Reykjanesbær () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

on the

Southern Peninsula Southern Peninsula (, ) is an administrative unit and part of Reykjanesskagi (pronounced ), or Reykjanes Peninsula, a region in southwest Iceland. It was named after Reykjanes, the southwestern tip of Reykjanesskagi. The region has a populati ...

(''Suðurnes'') in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, though the name is also used by locals to refer to the suburban region of

Keflavík Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavík merged with nearby Njar ...

and

Njarðvík Njarðvík () is a town in southwestern Iceland, on the peninsula of Reykjanes. As of 2009, its population was 4,400. History In 1995 it merged with the town of Keflavík and the village of Hafnir to form the new municipality of Reykjanesbær. ...

which have grown together over the years. The municipality is made up of the towns of Keflavík and Njarðvík and the village of Hafnir. The municipality was created in 1994 when the inhabitants of the three settlements voted to merge them into one. Reykjanesbær is the fourth largest municipality in Iceland, with 21.957 citizens (2024).

Overview

Of the three towns which make up the municipality, Keflavík is the largest, while Hafnir is the smallest and some 10 kilometers distant. Keflavík and Njarðvík were originally distinct towns but gradually grew together over the course of the latter half of the 20th century, until the only thing separating them was a single street. The northern side of the street belonged to Keflavík and the southern side to Njarðvík. Since May 2009 the township of Njarðvík has been the location of the Viking World museum (''Víkingaheimar''). In 2006, when the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

closed Naval Air Station Keflavik, the site was taken over by the development agency Kadeco, and renamed

Ásbrú Ásbrú () is a part of the former U.S. Naval Air Station Keflavik not supervised by the Icelandic defence authorities. After U.S. forces evacuated in 2006, a part of the base not needed for current military defence needs, was re-invented as a co ...

. A university, Keilir, was founded and now Ásbrú houses the campuses of various educational institutions and also businesses, both newly founded and relocated to the site of the air base.

Demographics

Reykjanesbær is the most populous municipality in the Suðurnes region, the fourth most populous in Iceland, and the most populous outside of the Greater Reykjavík area. The municipality had a population of 18,920 on 1 January 2019; that is about 5.3% of the country's population. The Suðurnes region, which includes Reykjanesbær and five neighbouring municipalities, was home to 27,113 people; that is about 7.6% of the country's population. On 1 January 2024, of the town's population of 21,957, immigrants of the first and second generation numbered 5,570 (25.37%). The most common foreign citizens were

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

, and

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

Points of interest

* The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll * Naval Radio Transmitter Facility Grindavik * Reykjanesviti * Viking World museum

Climate

Reykjanesbær has a subpolar oceanic (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfc''; Trewartha: ''Eolk''), with temperatures rising above only in July and August.

Twin towns – sister cities

Reykjanesbær is twinned with: *

Kerava Kerava (; ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Kerava is situated in the centre of the Uusimaa region. The population of Kerava is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality ...

, Finland *

Trollhättan Trollhättan () is the 23rd-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It is situated by Göta älv, near the lake Vänern, and has a population of approximately 50,000 in the city proper. It is loc ...

, Sweden

Gallery

File:Church Hafnir Iceland 2004.jpg, Church of Hafnir (''Kirkjuvogskirkja'') File:Reykjanesbær_hiticeland_town_center.jpg, Keflavik town center File:Reykjanesbær_water_reserve_hiticeland.jpg, Old Water Reserve Tank File:Keflavík_(1).jpg, Street in Keflavík File:Keflavik Kirche.jpg, Church of Keflavik File:Keflavik town from the harbor.jpg, Keflavík harbour File:SSJ100 Keflavik runways (5160518757).jpg, Aerial view of Keflavík International Airport

References

External links

Reykjanes website

Visit Reykjanes website

More information and photos about Reykjanesbær on Hit Iceland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reykjanesber Municipalities of Iceland Keflavík Southern Peninsula (Iceland)