Norhelm (Amt)

Norhelm
Amt
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Norhelm on the Island of Crovaney, Caproney.
Country	Caproney
Capital and largest city	Doher
Area
• Total	284 km2 (110 sq mi)
• Rank	3rd
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,274
• Density	53.8/km2 (139/sq mi)
Demonyms	Norhelmer, Norn
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)

Norhelm is an amt (county) in Caproney on the northern half of the island of Crovaney, bordering Crovania to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest, north, east, and southeast. In 2020 it had a population of 15,274 people. The administrative centre of the amt and its largest town is Doher.

Etymology

The name Norhelm is a contraction of the words noarde-helm, or ‘northern islet.’ 'Helm' comes from the Old Norse holmr or Danish holm, meaning a small island or islet. The term originally referred to the broader region of the northern reaches of Crovaney as well as the islands of Ango and Ceortey, and had been varyingly spelled as Norhelm, Norholm, Noarhelme, Noarholme, Narhelm, Noardye, and even Nacghorn and Nagom. The region south of this northern reach down to Crofanland and Vigheland was referred to as Doherland, named after the largest town of Doher. The name was standardised when it became a lean (fief) in the 16th century, retaining its Middle-Caprish spelling.

In English, the region is still often spelt as Norholm, as it is in many of the Nordic languages.

Geography

The Amt of Norhelm sits on the northeastern side of the island of Crovaney. It is the easternmost part of the archipelago (besides Heligoland), and almost the furthest north, beaten barely by Ceortey in the Sylteys.

Like the rest of the archipelago, Norhelm is relatively flat with bands of rolling hills made of glacial moraine. The northern coast of the island of Crovaney has many small peninsulas separated by inlets, three of which have towns on them; Arm, Nordan, and Byhirs. These inlets are the remains of the paleolithic valleys of the Caprish Highlands of the sunken landmass of Doggerland, technically making Norhelm's northern coast a ria.

The administrative centre of the amt and its largest town is Doher, once the capital of the petty kingdom of Doherland, located in the centre-west of the amt close to the Crovanian border.

History

Norhelm became a Lean (fief) in the 16th century, at which point it also included western Doherlandhunder while lacking Uodinsehunder. In 1666, the Lean became an Amt (county), and with this the western portion of Doherlandhunder was ceded to Crofanlandamt. In 1740 the western portion of Uodinsehunder became part of Norhelm, bringing the amt to its present borders.

Coat of Arms

Besides the national coat of arms, the arms of Norhelm are the most internationally known. It consists of a red seeblatt (seablad) or lily charge on a white field. It has been in use since at least the 15th century as the arms of Norhelm, also being used on the Noardey'n, now part of the Sylteys amt. In the present age, the arms have become a popular symbol of the island of Crovaney and the Caproneys at large due to its popularity with tourists, in part due to its close appearance to a heart symbol.

Government

An amt is the chief local administrative area in Caproney, similar to a county. The whole of the Caproneys is divided into 9 amten. An amt is also an election area, with votes taking place every 4 years using proportional representation since 2008. Norhelm is apportioned five seats in the national legislature, or 8% of the Folcshus. Politically, Norhelm is split when it comes to general elections, tending to alternate between sending 3 PMs from the ruling or opposition party.

The government of Norhelm is the Norhelmeramtgemead, or Norhelm Amt Municipality, which elects 20 amtsmen who run the Norhelmeramtshus, the county council, led by the forsteamtsman. Since 2020, Norhelm's forsteamtsman has been Ulfred Fa'nArman of the CU.