General: Part of the Norwegian kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century, when the island was annexed to Scotland, became a British Crown possession in 1765. According to allpubliclibraries, the current problem is the revival of the almost completely extinct Manx Celtic language.
Geography
Location: Western Europe, an island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland.
Geographical coordinates: 54° 15′ N. latitude, 4° 30′ W
Reference map: Europe.
Area: total: 572 km2; land surface area: 572 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 160 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing rights zone: 12 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: temperate; cool summers and mild winters; cloudy for about a third of the days of the year.
Relief: hills to the north and south, separated by a central valley.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m; highest point: Sneifel 621 m.
Natural resources: none.
Land use: arable land: 9%; cultivated land: 0%; pastures: 46%; forests and plantations: 6%; others: 39% (including 25% hills and moorlands).
Irrigated land: 0 sq. km.
Natural hazards: no data available.
Current environmental issues: waste disposal (municipal and industrial); winds bring polluted air.
International agreements on environmental protection:
Note to the section “Geography”: one small islet, Cafe of Man, lies southwest of the main island and is a bird sanctuary.
Population
Population: 73,489 (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 17.51% (male 6,562; female 6,306); 15 to 64 years old: 65.19% (male 24,061; female 23,845); over 65: 17.3% (male 5,076; female 7,639) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 0.52% (2001 est.).
Birth rate: 11.58 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 11.84 deaths / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Migration: 5.44 people / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male/female; under 15: 1.04 male/female; 15 to 64 years old: 1.01 male/female; over 65: 0.66 male/female; for the general population: 0.94 male/female (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 6.42 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 77.64 years; men: 74.26 years; women: 81.2 years (2001 est.).
General birth rate: 1.65 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of the adult population infected with HIV: no data available.
Number of people infected with HIV: no data.
Mortality due to AIDS: no data available.
Nationality: noun: Isle of Man; adjective: pertaining to the Isle of Man.
Ethnic groups: inhabitants of the Isle of Man (descendants of Scandinavians and Celts), British.
Believers: Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, followers of the Society of Friends.
Language(s): English, Manx Gaelic.
Literacy: definition: no data; for the general population: no data available; men: no data; women: no data.
Politics
Common long form: no;
Common short form: Isle of Man. Dependency status: possession of the British Crown.
State structure: parliamentary democracy.
Capital: Douglas.
Administrative division: There are 24 local governments, each with its own elections.
Independence: none (possession of the British crown).
National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July.
Constitution: unwritten; note – The Isle of Man Constitution Act 1961 does not constitute the constitution of the Isle of Man.
Legal System: English Common Law and the Statutes of the Isle of Man.
Suffrage: from 18 years old; universal.
chief of state: The Lord of the Isle of Man, Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Governor, HE Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995);
head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December 1996);
Government: council of ministers; elections: hereditary monarchy; the governor is appointed by the monarch for 5 years; the chief minister is elected by Tynwald; elections last held 3 December 1996 (next to be held in 2001); election results: Donald GELLING elected by Tynwald as Chief Minister.
Legislature: bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (10 seats held by the Bishop of Sodor and Maine, Alorney General with an advisory vote and 8 other members appointed by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote for 5 years ); elections: House of Keys – last held 21 November 1996 (next to be held November 2001); election results: House of Keys, distribution of votes between parties: NA; distribution of seats among parties: independent 24.
Judiciary: High Court, judges are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the proposal of the Governor.
Political parties and leaders: there is no party system; members of the legislature sit as independents.
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: no.
Diplomatic representation in the United States: none (possession of the British Crown).
U.S. Diplomatic Representation: None (British Crown property).
Flag Description: Red with the emblem of the Three Legs of Maine (Trinacria) in the center; three legs are connected at the hips and bent at the knees; so that the toes point clockwise on both sides of the flag.
Economics
Economic Overview: Offshore banking, manufacturing and tourism are key sectors of the economy. Government policies to encourage the deployment of high-tech companies and financial institutions to the island are increasing the number of jobs in industries with a high rate of added value. As a result, agriculture and fisheries, which previously formed the basis of the economy, have reduced their share in GDP. The sector of banking and other services now produces 42% of GDP. The island trades mainly with the UK and enjoys free access to EU markets.
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity $1.4 billion (1999 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: 13.5%.
GDP per capita: at purchasing power parity – $18,800 (1999 est.).
The composition of GDP by sectors of the economy: agriculture: 1%; industry: 9%; services: 90% (1999 est.).
Proportion of the population below the poverty line: no data available.
Percentage distribution of household income or consumption: for the poorest 10% of households: n/a; by top 10% of households: no data.
Inflation rate at consumer prices: 2.5% (2000 est.).
Labor force: 36,610 people (1998).
Employment structure: agriculture, forestry and fisheries 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communications 8%, wholesale and retail trade 11%, high-tech and scientific institutions 18%, civil service 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment 3%, other services 10%.
Unemployment rate: 0.6% (August 2000).
Budget: revenues: $485 million; expenditures: $463 million including capital expenditures – NA (FY00-01 est.).
Spheres of economy: financial sector, light manufacturing industry, tourism.
Industrial production growth: 3.2% (FY96-97).
Electricity generation:
Sources of electricity generation:
Electricity consumption:
Export of electricity:
Import of electricity:
Agricultural products: cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry.
Export: no data.
Exports: tweed fabrics, herring, processed seafood, beef, lamb.
Export partners: UK.
Import: no data.
Imports: timber, fertilizers, fish.
Import partners: UK.
External debt: no data. Recipient of economic assistance: no data.
Economic aid donor:
Currency: British pound; note – there is also a Manx pound.
Currency code: GBP.
Exchange rate: Isle of Man pounds per USD – 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996) ); The Isle of Man pound is equal to the English pound.
Fiscal year: April 1-March 31.
Telecommunications
Telecommunications Telephone lines: 51,000 (1999).
Mobile cellular phones: no data available.
Telephone system: domestic: landlines, telefax, mobile cellular; international: fiber optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable.
Broadcast stations: AM – 1, FM – 1, shortwave – 0 (1998).
Radio receivers: no data.
Television broadcast stations: 0 (received programs from the UK and satellite programs) (1999).
TVs: 27,490 (1999).
Internet country code: im
Internet service providers: not available.
Number of users: no data.
Transport
Transport Railways: total: 68.5 km (43.5 km electrified).
Roads: total: 800 km; coated: 800 km; unpaved: 0 km (1999).
Ports and harbours: Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey.
Merchant navy: in total: 157 vessels (of 1,000 tons displacement or more) with a total displacement of 4,917,402 gross register tons / 8,333,858 long tons of gross tonnage; vessels of various types: bulk carriers – 27, cargo ships – 13, chemical tankers – 11, combination carriers – 3, container ships – 20, liquefied gas tankers – 13, oil tankers – 43, refrigerated ships – 3, ferries – 18, specialized tankers – 1, cargo ships for the transport of vehicles – 5; note: including foreign vessels registered here for flag of convenience reasons: Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1, UK 3 (2000 est.).
Airports: 1 (2000 est.).
Airports with paved runways: total: 1; from 1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.).
