Isle of Man

Airports

2 total; 1 usable with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m

Highways

640 km motorable roads

Merchant marine

77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,656,216 GRT/2,984,047 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 8 cargo, 5 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 2 combination ore/oil, 6 liquefied gas, 12 bulk; note--a captive register of the United Kingdom, although not all ships on the register are British-owned

Ports

Douglas, Ramsey, Peel

Railroads

36 km electric track, 24 km steam track

Telecommunications

24,435 telephones; stations--1 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV

Note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Agriculture

cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Aid

NA

Budget

revenues $130.4 million; expenditures $114.4 million, including capital expenditures of $18.1 million (FY85 est.)

Currency

Manx pound (plural--pounds); 1 Manx pound (LM) = 100 pence

Electricity

61,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 2,930 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Manx pounds (LM) per US$1--0.6055 (January 1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Exports

$NA; commodities--tweeds, herring, processed shellfish meat; partners--UK

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

GNP

$490 million, per capita $7,573; real growth rate NA% (1988)

Imports

$NA; commodities--timber, fertilizers, fish; partners--UK

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

an important offshore financial center; financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

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 GNP. Banking now contributes over 20% to GNP and manufacturing about 15%. Trade is mostly with the UK.

Unemployment rate

1.5% (1988)

Climate

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

Coastline

113 km

Comparative area

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation;

Environment

strong westerly winds prevail

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm;

Land boundaries

none

Land use

NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; extensive arable land and forests

Natural resources

lead, iron ore

Note

located in Irish Sea equidistant from England, Scotland, and Ireland

Terrain

hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Territorial sea

3 nm

Total area

588 km2; land area: 588 km2

Administrative divisions

none (British crown dependency)

Capital

Douglas

Communists

probably none

Constitution

1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act

Diplomatic representation

none (British crown dependency)

Executive branch

British monarch, lieutenant governor, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet)

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

Independence

none (British crown dependency)

Judicial branch

High Court of Justice Chief of State--Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Maj. Gen. Laurence NEW (since 1985); Head of Government--President of the Legislative Council J. C. NIVISON (since 1985)

Legal system

English law and local statute

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Tynwald) consists of an upper house or Legislative Council and a lower house or House of Keys

Long-form name

none

National holiday

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Political parties and leaders

there is no party system and members sit as independents

Suffrage

universal at age 21 House of Keys--last held in 1986 (next to be held 1991); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(24 total) independents 24

Type

British crown dependency

Birth rate

11 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

native Manx of Norse-Celtic descent; British

Infant mortality rate

9 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

25,864 (1981)

Language

English, Manx Gaelic

Life expectancy at birth

72 years male, 78 years female (1990)

Literacy

NA%, but compulsory education between ages of 5 and 15

Nationality

noun--Manxman, Manxwoman, adjective--Manx

Net migration rate

5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

22 labor unions patterned along British lines

Population

64,859 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)

Religion

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

Total fertility rate

1.8 children born/woman (1990)