from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Isle of Man
Introduction
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.
Geography
Location: Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great
Britain and Ireland
Geographic 54 15 N, 4 30 W
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - slightly more than three times the size of Washington,
comparative: DC
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 160 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast
about one-third of the time
Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Elevation lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Natural none
resources:
Land use: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and
heathland) (2002)
Irrigated 0 sq km
land:
Natural NA
hazards:
Environment - waste disposal (both household and industrial);
current transboundary air pollution
issues:
Geography - one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the
note: southwest, and is a bird sanctuary
People
Population: 75,441 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,669/female 6,350)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 24,884/female 24,678)
65 years and over: 17% (male 5,197/female 7,663) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 39.6 years
male: 38.4 years
female: 41 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.52% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 11.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 11.19 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 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: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 4.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 78.49 years
expectancy at male: 75.14 years
birth: female: 82.02 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.65 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: 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%
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man
Dependency British crown dependency
status:
Government parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Douglas
geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 28 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 none; there are no first-order administrative divisions
divisions: as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local
authorities each with its own elections
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National Tynwald Day, 5 July
holiday:
Constitution: unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of
1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
Legal system: English common law and Manx statute
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since
branch: 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor
Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING
(since 14 December 2004)
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 2004 (next to be held December
2006)
election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister
by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2
December 2004
Legislative bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council
branch: (an 11-member body composed of the President of
Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting
attorney general, and eight 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 22 November 2001
(next to be held November 2006)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by
party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive
Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2,
Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19
Judicial High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the
branch: Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the
lieutenant governor)
Political Alliance for Progressive Government; Man Labor Party;
parties and Man Nationalist Party (branch of the British National
leaders: Party)
note: most members sit as independents
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 red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in
description: 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
Economy - Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key
overview: 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. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of
Man enjoys free access to EU markets.
GDP $2.113 billion (2003 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $2.26 billion
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 6.3% NA%
growth rate:
GDP - per $27,800 (2003 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 1%
composition by industry: 13%
sector: services: 86% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 39,690 (2001)
Labor force - agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing
by occupation: 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 0.6% (2004 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 2.7% (2003 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Agriculture - cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
products:
Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial 3.2% (FY96/97)
production
growth rate:
Exports: $NA
Exports - tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
commodities:
Exports - UK (2004)
partners:
Imports: $NA
Imports - timber, fertilizers, fish
commodities:
Imports - UK (2004)
partners:
Debt - $NA
external:
Economic aid - $NA
recipient:
Currency British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound
(code):
Currency code: GBP
Exchange Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004),
rates: 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications
Telephones - 51,000 (1999)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - NA
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: NA
system: domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone
system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable
Radio AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: NA
Television 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite)
broadcast (1999)
stations:
Televisions: 27,490 (1999)
Internet .im
country code:
Internet 290 (2006)
hosts:
Internet NA
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet NA
users:
Transportation
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Railways: total: 65 km
standard guage: 7 km 1.067-m guage (7 km electrified)
narrow guage: 58 km 0.914-m guage (29 km electrified)
note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006)
Roadways: total: 800 km
paved: 800 km (1999)
Merchant total: 305 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,266,229 GRT/
marine: 13,792,927 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 65, chemical tanker 53,
container 16, liquefied gas 38, passenger/cargo 1,
petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll
off 9, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 213 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 53, Estonia 2,
France 2, Germany 56, Greece 45, Italy 5, Japan 4,
Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 27, Singapore 7, Sweden
1, Turkey 3, US 3)
registered in other countries: 9 (Antigua and Barbuda
2, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1) (2006)
Ports and Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey
terminals:
Military
Military - defense is the responsibility of the UK
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: