| Isle of Man (British crown dependency) |  | Click to enlarge
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This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
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| Introduction | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Background: | Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.

| Geography | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Location: | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
Geographic coordinates: | 54 15 N, 4 30 W
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 160 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate: | temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time
Terrain: | hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Natural resources: | none
Land use: | arable land: 9% permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)
Irrigated land: | 0 sq km
Natural hazards: | NA
Environment - current issues: | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution
Geography - note: | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary

| People | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Population: | 76,220 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 17% (male 6,629/female 6,318) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 25,251/female 24,959) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,294/female 7,769) (2008 est.)
Median age: | total: 40 years male: 38.8 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.509% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: | 10.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | 5.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.8 years male: 75.46 years female: 82.32 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
Nationality: | noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx
Ethnic groups: | Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons
Religions: | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages: | English, Manx Gaelic
Literacy: | NA
Education expenditures: | NA

| Government | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man abbreviation: I.O.M.
Dependency status: | British crown dependency
Government type: | parliamentary democracy
Capital: | name: Douglas geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions: | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections
Independence: | none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: | Tynwald Day, 5 July
Constitution: | unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
Legal system: | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes
Suffrage: | 16 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief minister by the Tynwald
Legislative branch: | bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1, independents 21
Judicial branch: | High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)
Political parties and leaders: | Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT] note: most members sit as independents
Political pressure groups and leaders: | Alliance for Progressive Government or APG (a government watchdog); Mec Vannin (political party advocating a sovereign state and environment policies); note - has only had one member elected to the Tynwald
International organization participation: | UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (British crown dependency)
Flag description: | red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used

| Economy | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. The Isle of Man also attracts online gambling sites and the film industry. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 5.2% (2005)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $35,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.)
Labor force: | 39,690 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% (2001)
Unemployment rate: | 1.5% (December 2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Budget: | revenues: $965 million expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3.1% (December 2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
Industries: | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: | 3.2% (FY96/97)
Exports: | $NA
Exports - commodities: | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
Exports - partners: | UK (2006)
Imports: | $NA
Imports - commodities: | timber, fertilizers, fish
Imports - partners: | UK (2006)
Debt - external: | $NA
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA
Currency (code): | Isle of Man pound (IMP), also known as the Manx pound note: the British pound is also legal tender, but change is given in IMP
Exchange rates: | Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

| Communications | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 51,000 (1999)
Telephone system: | general assessment: NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)
Internet country code: | .im
Internet hosts: | 426 (2008)
Internet users: | NA

| Transportation | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Airports: | 1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Railways: | total: 65 km standard gauge: 7 km 1.067-m gauge (7 km electrified) narrow gauge: 58 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified) note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006)
Roadways: | total: 500 km (2008)
Merchant marine: | total: 273 by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container 12, liquefied gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56, Greece 50, Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, US 4) registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals: | Douglas, Ramsey

| Military | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: | male: 471 female: 447 (2008 est.)
Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of the UK

| Transnational Issues | Isle of Man | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008