from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Guernsey
Introduction
Background: The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands
represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of
Normandy, which held sway in both France and England.
The islands were the only British soil occupied by
German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British
crown dependency, but is not part of the UK.
Geography
Location: Western Europe, islands in the English Channel,
northwest of France
Geographic 49 28 N, 2 35 W
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some
other smaller islands
Area - about one-half the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 50 km
Maritime territorial sea: 3 nm
claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate: temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50%
of days are overcast
Terrain: mostly level with low hills in southwest
Elevation lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m
Natural cropland
resources:
Land use: arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural NA
hazards:
Environment - NA
current
issues:
Geography - large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port
note:
People
Population: 65,409 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15% (male 4,998/female 4,842)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 21,752/female 22,170)
65 years and over: 17.8% (male 4,926/female 6,721)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 41.3 years
male: 40.4 years
female: 42.2 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.26% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 8.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 10.01 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 3.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 80.42 years
expectancy at male: 77.41 years
birth: female: 83.53 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.39 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages
from other European countries
Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist,
Congregational, Methodist
Languages: English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in
country districts
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Dependency British crown dependency
status:
Government NA
type:
Capital: name: Saint Peter Port
geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative none (British crown dependency); there are no
divisions: first-order administrative divisions as defined by the
US Government, but there are 10 parishes including
Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter
Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint
Saviour, Torteval, Vale
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
holiday:
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and
practice
Legal system: English law and local statutes; justice is administered
by the Royal Court
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
branch: 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Fabian
MALBON (since 28 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since
1 May 2004)
cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of
Deliberation
elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant
governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is
elected by States of Delibertion
election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister,
percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA
Legislative unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members
branch: are elected by popular vote for four years); note -
Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held in
2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all
independents
Judicial Royal Court
branch:
Political none; all independents
parties and
leaders:
Political none
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International UPU
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (British crown dependency)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (British crown dependency)
representation
from the US:
Flag white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint
description: of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a
yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror
superimposed on the Saint George cross
Economy
Economy - Financial services - banking, fund management,
overview: insurance - account for about 55% of total income in
this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism,
manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and
cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death
duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving
economic integration of the EU nations is changing the
environment under which Guernsey operates.
GDP $2.59 billion (2003 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 3% (2003 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $40,000 (2003 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 3%
composition by industry: 10%
sector: services: 87% (2000)
Labor force: 32,290 (2001)
Unemployment 0.5% (1999 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 4.9% (2004 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $539.2 million
expenditures: $448.3 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2002)
Agriculture - tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant,
products: fruit; Guernsey cattle
Industries: tourism, banking
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - NA kWh
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: NA
production by hydro: NA
source: nuclear: NA
other: NA
Electricity - NA kWh
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2002)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2002)
imports:
Exports: $NA
Exports - tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant,
commodities: other vegetables
Exports - UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004)
partners:
Imports: $NA
Imports - coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment
commodities:
Imports - UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004)
partners:
Debt - $NA
external:
Economic aid - $NA
recipient:
Currency British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey
(code): pound
Currency code: GBP
Exchange Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462
rates: (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British
pound
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 55,100 (2004)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 43,800 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: NA
system: domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine cable
Radio AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: NA
Television 1 (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: NA
Internet .gg
country code:
Internet 1,245 (2006)
hosts:
Internet NA
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 36,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 2 (one on Alderney) (2006)
Airports - total: 2
with paved 914 to 1,523 m: 1
runways: under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: NA
Ports and Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson
terminals:
Military
Military - defense is the responsibility of the UK
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: