Man, Isle of

(British crown dependency)

Geography

Location: Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland

Map references: Europe

Area:
total area: 588 sq km
land area: 588 sq km
comparative area: nearly 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 113 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: cool summers and mild winters; humid; overcast about half the time

Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Natural resources: lead, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
meadows and pastures: NA%
forest and woodland: NA%
other: NA% (extensive arable land and forests)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: NA

Note: one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary

People

Population: 72,751 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (female 6,462; male 6,833)
15-64 years: 64% (female 23,219; male 23,348)
65 years and over: 18% (female 7,759; male 5,130) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.99% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 13.73 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 12.36 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 8.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.53 years
male: 73.78 years
female: 79.48 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Manxman, Manxwoman
adjective: Manx

Ethnic divisions: Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton

Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends

Languages: English, Manx Gaelic

Literacy: NA%

Labor force: 25,864 (1981)
by occupation: NA

Government

Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man

Digraph: IM

Type: British crown dependency

Capital: Douglas

Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July

Constitution: 1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act

Legal system: English law and local statute

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Air Marshal Sir Laurence JONES (since NA 1990)
head of government: President of the Legislative Council Sir Charles KERRUISH (since NA 1990)
cabinet: Council of Ministers

Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald
Legislative Council: consists of a 10-member body composed of the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys
House of Keys: elections last held NA 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (24 total) independents 24

Judicial branch: Court of Tynwald

Political parties and leaders: there is no party system and members sit as independents

Member of: none

Diplomatic representation in US: none (British crown dependency)

US diplomatic representation: none (British crown dependency)

Flag: 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

Overview: Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island 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. Banking now contributes about 45% to GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to European Union markets.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $780 million (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: NA%

National product per capita: $10,800 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: 1% (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $130.4 million
expenditures: $114.4 million, including capital expenditures of $18.1 million (1985 est.)

Exports: $NA
commodities: tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
partners: UK

Imports: $NA
commodities: timber, fertilizers, fish
partners: UK

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity:
capacity: 61,000 kW
production: 190 million kWh
consumption per capita: 2,965 kWh (1992)

Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Agriculture: cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Economic aid: $NA

Currency: 1 Manx pound (#M) = 100 pence

Exchange rates: Manx pounds (#M) per US$1 - 0.6350 (January 1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Transportation

Railroads:
total: 60 km (36 km electrified)

Highways:
total: 640 km
paved: NA
unpaved: NA

Ports: Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey

Merchant marine:
total: 68 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,810,355 GRT/3,183,773 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 10, chemical tanker 4, container 9, liquefied gas tanker 8, oil tanker 15, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9, vehicle carrier 2
note: a flag of convenience registry; UK owns 9 ships, Switzerland 2, Denmark 1, Netherlands 1

Airports:
total: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

Communications

Telephone system: 24,435 telephones
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: NA

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 4
televisions: NA

Defense Forces

Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK