Word: reykjavik
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...matters in hand. Prime Minister Steingrimur Hermannsson, granted emergency powers, commandeered the four largest central hotels. Tourists on an Icelandair promotion package were ordered to clear out early. That opened up space for only 916 visitors, but again entrepreneurial Icelanders promptly filled the gap. Houses and apartments in central Reykjavik were renting for an unheard of $6,000 to $7,000 for the summit week. "This is a chance of a lifetime," said one woman. "I'd much rather be in Majorca anyway." The Soviet Union plans to solve the space crunch by sending one or more cruise ships...
...since the highly publicized 1972 chess match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in Reykjavik has Iceland (pop. 240,000) been the focus of such intense superpower attention. The summit, proudly wrote an editorialist in Morgunbladid, the island's largest daily newspaper, "puts Iceland in the spotlight as firmly as it has ever been...
...world. In 874, so the legend goes, the Viking chieftain Ingolfur Arnarson tossed some wooden pillars out to sea, vowing to settle the land wherever they washed up. They apparently came to rest in a western bay of Iceland, where Arnarson soon established the small fishing village of Reykjavik (meaning Bay of Smoke, after the numerous geothermal springs that supply the city's heating and keep its streets ice-free in winter...
...nation's early history. Today Iceland has a 99.9% literacy rate, one of the highest in the world, while maintaining some curious folk traditions: a survey by the University of Iceland reported that nearly 65% of the population believe in elves and other supernatural creatures. Indeed, the Hofdi guesthouse, Reykjavik's official residence for visitors and the likely site of the summit meetings, is widely believed to be haunted...
...navy, but the Keflavik base, which monitors Soviet ship traffic in the crucial North Atlantic sea-lanes, is staffed by some 3,000 U.S. military personnel. When Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze was discussing the summit, he told reporters that his delegation knew they would be safe in Reykjavik. Why? "You (Americans) have a very big base there," he said, smiling...