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Introduction - Isle of Man
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 Gaelic language. Isle of Man
is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK or of the European
Union. 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
country comparison to the world: 194
land: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
160 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:
Current Weather
temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about a 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
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
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
People - Isle of Man
Population:
76,913 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.7% (male 6,590/female 6,279)
15-64 years: 66% (male 25,561/female 25,204)
65 years and over: 17.3% (male 5,521/female 7,758) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.4 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 41.6 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.523% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
Birth rate:
10.7 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
Death rate:
10.67 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Net migration rate:
5.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Urbanization:
urban population: 51% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.052 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 185
male: 6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.98 years
country comparison to the world: 38
male: 76.02 years
female: 82.1 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.66 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx
Ethnic groups:
Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons
Religions:
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages:
English, Manx Gaelic (about 2% of the population has some knowledge)
Literacy:
NA
Education expenditures:
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
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the
monarch; the chief minister elected by the Tynwald for a five-year term;
election last held on 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
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 elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held on 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, Manx 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]; Manx
Labor Party; Manx Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT]
note: most members sit as independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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:
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 (triskelion), 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; the
flag is based on the coat-of-arms of the last recognized Norse King of Mann,
Magnus III; the triskelion has its roots in an early Celtic sun symbol
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 contributions to 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):
$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.2% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 21
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$35,000 (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
39,690 (2001)
country comparison to the world: 196
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% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
1.5% (December 2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $965 million
expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (December 2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
Industries:
financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
timber, fertilizers, fish
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.6494 (2009), 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993 (2007),
0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005)
note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
Communications - Isle of Man
Telephones - main lines in use:
51,000 (1999)
country comparison to the world: 161
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)
Internet country code:
.im
Internet hosts:
478 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 174
Transportation - Isle of Man
Airports:
1 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 225
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Railways:
total: 63 km
country comparison to the world: 129
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.076-m gauge (6 km electrified); 57 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km
electrified)
note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2008)
Roadways:
total: 500 km (2008)
country comparison to the world: 193
Merchant marine:
total: 273
country comparison to the world: 31
by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container 12, liquefied
gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 4, roll
on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56, Greece 50,
Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20, Singapore 1, Sweden 1,
Turkey 2, US 4)
registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1)
(2008)
Ports and terminals:
Douglas, Ramsey
Military - Isle of Man
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 14,748
females age 16-49: 14,392 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 469
female: 449 (2010 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues - Isle of Man
Disputes - international:
none
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