Quick answerReykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland, with 138,753 people inside the city limits in 2026. The wider metropolitan area had about 0.3 million people in 2026. It is best known for the Hallgrímskirkja, the Harpa Concert Hall and the Northern lights. Its official language is Icelandic, and its currency is the Icelandic króna.
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland, with about 139,000 people in the city itself and about 252,000 in the wider Capital Region (2026). It stands on the south-western coast and is the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state.
Key facts
| Country | Iceland |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 138,753 (2026) |
| Population (metro) | 251,912 (2026) · Capital Region (Höfuðborgarsvæðið), Statistics Iceland, 2026 |
| Time zone | Atlantic/Reykjavik |
| Language | Icelandic |
| Currency | Icelandic króna (ISK, kr) |
| Coordinates | 64.14583° N, 21.9425° W |
Overview
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay in the south-west of the island. With 138,753 people in the city itself in 2026, it holds about 35 per cent of the country's population, and the wider Capital Region of 251,912 people holds about 64 per cent. At 64°08′ N it is the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. The city is warmed by geothermal energy, which heats most homes and fills the public swimming pools Icelanders use all year round.
According to the Landnámabók, settlement began in Reykjavík in 874, when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson built his homestead there. For more than 900 years it stayed a small farming estate, and it was only founded as a trading town in 1786. Reykjavík grew into the centre of Iceland's cultural, economic and political life, and the Althing, re-established there in 1845, made it the capital in practice. The city hosted the 1972 World Chess Championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, and the 1986 summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. Hallgrímskirkja, the Harpa concert hall and the Sun Voyager sculpture are its best-known landmarks.
What Reykjavík is known for
- Hallgrímskirkja
- Harpa Concert Hall
- Northern lights
- Geothermal pools
- Midnight sun
Landmarks
- Hallgrímskirkja
- Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre
- Sun Voyager
- Perlan
- Alþingishúsið (Parliament House)
- Höfði House
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Reykjavík?
About 139,000 people live in Reykjavík itself (138,753 in 2026, according to Statistics Iceland). The wider Capital Region, including the neighbouring towns of Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður and Mosfellsbær, had about 252,000 people — roughly two-thirds of Iceland's whole population. Reykjavík is by far the largest city in Iceland.
What is Reykjavík famous for?
Reykjavík is famous for Hallgrímskirkja, the tall church that towers over the city, for the Harpa concert hall on the harbour, and for the Sun Voyager sculpture. It is also known as a base for seeing the northern lights in winter and the midnight sun in summer, and for its geothermal swimming pools, which Icelanders visit all year round.
Where is Reykjavík located?
Reykjavík is on the south-western coast of Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. At 64°08′ N it is the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. Its coordinates are 64.15° N, 21.94° W, and its time zone is Greenwich Mean Time, UTC+0 all year, with no daylight saving time.
Quick quiz
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Keep exploring
- Iceland — the country Reykjavík is in
- Akureyri — another city in Iceland
- All cities in Iceland
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.