Keflavík was founded byScottish entrepreneurs and engineers[3] in the 16th century, and developed on account of itsfishing and fish processing industry.[4]
In the 1940s an airport was built next to the town by theUnited States military, which served as an important refueling stop for trans-Atlantic flights, especially duringWorld War II.
Within Iceland, Keflavík was renowned as a rich source of musicians during the 1960s and 1970s, and came to be known asbítlabærinn[ˈpihtlaˌpaiːrɪn] or "The Beatle Town".
The local geography is dominated by fields ofbasalt rubble, interspersed with a few hardy plants and mosses.
The climate of Keflavík issubpolar oceanic (Köppen:Cfc) with cool summers and moderately cold winters. There is not a truly dry month but June is the month that gets the least amount of precipitation. Winter high temperatures average above the freezing mark, and summer high temperatures are cool to mild. The warmest month on average is July with an average high of 14.2 °C (58 °F) and the coldest is January with an average high of 3.4 °C (38 °F).
Climate data forKeflavík Airport, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1952–present
NAS Keflavik is also a central setting in Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indriðason's 1999 mysteryNapóleonsskjölin, translated into English in 2011 asOperation Napoleon.
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