The Capital Region ( ) is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southwestern Iceland. It is one of the two classified

Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics or NUTS () is a geocode standard for referencing the administrative divisions of countries for statistical purposes. The standard, adopted in 2003, is developed and regulated by the European ...

(NUTS-2) statistical

regions of Iceland The regions of Iceland are eight areas of Iceland that roughly follow the arrangement of parliamentary constituencies as they were between 1959 and 2003. These regions are not incorporated polities but rather recognized groupings of municipaliti ...

. The region encompasses an area of , and consists of the national capital

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

and six

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

around it. Though it is much smaller than the other regions of Iceland, the region hosts about two-thirds of the population of the country.

Classification

The country of Iceland is organized into eight

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

for statistical and administrative purposes. The

(NUTS) organizes the country into two broader level sub-divisions. These are classified as a NUTS-2 statistical

, and incorporate one or more regions within it. The regions form the NUTS-3 territorial units under them.

Geography

The Capital Region of Iceland incorporates the regions around the nation's capital Reykjavik, encompassing an area of . The region is located in the south-western corner of the island, which is situated at the confluence of the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

and

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

oceans. Apart from its western coast, the region is bordered by

Southern Peninsula Southern Peninsula (, ) is an administrative unit and part of Reykjanesskagi (pronounced ), or Reykjanes Peninsula, a region in southwest Iceland. It was named after Reykjanes, the southwestern tip of Reykjanesskagi. The region has a populati ...

to the south, Western Region to the north, and Southern Region to the east.

Sub-divisions

Seven municipalities make up the Capital Region with Reykjavík being the most populated by far with 138,772 inhabitants. While Kjósarhreppur is the largest municipality by area, spread around , it is entirely rural and has the least population. Seltjarnarnes is the smallest municipality by land area. Each municipality has its own elected council, and take care of utilities like waste policy, public transport and fire fighting. ]

Demographics

The region hosts about two-thirds of the population of the country. As of 2025, there are 249,054 people residing the region, of whom 126,527 are male, 122,378 are female, and 149 are Non-binary gender, non-binary/ other. The population density is of 238.10 inhabitants per square kilometre. The region has a very high

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...

, and is one of the most developed regions in Europe. Of the labor force, nearly 25% are involved in professional and administrative work including government offices. For statistic purposes,

Statistics Iceland Statistics Iceland () is the main official institute providing statistics on the nation of Iceland. It was created by the Althing in 1913, began operations in 1914 and became an independent government agency under the Prime Minister's Office on ...

has defined contiguous urban areas which are different from municipal boundaries. An urban area might straddle multiple municipalities and a single municipality may contain more than one urban area. The Greater Reykjavik area houses more than 98% of the population of the region, incorporating three of the six municipalities completely, and most parts of Reykjavik and two other municipalities except Kjósarhreppur. The remaining population is spread across the minor urban areas of

Álftanes Álftanes () is the name of a town and a collection of small peninsulas in Iceland. It means ''swan peninsula''. The best known of these peninsulas extrudes from the eastern part of Reykjanes with the town of the same name in the Capital Region ...

, Grundarhverfi, and Mosfellsdalur. There is a small percent of population that is classified as rural.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Geography of Reykjavík