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Man, Isle of
(British crown dependency)
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

### Man, Isle of

Geography

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: 588 sq km
land: 588 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 113 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

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

Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 620 m

Natural resources: lead, iron ore

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

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment—current issues: NA

Environment—international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

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

People

Population: 75,121 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 6,790; female 6,510)
15-64 years: 65% (male 24,466; female 24,366)
65 years and over: 17% (male 5,168; female 7,821) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.79% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 12.49 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 11.69 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 2.42 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.57 years
male: 74.04 years
female: 81.28 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.67 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Manxman, Manxwoman
adjective: Manx

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

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

Languages: English, Manx Gaelic

Literacy: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man

Data code: IM

Dependency status: British crown dependency

Government type: NA

National 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 of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since NA 1995)
head of government: President of the Tynwald and the Legislative Council Sir Charles KERRUISH (since NA 1990)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: the queen is a hereditary monarch; lieutenant governor appointed by the queen for a five-year term; president of the Legislative Council elected by the Tynwald for a five-year term; election last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: Sir Charles KERRUISH elected president of the Legislative Council; percent of legislative vote—NA

Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (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) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys—last held 21 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: House of Keys—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—independents 24

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: there is no party system; members sit as independents

International organization participation: none

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 (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

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 and other services now contribute more than half to GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$780 million (1994 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: NA%

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$10,800 (1994 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Inflation rate—consumer price index: 2% (1996 est.)

Labor force:
total: 33,577 (1996)
by occupation: manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, retail distribution 9%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%

Unemployment rate: 2% (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $333.7 million
expenditures: $333.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)

Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity—capacity: NA kW

Electricity—production: NA kWh

Electricity—consumption per capita: NA kWh

Agriculture—products: cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

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

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

Debt—external: $NA

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

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

Exchange rates: Manx pounds (£M) per US$1—0.6115 (January 1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March

Communications

Telephones: 46,000 (1996)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA

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

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 4

Televisions: 24,450 licenses (1996)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 52 km (27 km electrified)

Highways:
total: 640 km
paved: 320 km
unpaved: 320 km

Ports and harbors: Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey

Merchant marine:
total: 140 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,481,925 GRT/7,663,593 DWT
ships by type: bulk 28, cargo 8, chemical tanker 8, combination bulk 3, container 14, liquefied gas tanker 9, oil tanker 46, passenger 2, railroad carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 15, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 2
note: a flag of convenience registry; UK owns 11 ships, Switzerland 2, South Africa 1, Denmark 1, Sweden 1, Belgium 1, and Netherlands 1 (1997 est.)

Airports: 1 (1997 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Military

Military—note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Disputes—international: none

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