North Frisians (German:Nordfriesen;Danish:Nordfrisere;North Frisian:Nuurdfresen) are the inhabitants of the district ofNordfriesland in the north German state ofSchleswig-Holstein. Used in a narrower sense, the term also refers to an ethnic sub-group of theFrisians from the region ofNorth Frisia, which lies primarily on the GermanNorth Sea coast, and on the island ofHeligoland.
The North Frisians live on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein – from the German-Danish border region in the north to the south of North Friesland. TheNorth Frisian language area also includes the offshore islands of Sylt, Föhr, Amrum and Heligoland (in the district of Pinneberg) and a number of smaller islands, theHalligen.[1]
The North Frisians still to some extent use the different dialects of theNorth Frisian language andLow German language which form parts of the group of theNorthseegermanic languages, but alsoHigh German andDanish. The North Frisian language is specially protected by the Schleswig-Holstein stateconstitution and by theFriisk Gesäts (German:Friesisch-Gesetz) or "Frisian Law".
Around 800 AD, the Frisians migrated into what later becameUthlande in theDuchy of Schleswig. Initially they only settled the offshore islands but, in a second wave of immigration around 1100, also populated the adjacent coastal strip between the riversEider andVidå (German:Wiedau) on the Germano-Danish border.[2]
The colours gold, red and blue, like the coat of arms of North Frisia (which are not the same as those of the district of Nordfriesland), have been accorded official status by theFriisk Gesäts.[3]