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The Hallgrímskirkja is
a Lutheran (Church
of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík,Iceland.
At 74.5 metres (244 ft), it is the largest church in Iceland and the
sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland.
Reykjavik's latitude at
64°08' N makes it the
world's northernmost capital of
a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the
southern shore of Faxaflói Bay.
With a population of around 120,000 (and over 200,000 in the Greater
Reykjavík Area) it is the heart of Iceland's economic and governmental activity.
Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent
settlement in Iceland, which Ingólfur
Arnarson is said to have
established around 870. Until the 18th century, there was no urban
development in the city
location. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and
grew steadily over the next decades, as it transformed into a regional and
later national centre
of commerce, population
and governmental activities.
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