Isle of Man

Airports

total: 1 usable: 1 with permanent-surface runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1

Highways

total: 640 km paved: NA unpaved: NA

Merchant marine

67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,359,951 GRT/2,316,628 DWT, bulk 11, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, container 5, liquefied gas 7, oil tanker 17, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9, vehicle carrier 3 note: a captive register of the United Kingdom, although not all ships on the register are British owned

Ports

Douglas, Ramsey, Peel

Railroads

60 km; 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 (1985 est.)

Currency

1 Manx pound (#M) = 100 pence

Economic aid

$NA

Electricity

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

Exchange rates

Manx pounds (#M) per US$1 - 0.6699 (January 1994), 0.6658 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989); 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

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)

7% (1992 est.)

National product

GNP - exchange rate conversion - $490 million (1988)

National product per capita

$7,500 (1988)

National product real growth rate

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 about 45% to GNP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to European Union markets.

Unemployment rate

1% (1992 est.)

Area

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

Climate

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

Coastline

113 km

Environment

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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

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

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm

Natural resources

lead, iron ore

Note

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

Terrain

hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Administrative divisions

none (British crown dependency)

Capital

Douglas

Constitution

1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act

Digraph

IM

Diplomatic representation in US

none (British crown dependency)

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

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

House of Keys

elections last held in 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (24 total) independents 24

Independence

none (British crown dependency)

Judicial branch

Court of Tynwald

Legal system

English law and local statute

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Tynwald

Member of

none

Names

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

National holiday

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Political parties and leaders

there is no party system and members sit as independents

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type

British crown dependency

US diplomatic representation

none (British crown dependency)

Birth rate

13.69 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

12.58 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton

Infant mortality rate

8.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

25,864 (1981) by occupation: NA

Languages

English, Manx Gaelic

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.25 years male: 73.51 years female: 79.2 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Manxman, Manxwoman adjective: Manx

Net migration rate

9.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

72,017 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

1.04% (1994 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

1.8 children born/woman (1994 est.)