Keflavík

Keflavík (pronounced [ˈcʰɛplaˌviːk] (listen), 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.[2]

Keflavík
Town
August 2009 aerial view
August 2009 aerial view
Location of the Municipality of Reykjanesbaer
Location of the Municipality of Reykjanesbaer
Keflavík is located in Iceland
Keflavík
Keflavík
Location in Iceland
Coordinates: 64°01′N 22°34′W
CountryIceland
ConstituencySouth Constituency
RegionSouthern Peninsula[1]
Municipality Reykjanesbær
Population
 (2018)
 • Total15,930[a]
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
WebsiteOfficial website
^ When combined with Njarðvík.
The harbour at Keflavík
Church at Norðfjörðsgata

In 1995, Keflavik merged with nearby Njarðvík and Hafnir to form the municipality of Reykjanesbær. Keflavík International Airport, the country's largest airport (serving nearby Reykjavík) is adjacent to the town.

History

Keflavík was founded by Scottish entrepreneurs and engineers in the 16th century, and developed on account of its fishing and fish processing industry.[3]

In the 1940s an airport was built next to the town by the United States military, which served as an important refueling stop for trans-Atlantic flights, especially during World War II.

During the Cold War, Naval Air Station Keflavik played an important role in monitoring marine and submarine traffic from the Norwegian and Greenland seas into the Atlantic Ocean. Forces from the United States Air Force were added to provide radar monitoring, fighter intercept, in-flight refueling, and aerial/marine rescue. With increasing ranges for aircraft and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the base became less important, and the last U.S. personnel were withdrawn in 2006.

Within Iceland, Keflavík was renowned as a rich source of musicians during the 1960s and 1970s, and came to be known as bítlabærinn [ˈpihtlaˌpaiːrɪn] or "The Beatle Town".

Geography

The local geography is dominated by fields of basalt rubble, interspersed with a few hardy plants and mosses.

Climate

The climate of Keflavík is subarctic (Dfc) with cool summers and moderately cold winters. There is no truly dry month but June is the month that gets the least amount of precipitation. Winter high temperatures average above the freezing mark, and summer high temperatures are cool to mild. The warmest month on average is July with an average high of 13 °C (55 °F) and the coldest is January with an average high of 2 °C (36 °F).

Climate data for Keflavík Airport
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.3
(50.5)		 10.6
(51.1)		 12.3
(54.1)		 20.0
(68.0)		 19.0
(66.2)		 20.0
(68.0)		 23.9
(75.0)		 22.9
(73.2)		 17.8
(64.0)		 14.5
(58.1)		 13.5
(56.3)		 13.0
(55.4)		 23.9
(75.0)
Average high °C (°F) 2.2
(36.0)		 2.8
(37.0)		 3.2
(37.8)		 5.6
(42.1)		 8.8
(47.8)		 11.4
(52.5)		 13.2
(55.8)		 12.7
(54.9)		 10.1
(50.2)		 6.8
(44.2)		 4.0
(39.2)		 2.7
(36.9)		 7.0
(44.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.2
(31.6)		 0.3
(32.5)		 0.6
(33.1)		 2.8
(37.0)		 6.1
(43.0)		 8.6
(47.5)		 10.4
(50.7)		 10.1
(50.2)		 7.5
(45.5)		 4.5
(40.1)		 1.8
(35.2)		 0.4
(32.7)		 4.4
(39.9)
Average low °C (°F) −2.6
(27.3)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 0.5
(32.9)		 3.7
(38.7)		 6.4
(43.5)		 8.3
(46.9)		 8.0
(46.4)		 5.4
(41.7)		 2.5
(36.5)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 2.1
(35.9)
Record low °C (°F) −15.6
(3.9)		 −17.2
(1.0)		 −20
(−4)		 −14.4
(6.1)		 −6.1
(21.0)		 -0
(32)		 3.3
(37.9)		 0.0
(32.0)		 −5
(23)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −12
(10)		 −14
(7)		 −20
(−4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 127.7
(5.03)		 121.8
(4.80)		 116.0
(4.57)		 87.0
(3.43)		 82.3
(3.24)		 63.7
(2.51)		 88.0
(3.46)		 118.3
(4.66)		 131.7
(5.19)		 120.1
(4.73)		 122.8
(4.83)		 130.7
(5.15)		 1,310.1
(51.6)
Average precipitation days 15 16 16 12 12 11 11 13 13 15 14 16 164
Source: yr.no[4] Meteo Climat (extremes)[5]

Sport

The town is represented in sports by Íþrótta- og ungmennafélag Keflavíkur.

The former NATO military base Naval Air Station Keflavik is used as a setting for an important story line in Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising.[6] Clancy speculated about the base, the geography, local flora, and the station equipment.

NAS Keflavík is also a central setting in Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indriðason's 1999 mystery Napóleonsskjölin, translated into English in 2011 as Operation Napoleon.

See also

References
  1. Formerly named Reykjanes
  2. "Population by Locaties-Keflavík and Njarðvík". Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  3. Cathy Harlow, Iceland, Landmark Visitors Guide, 3rd ed. 2004, ISBN 1-84306-134-1, p. 57.
  4. "Weather statistics for Keflavík". yr.no. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2019-11-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. Clancy, Tom (1986). Red Storm Rising. Putnam. ISBN 978-0-399-13149-3.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Keflavík.

Media related to Keflavík at Wikimedia Commons

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