The Iceland year-book - 01.01.1926, Síða 43

station. On Dec. 31st 1925 the number of tele-
phones in use was 3.130, of which 2.000 were in
Reykjavik. Only four countries in Europe use the
telephone more extensively than Iceland does. At
the end of 1924 (later statistics have not been
published) the total length of the telephone and
telegraph lines was 2715.4 kilometres, and of the
wires 8039.5 km. The length of submarine cables
was 75.5 km., and of cables run through conduits
14.2 km.
The Principal Reykjavik, the capital, is situated
Towns. on the south side of a considerable
inlet of Faxafloi (or FaxafjorSur)
in a shallow depression between two hills as well
as on both these hills. The town may he said to
be of recent growth, for in 1801 its population
was only about 300, by the middle of the 19th
century it had increased to a little over 1.000, and
in 1901 it had reached 6.600, while at present it
is about 21.000, or somewhat more than one-fith
of the entire population of Iceland. Other towns
of special commercial interest are: Isaf jorSur
(pop. 2.200) in the West; SiglufjorSur (1.500), the
centre of the herring trade, and the beautifully
situated Akureyri (3.000) in the North; SeySis-
f jorSur (1.000) in the East; and Vestmannaeyjar
(3.000) and HafnarfjorSur (2.800) in the South.
The distance between the last-named and Reykja-
vik is only 11 kilometres. It has often been re-
marked that on account of its excellent natural
harbour HafnarfjorSur ought to have been the.
capital of Iceland. It has lately grown into a very
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