County Dossier
Norfolk
County of flatlands, ports, proud East Anglian roots.
Norfolk is a maritime county in East Anglia, renowned for its flat, mainly rural landscape. The north-west corner borders the Wash and the edge of the Fens, home to the historic port of King’s Lynn and the nearby market town of Downham Market.
At a glance
Norfolk at a glance
County of flatlands, ports, proud East Anglian roots.
- North folk” of East Angles
- Formed from 7C kingdom
- County by the 10th century
- Area: 2,057 sq miles / 5,328 sq km
- Population: 807,721
- County Top: Beacon Hill (343ft / 105m)
County Geography
Norfolk reaches the Wash in the west and the North Sea to the north and east, with Suffolk on the southern side. The county’s shape is therefore set as much by coast and estuary as by inland boundary lines.
Sea on two sides and a broad, low inland sweep give Norfolk one of the clearest county identities in England. Its internal pattern of market towns and open country reinforces that unity rather than breaking it up.
Map Reference
View Norfolk on the map
Norfolk is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Norwich, King’s Lynn, Dereham, Swaffham, and Great Yarmouth show the county from its inland capital to its west-facing port, central market-country core, and eastern seaboard. Together they make the county’s spread and balance easy to understand.
Connections
Norfolk’s geography has long been organised by routes running between Norwich, the coast, and the Wash side. Those movements sit within a stable county frame of lowland roads, river approaches, and maritime access.
Names
- Norfolk
- County of Norfolk
County of Norfolk is the formal historical style. The county name preserves the older \”north folk\” identity of the East Angles, while later documentary history fixed Norfolk as one of England’s established counties.
By the 10th century Norfolk was already functioning as a county in its own right.