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Norfolk

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

                                    Norfolk
                           Image:EnglandNorfolk.png
                                                                 Geography
                 Status:              Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan county
                 Region:                                   East of England
                   Area:
                 - Total
        - Admin. council                       Ranked 5th
                                                  5,371 km²
                                                                Ranked 5th
               Admin HQ:                                           Norwich
             ISO 3166-2:                                            GB-NFK
               ONS code:                                                33
                 NUTS 3:                                             UKH13
                                                              Demographics
             Population:
     - Total (2005 est.)
               - Density
        - Admin. Council                      Ranked 24th
                                                     824,200
                                                  153 / km²
                                                                Ranked 7th
              Ethnicity:                                       98.5% White
                                                                  Politics
                        Arms of Norfolk County Council
                                            Norfolk County Council
                                                http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/
              Executive:                                      Conservative
                             Members of Parliament

      Richard Bacon, Henry Bellingham, Charles Clarke, Christopher Fraser,
                   Ian Gibson, Norman Lamb, Keith Simpson, Anthony Wright
                                                                 Districts

                            Image:NorfolkNumbered.png

      1. Norwich
      2. South Norfolk
      3. Great Yarmouth
      4. Broadland
      5. North Norfolk
      6. King's Lynn and West Norfolk
      7. Breckland

   Norfolk (pronounced IPA: [ˈnɒːfək]) is a low-lying county in East
   Anglia in the east of southern England. It has borders with
   Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and
   with Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the
   North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich,
   located at 52°37′59″N, 1°17′38″E. Norfolk is the fifth largest
   ceremonial county in England, with an area of 5,371 sq km (2,074 sq
   mi).

   Of the 34 non-metropolitan English counties, Norfolk is the seventh
   most populous, with a population of 816,500. However, as a largely
   rural county it has a low population density, 152 people per square
   kilometre, making it 25th highest by population density. This is
   reflected in Norfolk's economy which is dominated by agriculture and
   tourism. The Broads lie partly within the county. A recent bid to have
   them declared a National Park failed, because it would have meant
   conservation being more important than navigation. Historical sites,
   such as the centre of Norwich, also contribute to tourism.

   In a contest held by Plantlife, Norfolk's county flower was voted to be
   the Common Poppy after complaints that the first choice Alexanders was
   not representative.

History

   Norfolk was settled in pre-Roman times, with neolithic camps along the
   higher land in the west where flints could be quarried. A Brythonic
   tribe, the Iceni, inhabited the county from the first century BCE, to
   the end of the first century CE. The Iceni revolted against the Roman
   invasion in 47 CE, and again in 60CE led by Boudica. The crushing of
   the second rebellion opened the county to the Romans. During the Roman
   era roads and ports were constructed throughout the county and farming
   took place.

   Situated on the east coast, Norfolk was vulnerable to invasions from
   Scandinavia and northern Europe, and forts were built to defend against
   the Angles and Saxons. By the 5th century the Angles, for whom East
   Anglia and England itself are named, had established control of the
   region and later became the "north folk" and the "south folk", hence,
   "Norfolk" and "Suffolk". Norfolk, and several adjacent areas, became
   the kingdom of East Anglia, later merging with Mercia and then Wessex.
   The influence of the Early English settlers can be seen in the many
   "thorpes", "tons" and "hams" of placenames. In the 9th century the
   region again came under attack, this time from Vikings who killed the
   king, Edmund the Martyr. In the centuries before the Norman Conquest
   the wetlands of the east of the county began to be converted to
   farmland, and settlements grew in these areas. Migration into East
   Anglia must have been high, as by the time of the Conquest and Domesday
   Book survey, it was one of the most densely populated parts of the
   British Isles.

   During the high and late Middle Ages the county developed arable
   agriculture and woolen industries. The economy was in decline by the
   time of the Black Death, which dramatically reduced the population in
   1349. By the 16th century Norwich had grown to become the second
   largest city in England, but in 1665 the Great Plague of London again
   killed around one third of the population. During the English Civil War
   Norfolk was largely Parliamentarian. The economy and agriculture of the
   region declined somewhat, and during the industrial revolution Norfolk
   developed little industry and was a late addition to the railway
   network.

   In the 20th century the county developed a role in aviation. The first
   development in airfields came with the First World War; there was then
   a massive expansion during the Second World War with the growth of the
   Royal Air Force and the influx of the American USAAF 8th Air Force
   which operated from many Norfolk airfields. During the Second World War
   agriculture rapidly intensified, and has remained very intensive since
   with the establishment of large fields for cereal and oil seed rape
   growing. Norfolk's low-lying land and easily eroded cliffs, many of
   which are chalk and clay, make it vulnerable to the sea, the most
   recent major event being the North Sea flood of 1953.

Physical geography

   Geologically Norfolk can be divided into three regions. In the east the
   county lies on weak pliocene (1.8-5.3mya) rocks which form low, flat
   land easily eroded by the sea. Fossils in these rocks document over a
   million years of climate fluctuations. To the west is a stronger band
   of Chalk (70-100mya) which dips to the north and in places has a unique
   red colour. The chalk is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation
   which is also found in Salisbury Plain, the South Downs and Isle of
   Wight, though in Norfolk it doesn't form as high hills as to the south.
   In the far west of county the landscape is again low, flat and wet,
   around The Wash, a large inlet eroded into the weak rock. The
   transition between the eastern and western geology can be seen clearly
   at Weybourne, where the coastline suddenly changes.

   Much of Norfolk, like surrounding East Anglian counties, is low lying
   and close to sea level. The Norfolk Broads are an important wetland
   habitat and tourist attraction, part of The Broads statutory area which
   has similar status to a National Park. Another important habitat is
   Thetford Forest Park, a coniferous forest and heathland park. Some of
   the county, like neighbouring Cambridgeshire, is used for intensive
   arable agriculture and is crossed by artificial drainage canals.

   The highest point of the county is Beacon Hill at 105m. It is the
   highest point of the Cromer Ridge, a ridge of old glacial moraines that
   stands next to the coast above Cromer.

   Being in the east, sheltered from most of the extreme weather of the
   Atlantic, Norfolk has amongst the lowest rainfall in the UK, at 466-641
   mm (18-25 in). The area has mean temperatures of between 9.4 and 10.1
   degrees celsius (approx 50 degrees fahrenheit), second only to South
   West and South East England. With between 1471 and 1885 hours of
   sunshine annually, it is behind only the south-coast counties and
   Suffolk

Economy and industry

   Wells-next-the-Sea.
   Enlarge
   Wells-next-the-Sea.
   River Wensum, Norwich.
   Enlarge
   River Wensum, Norwich.
   Norwich Roman Catholic Cathedral.
   Enlarge
   Norwich Roman Catholic Cathedral.

   In 1998 Norfolk had a Gross Domestic Product of £9,319 million, making
   it 1.5% of England's economy and 1.25% of the United Kingdom's economy.
   The GDP per head was £11,825, compared to £13,635 for East Anglia,
   £12,845 for England and £12,438 for the United Kingdom. In 1999-2000
   the county has an unemployment rate of 5.6%, compared to 5.8% for
   England and 6.0% for the UK.

   Much of Norfolk's flat and fertile land has been drained and converted
   to arable land. Over 20% of employment in the county is in the
   agriculture and food industries. Agribusiness has been successful in
   the county, and farming is very intensive with large fields, and many
   formerly family-run farms have been agglomerated into large farms which
   are highly efficient but criticised for reducing biodiversity and
   employment.

Politics

   Norfolk County Council is Conservative-controlled, with 46 Conservative
   councillors, 22 Labour councillors, 14 Liberal Democrat councillors and
   two Green councillors. There was 63% turnout at the most recent local
   election.

   In the House of Commons, Norfolk is represented by four Conservative
   Members of Parliament, three Labour MPs and one Liberal Democrat.
   Labour represent the more urban areas of Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
   The former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, represents Norwich South.

               CAPTION: Norfolk Election Results 5th May 2005

                       Parliamentary County Council ^
     Party Votes Votes % Seats Seats % Party Votes Votes % Seats Seats %
        Conservative 163224 40% 4 50% Conservative 158942 39% 46 55%
                 Labour 122650 30% 3 38% Green 18786 5% 2 2%
         Liberal Democrat 103805 25% 1 13% Labour 108043 27% 22 26%
          Others ^19371 5% 0 0% Liberal Democrat 113048 28% 14 17%
                            Others ^6924 2% 0 0%
                          Totals 409050 8 405743 84
                               Turnout 64% 63%
                                    Notes
    ^Includes Town Close ward by-election held 26th May 2005, electors in
    Town Close didn't vote for a County Councilor on 5th May 2005 due to
     the death of one of the candidates between close of nominations and
                                polling day.
                   ^UKIP, Green, LCA, Independents, Others
                      ^UKIP, LCA, Independents, Others

Settlements and communications

   Norfolk's county town and only city is Norwich, one of the largest
   settlements in England during the Norman era. Norwich is home to
   Norfolk's only university, the University of East Anglia, and is the
   county's main business and culture centre. Other principal towns
   include the port-town of King's Lynn and the seaside resort and Broads
   gateway town of Great Yarmouth. There are also several market towns:
   Aylsham, Downham Market, Fakenham, Holt, Swaffham, Thetford and
   Wymondham.

   Norfolk is one of only four non-metropolitan counties in England that
   does not have a motorway. The A11 connects Norfolk to Cambridge and
   London and the A47 runs west to the East Midlands. The Great Eastern
   Main Line is a major railway from London Liverpool Street Station to
   Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. The only major airport in the county is
   Norwich International Airport, which offers flights within Europe,
   including a link to Amsterdam which offers onward flights throughout
   the world.

Dialect, accent and nickname

   The Norfolk Dialect also known as "Broad Norfolk" is the accent/dialect
   of people living in Norfolk, although over the modern age, a lot of the
   vocabulary and phrases have died out due to a number of factors such as
   radio, TV and people from other parts of the country coming to Norfolk.
   As a result the speech of Norfolk is more of an accent than dialect
   though one part retained from the Norfolk dialect is the distinctive
   grammar of the region.

   Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such
   as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the
   traditional nickname for people from Norfolk is 'Norfolk Dumpling' or
   'Norfolk Pudden' ("pudding"): two of the county's two culinary dishes.

   More cutting, perhaps, is the medical slang term Normal for Norfolk.

Tourist highlights

   The Norfolk Coast.
   Enlarge
   The Norfolk Coast.
   The Norfolk Broads.
   Enlarge
   The Norfolk Broads.
   The historic city of Norwich.
   Enlarge
   The historic city of Norwich.

   Norfolk is a popular tourist destination; major attractions include
   beaches, the Broads, and the city of Norwich. Rural parts of the
   county, notably the area around Burnham Market, are also popular
   locations for city dwellers to purchase weekend homes.

People of Norfolk

   Here are some notable people who were born and/or raised in Norfolk:
     * Boudica, queen of the Iceni people in ancient Britain and scourge
       of the occupying Roman Army, was born in the part of Norfolk that
       is close to Norwich, at a settlement near the River Wensum
     * Cathy Dennis, the singer and songwriter, hails from Norwich
     * Anthony Duckworth-Chad, landowner and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of
       Norfolk
     * Sir James Dyson, the inventor and entrepreneur, grew up at Holt and
       was educated at Gresham's School
     * Stephen Fry, Actor, comedian, writer, producer, director and
       author. Was born in London and was brought up in the village of
       Booton near Reepham and also briefly attended Gresham's.
     * Claire Goose, the actress who starred in Casualty, was raised in
       Norfolk
     * Sienna Guillory, the actress, hails from north Norfolk and was
       educated at Gresham's School
     * Ed Graham, drummer of Lowestoft band The Darkness, was born in
       Great Yarmouth
     * Sid Kipper, Norfolk humourist, author, songwriter and singer
     * Myleene Klass, former Hear'Say singer, hails from Gorleston
     * Matthew Macfadyen, the actor who starred in Spooks, was born in
       Great Yarmouth
     * Lord Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe and bred in Norfolk
     * Thomas Paine, philosopher, born in Thetford
     * Philip Pullman, author, born in Norwich
     * Allan Smethurst, 'The Singing Postman' who sang songs in his
       Norfolk dialect, was from Sheringham
     * Thomas Shadwell, playwright, satirist and poet laureate.
     * Hannah Spearritt, actress and former S Club 7 singer, is from
       Gorleston
     * Peter Trudgill, sociolinguist on accents and dialects including his
       own native Norfolk dialect, was born and bred in Norwich
     * Robert Walpole, regarded as the first British prime minister
     * Beth Orton, award-winning singer/songwriter, was born in Dereham
     * Delia Smith, British TV cook and major Norwich City Football Club
       shareholder
     * John Wilson, angler
     * Diana Spencer, first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, was born and
       grew up near Sandringham
     * Martin Brundle, former motor-racing driver and now popular
       commentator was born in King's Lynn
     * Dave Bussey Former BBC Radio 2 and current BBC Radio Lincolnshire
       presenter

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
