Question

What is the capital of Iceland? A) Oslo B) Helsinki C) Reykjavik D) Copenhagen

Answer 1

Answer: C) Reykjavik

Explanation:

The correct answer is C) Reykjavik, which serves as the capital and largest city of Iceland. This Nordic island nation is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, and Reykjavik sits on its southwestern coast.

Let's look at why the other options are incorrect. Oslo is the capital of Norway, Helsinki serves as the capital of Finland, and Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. These are all Nordic countries like Iceland, which might make this question a bit tricky if you're not familiar with the region's geography.

Reykjavik is quite unique among world capitals. With a population of around 130,000 people in the city proper, it's one of the smallest capital cities in the world. However, the greater Reykjavik area houses about two-thirds of Iceland's entire population of roughly 370,000 people.

The name "Reykjavik" literally means "Smoky Bay" in Icelandic, which comes from the steam rising from the area's natural geothermal hot springs. These hot springs have been crucial to the city's development and continue to provide geothermal heating to most of the city today, making it one of the world's cleanest capitals in terms of air quality.

Reykjavik also holds the distinction of being the world's northernmost capital city. Despite its northern location, the city enjoys a relatively mild climate due to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream. The city experiences long summer days with nearly 24 hours of daylight in June, while winter days are quite short with only about 4 hours of daylight in December.