Man, Isle of (British crown dependency)

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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 Celtic language.

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

Climate: cool summers and mild winters; temperate; overcast about one-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%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 39% (includes 25% mountain and heathland)

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

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Population: 73,117 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 6,520; female 6,277)
15-64 years: 65% (male 23,904; female 23,674)
65 years and over: 17% (male 5,078; female 7,664) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.52% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 11.69 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 11.98 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.47 years
male: 74.09 years
female: 81.04 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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%

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

Data code: IM

Dependency status: British crown dependency

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Douglas

Administrative divisions: 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, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution

Legal system: English common law and Manx statute

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995)
head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December 1996)
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 3 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald

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 November 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

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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 the great bulk of GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $16,000 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 10%
services: 89% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 36,610 (1998)

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%

Unemployment rate: 0.7% (July 1999)

Budget:
revenues: $816 million
expenditures: $504 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)

Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (1996/97)

Electricity - production: 329 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 287 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: NA kWh

Electricity - imports: NA kWh

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

Exports: $NA

Exports - commodities: tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb

Exports - partners: UK

Imports: $NA

Imports - commodities: timber, fertilizers, fish

Imports - partners: UK

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid - recipient: $NA

Currency: 1 Manx pound = 100 pence

Exchange rates: Manx pounds per US$1 - 0.6092 (January 2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

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Telephones - main lines in use: 51,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system:
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)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)

Televisions: 27,490 (1999)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA

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Railways:
total: 68.5 km (43.5 km electrified)

Highways:
total: 800 km
paved: 800 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999)

Ports and harbors: Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey

Merchant marine:
total: 144 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,333,826 GRT/7,254,867 DWT
ships by type: bulk 23, cargo 6, chemical tanker 13, combination bulk 3, container 20, liquified gas 13, petroleum tanker 44, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off 15, vehicle carrier 5 (1999 est.)
note: a flag of convenience registry; UK owns 8 ships, Denmark 1, Sweden 1, Belgium 1, and Netherlands 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)

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Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

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Disputes - international: none