Isle of Man
(British crown dependency)
 
Flag of Isle of Man
Click to enlarge
Categories Banner
 Introduction
 Geography
 People
 Government
 Economy
 Communications
 Transportation
 Military
 Transnational Issues

This page was last updated on 4 September 2008


Map of Isle of Man



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Isle of Man Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
54 15 N, 4 30 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Europe
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
0 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
160 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
none
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary
   People    Isle of Man Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
76,220 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
total: 40 years
male: 38.8 years
female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.509% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
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: 0.9225 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 78.8 years
male: 75.46 years
female: 82.32 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
English, Manx Gaelic
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
   Government    Isle of Man Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man
abbreviation: I.O.M.
Dependency status:
Definition Field Listing
British crown dependency
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
none (British crown dependency)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Tynwald Day, 5 July
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
none (British crown dependency)
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.2% (2005)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$35,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
39,690 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.5% (December 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.1% (December 2006 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $965 million
expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.2% (FY96/97)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
UK (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
timber, fertilizers, fish
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
UK (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$NA
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
1 April - 31 March
   Communications    Isle of Man Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
51,000 (1999)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.im
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
159 (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
   Transportation    Isle of Man Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 800 km
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 273 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,045,795 GRT/13,383,396 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 54, chemical tanker 46, container 12, liquefied gas 39, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 71, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 31, France 1, Germany 56, Greece 46, Ireland 1, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 23, Sweden 2, Turkey 2, UAE 1, US 4)
registered in other countries: 6 (Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Douglas, Ramsey
   Military    Isle of Man Top of Page
Military - note:
Definition Field Listing
defense is the responsibility of the UK
   Transnational Issues    Isle of Man Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
none

This page was last updated on 4 September 2008


 

Source : The World Factbook