| Background: |
The island of
Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last
remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway
in both France and England. These islands were the only
British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
| Location: |
Western Europe,
island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
49 15 N, 2 10 W |
| Area: |
total:
116 sq km
land: 116 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
about 0.7 times
the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
| Climate: |
temperate; mild
winters and cool summers |
| Terrain: |
gently rolling
plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
| Natural
resources: |
arable land |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
66%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 34% |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Geography
- note: |
largest and
southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population
concentrated in Saint Helier |
| Population: |
89,361 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
17.77% (male 8,214; female 7,667)
15-64 years: 67.59% (male 30,065; female
30,331)
65 years and over: 14.64% (male 5,603; female
7,481) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.48% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
11.28
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
9.27 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
2.8 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
5.62 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.63 years
male: 76.21 years
female: 81.23 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.56 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
| Ethnic
groups: |
UK and
Norman-French descent |
| Religions: |
Anglican, Roman
Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist,
Presbyterian |
| Languages: |
English
(official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken
in country districts |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
| Dependency
status: |
British crown
dependency |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (British
crown dependency) |
| Independence: |
none (British
crown dependency) |
| National
holiday: |
Liberation Day, 9
May (1945) |
| Constitution: |
unwritten; partly
statutes, partly common law and practice |
| Legal
system: |
English law and
local statute |
| Suffrage: |
NA years of age;
universal adult |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and
Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE
(since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE
(since NA February 1995)
cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly
of the States
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators, 12
constables or heads of parishes, 29 deputies; all elected
for six-year terms, half elected every third year; the
bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members -
the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor
General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats
- independents 52 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Royal Court
(judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
none; all
independents |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
none |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (British
crown dependency) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none (British
crown dependency) |
| Flag
description: |
white with a
diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and
in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red
shield holding the three lions of England in yellow |
| Economy
- overview: |
The economy is
based largely on international financial services,
agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes,
and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped
mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known
worldwide and represents an important export income earner.
Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996
the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's
output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts
for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has
encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the
result that an electronics industry has developed alongside
the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material
and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large
share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties
make the island a popular tax haven. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
5%
industry: 2%
services: 93% (1996) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
4.7% (1998) |
| Labor
force: |
57,050 (1996) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
0.7% (1998 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital
expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism, banking
and finance, dairy |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- imports: |
NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
| Agriculture
- products: |
potatoes,
cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
| Exports
- commodities: |
light industrial
and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral
fuels, chemicals |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
none |
| Currency: |
British pound (GBP);
note - there is also a Jersey pound |
| Exchange
rates: |
Jersey pounds per
US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180
(1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the
Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
65,500 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
4,400 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 3 submarine cables |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM NA, FM 1,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.je |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
NA |
| Highways: |
total:
577 km (1995)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Gorey, Saint
Aubin, Saint Helier |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the UK |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
