"The capital of cool" a Reykjavík Travel Page by bzh

Reykjavik is the capital city of Iceland. It is located on the Southwestern coast of the island. Approximately 170,000 people live in Reykjavik, for a total population of 280,000 in the whole of Iceland.

Iceland is very far up North and cold. The top temperature in Reykjavik in the middle of summer is around 15C (59F). Reykjavik gives you this feeling of begin the last outpost where humans can live before you enter the extreme wilderness of the Arctic.

But behind the closed doors, away from the harsh conditions of the environment, you will find a town where people love to have a good time, enjoy themselves and in particular the long, very long, summer days. The "nanny state" of Iceland taxes alcohol heavilly in an attempt to reduce consumption? This is not what will stop the people of Reykjavik from enjoying a drink with friends or wandering tourists. Relax, soak up the atmosphere and have a good time. This is what you're here for.

Reykjavik is a harbour. The Icelandic economy relies quite heavily on fishing so most towns on the island are on the coast and have a fishing harbour. The capital is no exception. In fact, Iceland and Reykjavik are well known of the fishermen of Brittany, in France, because it is in the sea off the coast of Iceland that the sardine fishing fleets of Brittany used to come.

Iceland also gave to the world a number of intrepid explorers, such as Leif Ericsson who went to America before Christopher Columbus.

The architecture of Reykjavik looks very Scandinavian at first sight. Colourful houses are everywhere. And then you look closer and you discover that the houses are not built of wood but of corrugated iron. Contrary to Norway, Iceland doesn't have large pine forests. The cheapest answer to the problem is corrugated iron and it works.