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

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Background: 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 Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK.


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Location: Western Europe island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland

Geographic coordinates: 54 15 N 4 30 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 572 km²
Land: 572 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 160 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 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
Extremes highest point: Snaefell 621 m

Natural resources: none

Land use
Arable land: 9%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)

Irrigated land: 0 km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: one small islet the Calf of Man lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary


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Population: 75,441 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 0.52% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
Adjective: Manx

Ethnic groups: Manx (Norse-Celtic descent) Briton

Languages: English Manx Gaelic

Religions: Anglican Roman Catholic Methodist Baptist Presbyterian Society of Friends

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,669/female 6,350)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 24,884/female 24,678)
65 years and over: 17% (male 5,197/female 7,663) (2004 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 39.6 years
Male: 38.4 years
Female: 41 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.52% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 11.05 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 11.19 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 5.82 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 6.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.79 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.49 years
Male: 75.14 years
Female: 82.02 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2004 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: none
Conventional short form: Isle of Man

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Douglas
Geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 28 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections

Dependent areas

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Tynwald Day 5 July

Constitution: unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution

Legal system: English common law and Manx statute

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2004)
Head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers
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 14 December 2004 (next to be held December 2004)
Election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2004)
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
Note: most members sit as independents

International organization participation: UPU

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Offshore banking manufacturing and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $2.113 billion (2003 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.3% NA%

Real gdp per capita: $27,800 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1%
Industry: 13%
Services: 86% (2000 est.)

Agriculture products: cereals vegetables; cattle sheep pigs poultry

Industries: financial services light manufacturing tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (FY96/97)

Labor force: 39,690 (2001)
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: 0.6% (2004 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: $485 million
Expenditures: $463 million; including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY00/01 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.7% (2003 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: tweeds herring processed shellfish beef lamb
Partners: UK (2004)

Imports: $N/A
Commodities: timber fertilizers fish
Partners: UK (2004)

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: Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2004) 0.5462 (2004) 0.6125 (2003) 0.6672 (2002) 0.6947 (2001)


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Electricity

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 51,000 (1999)
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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .im
Hosts: 290 (2004)
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: 1 (2004)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2004)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 65 km
Standard guage: 7 km 1.067-m guage (7 km electrified)
Narrow guage: 58 km 0.914-m guage (29 km electrified)
Note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2004)

Roadways
Total: 800 km
Paved: 800 km (1999)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 305 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,266,229 GRT/13,792,927 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 65, chemical tanker 53, container 16, liquefied gas 38, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5
Foreign owned: 213 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 53, Estonia 2, France 2, Germany 56, Greece 45, Italy 5, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 27, Singapore 7, Sweden 1, Turkey 3, US 3)
Registered in other countries: 9 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1) (2004)

Ports and terminals: Castletown Douglas Ramsey


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs