Statsraad Lehmkuhl visits Reykjavik, Iceland, May 5–8, 2025
Iceland lies in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, halfway between Greenland and Norway. About 230,000 people, around 60% of the population, live in the capital city of Reykjavik, located in the southwest of the island.
The name Reykjavik means “the bay of smoke.” The smoke refers to steam rising from the many hot springs found throughout the island. Iceland is rich in volcanic activity. The reason for this, is that he island sits at the junction where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet - along the rift known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
This rift stretches the entire length of the Atlantic Ocean, from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean, and began opening when Africa and South America drifted apart some 100–200 million years ago.
Still expanding
The rift continues to widen by a few centimeters each year, meaning Iceland, currently 103,000 km² large, is slowly growing in size. The rift is also the reason why island is experiencing frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Many still remember the eruption beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier in April 2010.
Meltwater from the glacier caused the lava beneath it to explode, sending a massive ash cloud into the atmosphere that disrupted air travel across North America and Europe for several days.
Vikings
People have lived in Iceland since Norwegian Vikings settled there in 874. In the 13th century, the island became part of Norway and remained Norwegian until the Reformation in 1536. At that point, Denmark took control, and Iceland remained under Danish rule until 1918. It then gained independence, but remained in union with Denmark until the Republic of Iceland was established in 1944.
Reykjavik was the first settlement on the island and remained a small fishing village until the 1700s, when trade with both foreign countries and other parts of Iceland began to grow. The city didn’t have a proper harbor until the early 20th century—before then, ships had to anchor out in the bay.
A travel destination
Today, Reykjavik is the center of Iceland’s fishing and fish processing industries, which remain the country’s most important economic activities. It’s also the hub for public administration, commerce, and industry. Reykjavik is a popular destination for tourists who come to experience Iceland’s unique natural beauty—rugged landscapes, glaciers, rivers, waterfalls, beaches, active volcanoes, and geothermal springs.
