Isle of Man

Airports

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

Highways

640 km motorable roads

Merchant marine

79 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,436,196 GRT/2,479,432 DWT; includes 12 cargo, 7 container, 10 roll-on/roll-off, 30 petroleum tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 11 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; broadcast stations - 1 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV

Note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Agriculture

cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

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 (#M) = 100 pence

Economic aid

NA

Electricity

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

Exchange rates

Manx pounds (#M) per US$1 - 0.5799 (March 1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0. 6102 (1987); 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

exchange rate conversion - $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

Disputes

none

Environment

strong westerly winds prevail

Land area

588 km2

Land boundaries

none

Land use

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

Maritime claims

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 3 nm

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

Total area

588 km2

Administrative divisions

none (British crown dependency)

Capital

Douglas

Constitution

1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act

Diplomatic representation

none (British crown dependency)

Elections

House of Keys: last held in 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - percent of vote NA; no party system; seats - (24 total) independents 24

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 ria), 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

Leaders

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)

Legal system

English law and local statute

Legislative branch

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

Long-form name

none

Member of

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

Type

British crown dependency

Birth rate

11 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

native Manx of Norse-Celtic descent; British

Infant mortality rate

9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

25,864 (1981)

Languages

English, Manx Gaelic

Life expectancy at birth

72 years male, 78 years female (1992)

Literacy

NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education ages 5 to 16

Nationality

noun - Manxman, Manxwoman; adjective - Manx

Net migration rate

4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

22 labor unions patterned along British lines

Population

64,068 (July 1992), growth rate 0.1% (1992)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

1.8 children born/woman (1992)