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This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit the Isle of Man article.

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.

[edit] 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: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 572 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 

temperate; cool summers and mild winters; 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: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

0 sq km (1998 est.)

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

[edit] People

Population 

73,873 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 17.5% (male 6,601; female 6,324)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 24,206; female 24,010)
65 years and over: 17.2% (male 5,097; female 7,635) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.52% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

11.49 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

11.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 77.81 years
female: 81.36 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.44 years

Total fertility rate 

1.65 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

NA

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%

[edit] Government

Country name 

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

Dependency status 

British crown dependency

Government type 

parliamentary democracy

Capital 

Douglas

Administrative divisions 

there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but 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 Ian MACFADYEN (since NA 2002)
election results: Richard CORKILL elected chief minister by the Tynwald
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 6 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Richard CORKILL (since 6 December 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers

Legislative branch 

bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, 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 22 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2006)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19

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 

Man Labor Party [leader NA]; Alliance for Progressive Government [leader NA]; Man Nationalist Party [leader NA]
note: most members sit as independents

Political pressure groups and leaders 

none

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

[edit] 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. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

13.5% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $18,800 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

2.5% (2000 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% (February 2002 )

Budget 

revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est. )

Industries 

financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate 

3.2% (FY96/97 )

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 

British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound

Currency code 

GBP

Exchange rates 

Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year 

1 April - 31 March

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

51,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

NA

Telephone system 

general assessment: NA
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 country code 

.im

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

NA

Internet users 

NA

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total: 68.5 km (43.5 km electrified) (2001)

Highways 

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

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey

Merchant marine 

total: 212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,540,100 GRT/9,130,508 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 45, France 1, Germany 48, Greece 6, Hong Kong 10, Iceland 1, Italy 8, Monaco 7, Netherlands 3, Norway 5, Sweden 4, Switzerland 2, United Kingdom 70, United States 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 29, cargo 34, chemical tanker 22, combination bulk 2, container 29, liquefied gas 24, petroleum tanker 46, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5

Airports 

1 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military - note 

defense is the responsibility of the UK

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none