Reykjanesbær Explained

Reykjanesbær
Settlement Type:Municipality
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Iceland
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Southern Peninsula
Subdivision Type2:Constituency
Subdivision Name2:South Constituency
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Kjartan Már Kjartansson
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:145
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population As Of:2021
Population Total:19,724
Population Density Km2:130.49
Postal Code Type:Postal code(s)
Postal Code:230, 232, 233, 235, 260
Code1 Name:Municipal number
Code1 Info:2000

Reykjanesbær (pronounced as /is/) is a municipality on the Southern Peninsula (Suðurnes) in Iceland, though the name is also used by locals to refer to the suburban region of Keflavík and Njarðvík 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 19,676 citizens (2021).[2] [3]

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).[4]

In 2006, when the United States Navy closed Naval Air Station Keflavik, the site was taken over by the development agency Kadeco, and renamed Ásbrú. 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.[5] [6]

Demographics

See main article: Demographics of Iceland.

Residents by citizenship
(1 January 2018)
[7]
Nationality Population
14,163 (79.55%)
2,526 (14.19%)
208 (1.17%)
96
82
49
43
40
35
33
32
30
30
28
27
24
20
Other Europe169
Africa 62
Other Asia 60
Other Americas 31
Oceania 7
Stateless 10

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 2018, of the town's population of 17,805, immigrants of the first and second generation numbered 4,352 (24.4%).[8] [9] The most common foreign citizens were Poles, Lithuanians, and Latvians.

Points of interest

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Iceland.

Reykjanesbær is twinned with:[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Population by municipalities, sex and age 1 January 1998-2019 - Current municipalities . 1 January 2019 . www.hagstofa.is . . 15 May 2019 .
  2. Web site: Reykjanesbær municipality . reykjanesbaer.is . December 1, 2019.
  3. Web site: Suðurnes. citypopulation.de/ . December 1, 2019.
  4. Web site: Víkingaheimar. Lonely Planet . December 1, 2019.
  5. Web site: Keflavik Air Base, Iceland. navytimes.com. 10 January 2018 . December 1, 2019.
  6. Web site: Keilir Educational Institution . keilir.net . December 1, 2019.
  7. Web site: Population by sex, municipality and citizenship 1 January 1998-2018 . 1 January 2018 . www.hagstofa.is . . 15 May 2019 .
  8. Web site: Population by municipalities, sex and age 1 January 1998-2019 - Current municipalities . 1 January 2018 . www.hagstofa.is . . 15 May 2019 .
  9. Web site: Immigrants by sex and municipality 1 January 1996-2018 . 1 January 2018 . www.hagstofa.is . . 15 May 2019 .
  10. Web site: Vinabæir. reykjanesbaer.is. Reykjanesbær. is. 2023-02-09.