Eyjittsmiddi (province)

The Province of Eyjittsmiddi (Dogrish: Prövins Eyjittsmiddi; pronunciation: [prøˈʋɪns ɛyʰtsˈmɪʰdɨ]) is a province of Dogger in the Seafaring Confederation. It is located centrally on the island, surrounded by Völþreskóve to the north and Dalurer og Eyjerne to the south. Eyjittsmiddi had 837,312 inhabitants as of 2015, making it the least populated of the four provinces.

The current province was formed during the Dogric provincial reforms of 1978. Its predecessors were the half-provinces of Eyjittsmiddi-Steð and Eyjittsmiddi-Lönð and the Lordship of Engleserdalur.

The capital of the province is the eponymous city of Eyjittsmiddi, which is also the national capital of Dogger.

Prior to provincial reforms
Prior to the provincial reforms of 1978, the territory now comprising the province of Eyjittsmiddi was divided over three federal subjects: the half-provinces of Eyjittsmiddi-Steð and Eyjittsmiddi-Lönð formed the federal representative entity of Eyjittsmiddi, whilst the Lordship of Engleserdalur was its own separate entity located at the other side of the Ryggråð.

The division between Eyjittsmiddi-Steð ("City") and Eyjittsmiddi-Lönð ("Land") came about in 1788 after rising tensions between the central cities of Eyjittsmiddi versus the surrounding, more agricultural countryside. These quarrels were eventually addressed in the parliament of Eyjittsmiddi in 1787, where it was decided to divide the province into two half provinces. Municipalities were given the choice between becoming part of either province, and in 1788 the two half-provinces were formed.

The Lordship of Engleserdalur was held by the, who still holds the title and, until 1978, was also the ceremonial head of the lordship. Engleserdalur has historically always been rural and relatively isolated, with no important towns or cities within its territory.

Provincial reforms of 1978
In the second half of the 19th century, the division between City and Land generally began to be considered outdated. When in 1965 a general overhaul of the nation's constitution was proposed, the two half-provinces gladly proposed that they be fused again.

Engleserdalur, as a federal subject, had found it difficult to uphold its own existence by that time, and requested to be included in the proposed capital province of Eyjittsmiddi. This was accepted by the two half-provinces in 1974. In 1978, the three federal entities were merged into the current province of Eyjittsmiddi.

Geography
The province of Eyjittsmiddi is situated directly on the drainage divide created by the Ryggråð, a range of moor-covered hills running longitudonally across the island and dividing the province into two clearly separate parts.

The region to the east of the Ryggråð, which covers the former half-provinces of Eyjittsmiddi, can itself be divided into an eastern and western part, with the Eyjittsmiddirvold as a rough line of division. The eastern part, located between the Eyjittsmiddirvold in the west and the Gråisvåtten in the east, is predominantly rural with only a few villages and even fewer towns. The western part on the other hand, located between the Eyjittsmiddirvold to the east and the Ryggråð to the west, is heavily urbanised and houses most of the province's inhabitants.

The region to the west of the Ryggråð is coterminous with the former Lordship of Engleserdalur and covers the eponymous valley, a depression left behind during the last ice age by a now disappeared glacier. It is characterised by its many small rivers and rivulets that all join together before draining into the Röðvåtten. The region is very sparsely populated and relatively isolated, making it a favourite destination for day tourists from the urbanised east of Eyjittsmiddi.

Municipalities

 * Former Eyjittsmiddi-Steð
 * Eyjittsmiddi
 * Former Eyjittsmiddi-Lönð
 * Eker-åt-Gråisvåtten
 * Hågen-åt-Gråisvåtten
 * Heiðholm
 * Norðuruðgang
 * Skyöy
 * Ulsníð
 * Former Engleserdalur
 * Eftirheið
 * Föríslá
 * Öfiríslá

Road
The Eyjittsmiddi region of the province is served by two main highways, namely the R1 running from Röðåmund on the north coast to Fjurðmund on the south coast, and the R3 forming the western, northern and northeastern sides of the Eyjittsmiddi Ringroad before continuing eastwards to Grenlå.

Furthermore, the entire province is internally connected by a large network of provincial roads, including two that cross the Ryggråð, with numerous connections to neighbouring provinces and their municipalities too.

Rail
The urbanised area of Eyjittsmiddi serves as the central train hub of Dogger, with intercity and local train connections to nearly every station on the island directly. There are four intercity stations (Eyjittsmiddi Ástur, Eyjittsmiddi Vestur, Skyöy and Ulsníð) and twenty-one local stations.

Eyjittsmiddi is also served by an extensive metro network, known as MiddiRail.

Bus and tram
For more information, see buses in Eyjittsmiddi and trams in Eyjittsmiddi.

Eyjittsmiddi is served by an extensive network of bus and tram lines, with a large number of urban and regional connections. Buses and trams are run by.

The municipalities of Góðenger og Lörenger, Rósuby, Rósugårð and Ulsvík are included in the Eyjittsmiddi bus and tram transport concession, even though they are located in the province of Dalurer og Eyjerne.

Air
Eyjittsmiddi International Airport is located to the south of the city of Eyjittsmiddi and provides connections to a large number of international destinations.