Reykjavik is the capital and largest city of Iceland. Located at the southwestern tip of Iceland, near the Arctic Circle, it is the northernmost capital in the world with a population of 65,438+10,000. There is a satellite city with a population of 50,000 nearby, which is the most populous city in Iceland. The city was founded in 874. Reykjavik is a modern city with developed roads and extremely clean environment. It is also the political, cultural, educational and trade center of Iceland. There are a certain scale of industries and various production enterprises, as well as first-class hotels and service industries.
Reykjavik's southwest coast is surrounded by mountains in the north and east. Whenever the morning sun rises or the sun sets, the peaks appear delicate purple and the sea turns dark blue. After winter, the top of the mountain is covered with white gauze-like snow, which is particularly spectacular. In addition, the houses in the city are painted red, red, green and green, which adds a little beauty to the whole city.
Reykjavik means smoky bay in Icelandic, and the name has a mysterious story. Legend has it that in 870, the Norwegian explorer Arnason sailed in the vast North Atlantic. During the voyage, he vaguely saw a piece of land on the ocean. Out of his belief in God and the traditional habits of Norwegians, he threw some sacred trees he brought from Norway into the sea in the direction of land. He believes that the place where the holy tree floats must be the place where God arranged for him to live. After landing on land with this belief, it took his men a long time to finally find the sacred wood he threw in the southwest corner of the island. He settled down here in 874. Later, he saw that there were often white fog rising on the ground, so he named this place Reykjavik. Later, he learned that there was actually no smoke here, but the steam coming out of the hot springs.
Today's Reykjavik is developed around the residence of Arnason, an English golfer. After a long time, it was not until 1786 that Iceland really became the first city and developed into a modern city today. In memory of the Icelandic explorer Arnason, a statue of him was built on a grassy hill in the center of the city.
Affected by the ocean, Reykjavik has a mild climate. The average temperature in July here is 1 1℃, and the average temperature in October is1℃. Because of the abundant geothermal resources, there are many hot springs in this area, and hot water pipes have been laid in the city to provide hot water and heating for the citizens. The hot water in users' homes can reach the temperature of 90℃, so the whole city rarely uses coal. Because the air is fresh and there is no soot, the city has a good name-a smoke-free city. An excellent way to feel the cleanliness and nature of Reykjavik is to visit many hot spring (geothermal water) swimming pools in the city and soak in warm hot spring water, which will give people physical and mental enjoyment all year round, and at the same time, we can intuitively understand the life of Icelanders and Icelandic society, because Icelanders like to swim and rest in warm and comfortable hot spring water in their leisure time.
Reykjavik became the capital of Iceland. After World War II, Iceland broke away from Denmark and became a republic. From 65438 to 0986, the late former US President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet leader mikhail gorbachev held a remarkable meeting in Reykjavik's magnificent building, which marked the end of the Cold War and Reykjavik became a tourist destination all over the world.
Reykjavik's urban layout is symmetrical and harmonious, there are no skyscrapers, and the residential buildings are small and exquisite, mostly two-story buildings with different styles and colors. The streets in the city are not wide, and the streets in the whole old city are clear in latitude and longitude, giving people an antique, neat and beautiful, quiet and beautiful feeling. In addition to the pleasant old and new urban areas, the University of Iceland and other cultural landscapes, there are also beautiful scenery such as golden waterfalls and geysers. There is a beautiful small lake in the city center-Toning Lake. In the mild summer, thousands of swans, ducks and waterfowl live here. In the cold winter, the lake will discharge hot water with suitable temperature to supply water for birds in winter. There are buildings with Nordic characteristics, such as Parliament Building, City Hall, Nordic Cultural Palace, National Museum, National Library, University of Iceland and so on. The Pearl Tower, which looks like a crystal ball, is a hemispherical building built by the Capital Hot Water Supply Company. There are exhibition halls, hot spring models and revolving restaurants in the building. Visitors can enjoy the city scenery through the telescope installed on the observation deck.