's foreign residents originate in European Union and EFTA member states, and over 58% are from the new member states of the EU, mainly former Eastern Bloc countries, which joined in 2004 , 2007 and 2013 . As of 1 January 2023, about 63% of the population was documented to live in the Greater Reykjavik area with a total of 242,995 inhabitants. Children of foreign origin form a more considerable minority in

2880-406: The city's schools: as many as a third in places. The city is also visited by thousands of tourists, students, and other temporary residents, at times outnumbering natives in the city centre. Reykjavík is divided into 10 districts: In addition there are hinterland areas (lightly shaded on the map) which are not assigned to any district. Borgartún is the financial centre of Reykjavík, hosting

2952-422: The city, serves international flights and is the main gateway to the country. Since 1962, there has been some controversy regarding the location of the airport, since it takes up a lot of valuable space in central Reykjavík. Reykjavík has two seaports : the old harbour near the city centre, which is mainly used by fishermen and cruise ships , and Sundahöfn in the east city, which is the largest cargo port in

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3024-657: The council which took over in June 2006. In October 2007 a new majority was formed on the council, consisting of members of the Progressive Party, the Social Democratic Alliance , the Left-Greens and the F-list (liberals and independents), after controversy regarding REI, a subsidiary of OR, the city's energy company. However, three months later the F-list formed a new majority together with

3096-467: The country and serves larger cruise ships . There are no public railways in Iceland, because of its sparse population, but the locomotives used to build the docks are on display. Proposals have been made for a high-speed rail link between the city and Keflavík . Volcanic activity provides all of Reykjavík and surrounding areas with geothermal district heating systems for both residential and industrial districts. In heavily trafficked areas, mostly in

3168-421: The country. A once-primitive village was rapidly transformed into a modern city. Private cars became common, and modern apartment complexes rose in the expanding suburbs. In 1972, Reykjavík hosted the famous World Chess Championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky . The 1986 Reykjavík Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev underlined Reykjavík's international status. Deregulation in

3240-415: 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

3312-610: The early 19th century: the earliest attestation given in the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary is from Walter Scott 's 1817 Harold the Dauntless . The word was coined using the adjective norse , which was borrowed into English from Dutch during the 16th century with the sense 'Norwegian', and which by Scott's time had acquired the sense "of or relating to Scandinavia or its language, esp[ecially] in ancient or medieval times". As with modern use of

3384-546: The early part of the war. The economic effects of the occupation were positive for Reykjavík: the unemployment of the Depression years vanished, and construction work began. The British built Reykjavík Airport , which remains in service today, mostly for short-haul flights (to domestic destinations and Greenland). The Americans, meanwhile, built Keflavík Airport , situated 50 km (31 mi) west of Reykjavík, which became Iceland's primary international airport. In 1944,

3456-434: The financial sector and the computer revolution of the 1990s again transformed Reykjavík. The financial and IT sectors are now significant employers in the city. The city has fostered some world-famous musicians and artists in recent years, including musicians Björk ; Múm and Sigur Rós ; writer Sjón ; and visual artist Ragnar Kjartansson . Reykjavík is located in the southwest of Iceland . The Reykjavík area coastline

3528-445: The first permanent settlement in Iceland, which, according to Landnámabók , was established by Ingólfur Arnarson in 874 AD . Until the 18th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was officially founded in 1786 as a trading town and grew steadily over the following decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce , population, and governmental activities. Reykjavík

3600-636: The great narrative art of Iceland". The House of Halldór Laxness, Gljúfrasteinn , in the capital area can be visited year-round. A number of writers have won the Nordic Council's Literature Prize , among them are Thor Vilhjálmsson , Einar Már Guðmundsson and Sjón , and authors such as Guðrún Helgadóttir , Kristín Steinsdóttir and Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir are winners of The Nordic Children's Literature Prize . Crime writer Arnaldur Indriðason has won prizes abroad, including The Golden Dagger Award. Among other prizes awarded to writers from Reykjavík are

3672-516: The islands north and north-west of Britain, as well as Ireland and western Britain, and Danish Vikings, who principally invaded and occupied eastern Britain. Modern descendants of Norsemen include the Danes , Icelanders , Faroe Islanders , Norwegians , and Swedes , who are now generally referred to as " Scandinavians " rather than Norsemen. The word Norseman first appears in English during

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3744-514: The language, both original Icelandic literature and translations. Language undergoes constant renewal and development in fiction, and translation of foreign work has also been instrumental in conserving this thousand-year-old literary language. Award-winning authors Several Reykjavík writers have received international and Nordic awards. Halldór Laxness was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955 for "vivid epic power which has renewed

3816-457: 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 reykr ('smoke') and vík ('bay'). The name

3888-574: The location of the National Museum and Natural History Museum, in 2000 it was re-modeled to promote the Icelandic national heritage. Many of Iceland's national treasures are on display, such as the Poetic Edda , and the Sagas in their original manuscripts. There are also changing exhibitions of various topics. Reykjavík is the capital, and in fact Iceland's only city, and as such, it plays

3960-532: The modern city centre was farmland until the 18th century. In 1752, King Frederik V of Denmark donated the estate of Reykjavík to the Innréttingar  [ is ] corporation. The leader of this movement was Skúli Magnússon  [ is ] . 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

4032-503: The modern city centre, between Örfirisey  [ is ] 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 name has been translated as Bay of Smoke in English-language travel guides. The site of

4104-536: The morning of 10 May 1940, following the German occupation of Denmark and Norway on 9 April 1940, four British warships approached Reykjavík and anchored in the harbour. In a few hours, the Allied occupation of Reykjavík was complete. There was no armed resistance, and taxi and truck drivers even assisted the invasion force, which initially had no motor vehicles. The Icelandic government had received many requests from

4176-566: The most heavily populated areas and most frequently driven routes. Parking spaces are also plentiful in most areas. Public transportation consists of a bus system called Strætó bs . Route 1 (the Ring Road) runs through the city outskirts and connects the city to the rest of Iceland. Reykjavík Airport is positioned inside the city, just south of the city centre. It is used for domestic flights, general aviation and medical flights. Keflavík International Airport , located around 40km southwest of

4248-522: 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 914 m (2,999 ft), is the highest mountain in the vicinity of Reykjavík. The city of Reykjavík is mostly located on

4320-571: The name Oxmanstown (an area in central Dublin; the name is still current) comes from one of their settlements; they were also known as Lochlannaigh , or Lake-people. The Slavs , the Arabs and the Byzantines knew them as the Rus' or Rhōs ( Ῥῶς ), probably derived from various uses of rōþs- , i.e. "related to rowing", or from the area of Roslagen in east-central Sweden, where most of

4392-487: The name of the Normans and of Normandy , which was settled by Norsemen in the tenth century. The same word entered Hispanic languages and local varieties of Latin with forms beginning not only in n- , but in l- , such as lordomanni (apparently reflecting nasal dissimilation in local Romance languages). This form may in turn have been borrowed into Arabic: the prominent early Arabic source al-Mas‘ūdī identified

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4464-509: The rapid expansion of the city in the past 100 years or so. Reykjavík 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. This literary heritage is the core of the nation's identity and narrative art is the single most important part of its cultural history. The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavík

4536-496: The summer of 2007, no rain was measured for one month. July and August are the warmest months of the year on average and January and February the coldest. Summer tends to be the sunniest season, although May averages the most sunshine of any individual month. Overall, the city receives around 1,300 annual hours of sunshine, which is comparable with other places in northern and north-western Europe such as Ireland and Scotland , but substantially less than equally northern regions with

4608-428: The time it functioned only as an advisory assembly, advising the king about Icelandic affairs. The location of Alþingi in Reykjavík effectively established the city as the capital of Iceland. In 1874, Iceland was given a constitution ; with it, Alþingi gained some limited legislative powers and in essence became the institution that it is today. The next step was to move most of the executive power to Iceland: Home Rule

4680-830: The winter. The proximity to the Arctic Circle and the strong moderation of the Atlantic Ocean in the Icelandic coast (influence of North Atlantic Current , an extension of the Gulf Stream ) shape a relatively mild winter and cool summer. The city's coastal location does make it prone to wind, however, and gales are common in winter (influence of the Icelandic Low ).  Summers are cool, with temperatures fluctuating between 10 and 15 °C (50 and 59 °F), rarely exceeding 20 °C (68 °F). This

4752-561: The word viking , therefore, the word norseman has no particular basis in medieval usage. The term Norseman does echo terms meaning 'Northman', applied to Norse-speakers by the peoples they encountered during the Middle Ages. The Old Frankish word Nortmann ("Northman") was Latinised as Normannus and was widely used in Latin texts. The Latin word Normannus then entered Old French as Normands . From this word came

4824-453: Was appointed on 7 May and was mayor for six years. At that time the city mayor received a salary of 4,500 ISK per year and 1,500 ISK for office expenses. The current mayor is Einar Þorsteinsson  [ is ] . Reykjavík is by far the largest and most populous settlement in Iceland. The municipality of Reykjavík had a population of 131,136 on 1 January 2020, comprising 36% of the country's population. The Capital Region , which includes

4896-471: Was central to such ideas. Advocates of an independent Iceland realized that a strong Reykjavík was fundamental to that objective. All the important events in the history of the independence struggle were important to Reykjavík as well. In 1845 the Alþingi , the general assembly formed in 930 AD, was re-established in Reykjavík; it had been suspended a few decades earlier when it was located at Þingvellir . At

4968-488: Was granted in 1904 when the office of Minister for Iceland was established in Reykjavík. On 1 December 1918, Iceland became a sovereign country, the Kingdom of Iceland , in personal union with the Crown of Denmark . By the 1920s and 1930s, most of the growing Icelandic fishing trawler fleet sailed from Reykjavík; cod production was its main industry, but the Great Depression hit Reykjavík hard with unemployment , and labour union struggles sometimes became violent. On

5040-410: Was historically the city's ruling party; it had an overall majority from its establishment in 1929 until 1978, when it narrowly lost. From 1978 until 1982, there was a three-party coalition composed of the People's Alliance , the Social Democratic Party , and the Progressive Party . In 1982, the Independence Party regained an overall majority, which it held for three consecutive terms. The 1994 election

5112-445: Was inaccurate. Those who plundered Britain lived in what is today Denmark, Scania , the western coast of Sweden and Norway (up to almost the 70th parallel ) and along the Swedish Baltic coast up to around the 60th latitude and Lake Mälaren . They also came from the island of Gotland , Sweden. The border between the Norsemen and more southerly Germanic tribes, the Danevirke , today is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of

5184-453: Was won by Reykjavíkurlistinn (the R-list), an alliance of Icelandic socialist parties, led by Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir . This alliance won a majority in three consecutive elections, but was dissolved for the 2006 election when five different parties were on the ballot. The Independence Party won seven seats, and together with the one Progressive Party it were able to form a new majority in

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