| 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 Celtic language. |
| Location: |
Western Europe,
island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
54 15 N, 4 30 W |
| 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 |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
cool summers and
mild winters; temperate; 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 |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
9%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 39% (includes 25% mountain and heathland) |
| 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 |
| Population: |
73,489 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
17.51% (male 6,562; female 6,306)
15-64 years: 65.19% (male 24,061; female
23,845)
65 years and over: 17.3% (male 5,076; female
7,639) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.52% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
11.58
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
11.84
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
5.44 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
6.42 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 77.64 years
male: 74.26 years
female: 81.2 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.65 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Manx
(Norse-Celtic descent), Briton |
| Religions: |
Anglican, Roman
Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of
Friends |
| Languages: |
English, Manx
Gaelic |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man |
| Dependency
status: |
British crown
dependency |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary
democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
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, 1961, does not embody the
Manx Constitution |
| Legal
system: |
English common
law and Manx statute |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His
Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995)
head of government: Chief Minister Donald
GELLING (since 3 December 1996)
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 3 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Donald GELLING elected chief
minister by the Tynwald |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Tynwald
consists of the Legislative Council (a 11-member body
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 21
November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2001)
election results: House of Keys - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 24 |
| 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: |
there is no party
system; members sit as independents |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
none |
| International
organization participation: |
none |
| 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
- overview: |
Offshore banking,
manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy.
The government's policy of offering incentives to
high-technology companies and financial institutions to
locate on the island 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. Banking and other
services now contribute 42% to GDP. Trade is mostly with the
UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
13.5% (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $18,800 (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
1%
industry: 9%
services: 90% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
36,610 (1998) |
| 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% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
0.6% (August
2000) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$485 million
expenditures: $463 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
| Industries: |
financial
services, light manufacturing, tourism |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
3.2% (FY96/97) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cereals,
vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry |
| Exports
- commodities: |
tweeds, herring,
processed shellfish, beef, lamb |
| Imports
- commodities: |
timber,
fertilizers, fish |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Currency: |
British pound (GBP);
note - there is also a Manx pound |
| Exchange
rates: |
Manx pounds per
US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180
(1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the
Manx pound is at par with the British pound |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
51,000 (1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| 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) |
| Televisions: |
27,490 (1999) |
| Internet
country code: |
.im |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
NA |
| Railways: |
total:
68.5 km (43.5 km electrified) |
| Highways: |
total:
800 km
paved: 800 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Castletown,
Douglas, Peel, Ramsey |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,917,402 GRT/8,333,858
DWT
ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 13, chemical
tanker 11, combination bulk 3, container 20, liquefied gas
13, petroleum tanker 43, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll
off 18, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5
note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Denmark
1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1, UK 3 (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 |
|
