Norfolk

East Anglian England's ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Norfolk is known for its eponymous king. To the north-west is Lincolnshire, to the west and south-west is Cambridgeshire, and to the south is Suffolk. The North Sea forms its northern and eastern border, and The Wash is its northernmost landmass. Indeed, Norwich serves as the county seat. Norfolk has a population of 859,400 and an area of 2,074 square miles (5,370 square kilometers) despite its mostly rural character, as seen by the county's low population density of 401 people per square kilometer (155 per km2). Four large cities account for 40% of the county's population: Norwich (213,000), Great Yarmouth (63,000), King's Lynn (46,000), and Thetford (25,000)

The Broads, located in the eastern part of the county, are a system of rivers and lakes that flow south into Suffolk. Broads Authority safeguards the region, giving it the status of a national park.

History

Prior to Roman rule, the area that would become Norfolk was inhabited by Palaeolithic people who set up camps in the western uplands where flints could be mined. These people arrived in the area some 950,000 years ago. In the first century B.C., the Iceni evolved as a distinct Brittonic people. In 47 AD, commanded by Boudica, the Iceni rose up against the Roman invasion. The territory was accessible to the Romans when the second uprising was put down. During the Roman period, roads and ports were built, and farming became commonplace in the region.

Being on the shore made the Iceni homelands easy targets for invaders from the mainland and other regions of Britain, thus forts were constructed to ward off the Saxons and the Picts. These dangers may have contributed to a period of population decline when the Romans left. Soon later, Germanic peoples from the North Sea area moved in the region. Though they were known as Angles, they were likely not tied to any tribe in particular at the time of their migration. It is believed that a sizable population settled in this area at an early date (perhaps the turn of the fifth century, before the supposed arrival of Hengist and Horsa in Kent) and that this population growth was widespread.

The Angles dominated the area by the fifth century, and their descendants, the "north folk" and the "south folk," gave rise to the names "Norfolk" and "Suffolk," respectively. The kingdom of East Anglia (one of the heptarchy) was formed out of Norfolk, Suffolk, and other neighboring territories. This kingdom amalgamated with Mercia and eventually with Wessex. The influence of the early English settlers can be observed in the various place names ending in "-ham", "-ingham" and "-ton". Also common are endings like "-by" and "-thorpe," which are indicative of Danish toponyms; the region was once again attacked in the 9th century, this time by Danes who assassinated the king, Edmund the Martyr. Some academics have speculated that the presence of Celtic elements in certain Fenland area place names indicates the presence of a sizable population of Britons in the region.

In the years before to the Norman Conquest, the wetland areas in the county's eastern part were transformed into agriculture, and new communities sprang up there. By the time of the Domesday Book survey, East Anglia was one of the most densely populated regions of the British Isles, suggesting that immigration into the region was high. During the high and late Middle Ages the county developed arable farmland and textile industry. Out of an estimated 1,000 medieval churches in Norfolk, 659 remain, more than in any other British county and the highest concentration in the world, attesting to the country's affluence as the period. Before the Black Death wiped off so many people in 1349, the economy was already in trouble.

The enclosure of land by landlords under the reign of Edward VI left peasants with nowhere to graze their animals, leading to the outbreak of Kett's Rebellion in Norfolk. Robert Kett, a yeoman farmer, commanded the group, which consisted of volunteers from Norwich and the rural areas nearby. By the time the rebels took over Norwich on July 29th, 1549, his army numbered over 16,000. Kett's revolt was put to a stop on August 27 when a force led by John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, decisively beat the rebels in the Battle of Dussindale. Three thousand insurgents were wiped down. Captured, Kett spent time in the Tower of London before being convicted for treason and ultimately executed in Norwich Castle.

Norwich had become England's second largest city by the end of the 16th century, but the city lost more than a third of its people to the plague in 1579 and another third to the Great Plague in 1665. It's safe to say that the majority of Norfolk's population sided with the Parliament during the English Civil War. The region's economy and agricultural output decreased. Except for Norwich, which just got its first railroad late in the game, Norfolk saw very little industrial growth during the era of the Industrial Revolution.

The Norfolk Militia was an early military organization. A significant aviation industry developed in the country in the 20th century. There was a significant increase in the number of airfields in Norfolk during World War II, thanks in large part to the expansion of the Royal Air Force and the presence of the American USAAF 8th Air Force, which used bases in the county.

Economy

In 1998, Norfolk's GDP was £9,319,000,000, making up 1.5% of the English economy and 1.25 % of the British economy. When compared to East Anglia at £13,635, England at £12,845 and the United Kingdom as a whole at £12,438, the GDP per capita in East Anglia was £11,825. There was a 5.6% unemployment rate in the county in 1999-2000, which was lower than the national and English rates of 5.8% and 6.0%, respectively.

Fortunately, 2017 statistics gave a detailed and informative update on the county's financial situation. Hourly wages averaged £12.17, with weekly wages averaging £496.80 and annual salaries averaging £25,458. Of those between the ages of 16 and 64, 74.2% were employed, with only 4.6% unemployed. According to data from April 2018, the Norfolk economy was "treading water," with manufacturing sales and recruitment remaining unchanged. "At a time when Norfolk firms face steep up-front costs, the apprenticeship system is in crisis, roads are being allowed to crumble, mobile phone and broadband 'not-spots' are multiplying, it's obvious that the key to improved productivity and competitiveness lies in getting the basics right," said a spokesperson for the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. The solution was attributed to the need for "a considerably stronger domestic economic agenda... to repair the fundamentals needed for business to prosper here," which the UK government was urged to implement.

Tourism contributed $3.25 billion to the economy in 2017 and directly supported 65,000 jobs, making it the fifth most important industry in Norfolk. Since 2012, the tourism industry had seen a growth in value of over £500 million.

Other crucial industries are those dealing with energy (oil, gas, and renewables), cutting-edge engineering and manufacturing, agriculture, and food.

Much of the generally flat and fertile ground in Norfolk has been drained for agricultural purposes. Sugar beets, wheat, malting barley, and oil seed rape are the most important cultivars. One of the county's many assets is a saffron grower. The agricultural and food industries account for about 20% of the county's workforce.

Aviva (formerly Norwich Union), Colman's (now owned by Unilever), Lotus Cars, and Bernard Matthews Farms are just a few of the well-known businesses based in Norfolk. Construction Industry Training Board now occupies the site of the decommissioned RAF Bircham Newton airport. Although the BBC East region extends as far west as Milton Keynes from its headquarters in Norwich, the BBC nevertheless dedicates a separate station, BBC Radio Norfolk, to the county of Norfolk. In 2016 and 2017, Greene King, Cranswick, and ForFarmers all grew, as did the brewing company.

The leaders of Norfolk and Suffolk's businesses have formed a Local Enterprise Partnership to promote economic development and job creation in the two counties. The two counties are now recognized as a hub for developing green economy services and goods thanks to their efforts to create an enterprise zone for the energy industry.

Norwich's city council had provided a wireless internet service to support local business, however the service was discontinued as funding dried up.

In 2018, fisherman such as John Lee, a fifth-generation crabman who supplies M Restaurants and the Blueprint Café with Cromer Crabs, kept the industry afloat.