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
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
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.)
Anglican, Roman Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages:
English, Manx Gaelic
Literacy:
NA
Government
Isle of Man
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:
none
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
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.
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.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (December 2006 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $965 million
expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, vegetables; cattle,
sheep, pigs, poultry
Industries:
financial services, light
manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (FY96/97)
Exports:
Exports - commodities:
tweeds, herring, processed
shellfish, beef, lamb
Exports - partners:
UK (2006)
Imports:
Imports - commodities:
timber, fertilizers, fish
Imports - partners:
UK (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Debt - external:
Market value of publicly traded shares:
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
Currency code:
GBP
Exchange rates:
Manx pounds 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
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
Isle of Man
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)
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
0 (receives broadcasts from the
UK and satellite) (1999)
Televisions:
27,490 (1999)
Internet country code:
.im
Internet hosts:
159 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
NA
Transportation
Isle of Man
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: 800 km
Merchant marine:
total: 297 ships (1000
GRT or over) 8,377,775 GRT/13,890,881 DWT by type: bulk carrier
33, cargo 65, chemical tanker 54, combination ore/oil 1, container 17,
liquefied gas 34, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated
cargo 5, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned:
210 (Cyprus 4, Denmark 41, France 2, Germany 61, Greece 48, Ireland 1,
Italy 1, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 33, Singapore 2, Sweden
3, Turkey 2, US 4) (2007)
