Norfolk (county)

Norfolk , county (1991 pop. 736,700), 2,054 sq mi (5,320 sq km), E England. The county seat is Norwich . The region is one of flat, fertile farmlands, with a long, low coast bordering on the North Sea and the Wash. The principal rivers are the Ouse, the Bure, the Yare and its tributary the Wensum, and the Waveney. A series of connected shallow lakes, known as the Broads, occupies the eastern portion of the county. Norfolk produces cereal and root crops and supports extensive breeding of cattle and poultry. Fishing, the manufacture of agricultural machinery, and light industries are also important. Numerous vestiges of habitation dating from prehistoric times remain. After the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England, Norfolk became a part of the kingdom of East Anglia , the home of the "north folk" of that region (thus its name). In 1974, Norfolk was reorganized as a nonmetropolitan county, and a small area of NE East Suffolk was added to it.

Norfolk County of e England; the county town is Norwich. The region was home to the Iceni tribe in the 3rd century bc. After the departure of the Romans it became part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia. In the Middle Ages, Norfolk was a centre of the wool industry. The land is generally low-lying and is used mainly for agriculture. The region is drained by the rivers Waveney, Yare, Bure, and Ouse, and by the Broads. Today, Norfolk produces cereals and root vegetables; poultry farming and fishing are also important. Area: 5372sq km (2073sq mi). Pop. (1996 est.) 777,000.

Norfolk (the county). Nordfolc 1086 (DB). ‘(Territory of) the northern people (of the East Angles)’. OE north + folc, see Suffolk.