Map of Guernsey | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.


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Location: Western Europe islands in the English Channel northwest of France

Geographic coordinates: 49 28 N 2 35 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 78 km²
Note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands
Water: 0 km²
Land: 78 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 50 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
Territorial sea: 3 NM

Climate: temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast

Terrain: mostly level with low hills in southwest

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m

Natural resources: cropland

Land use
Arable land: NA%
Permanent crops: NA%
Other: NA% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: large deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port


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Population: 64,587 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 0.37% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Channel Islander
Adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent

Languages: English French Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts

Religions: Anglican Roman Catholic Presbyterian Baptist Congregational Methodist

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16% (male 5,250; female 5,101)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 21,356; female 21,728)
65 years and over: 17.3% (male 4,622; female 6,530) (2002 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.37% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 9.69 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 9.86 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.87 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.92 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.9 years
Female: 83.01 years (2002 est.)
Male: 76.91 years

Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
Conventional short form: Guernsey

Government type: NA

Capital: St. Peter Port

Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government but there are 10 parishes including St. Peter Port St. Sampson Vale Castel St. Saviour St. Pierre du Bois Torteval Forest St. Martin St. Andrew

Dependent areas

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Liberation Day 9 May (1945)

Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes partly common law and practice

Legal system: English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch
Head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY (since NA)
Cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of the States

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
Election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents

Judicial branch: Royal Court

Political parties and leaders: none; all independents

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (British crown dependency)
From the us: none (British crown dependency)

Flag description: white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Financial services - banking fund management insurance etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism manufacturing and horticulture mainly tomatoes and cut flowers have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5.7% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3%
Industry: 10%
Services: 87% (2000)

Agriculture products: tomatoes greenhouse flowers sweet peppers eggplant fruit; Guernsey cattle

Industries: tourism banking

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 31,322 (2000)

Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $381.3 million
Expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (2000 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.99% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $N/A
Commodities: tomatoes flowers and ferns sweet peppers eggplant other vegetables
Partners: UK (regarded as internal trade)

Imports: $N/A
Commodities: coal gasoline oil machinery and equipment
Partners: UK (regarded as internal trade)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6944 (January 2002) 0.6944 (2001) 0.6596 (2000) 0.6180 (1999) 0.6037 (1998) 0.6106 (1997); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound


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Electricity
Production: NA kWh
Production by source fossil fuel: NA%
Production by source hydro: NA%
Production by source other: NA%
Production by source nuclear: NA%
Consumption: NA kWh
Exports: NA kWh
Imports: NA kWh

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 44,000 (1996)
Mobile cellular: 12,000 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: NA
International: 1 submarine cable

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .gg
Service providers isps: NA
Users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 (2001)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 5 km

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs