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

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Background: Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK or of the European Union. However the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.


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

Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N 2 10 W

Map reference

Area
Rank: 225
Land: 116 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about two-thirds the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 70 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Terrain: gently rolling plain with low rugged hills along north coast

Elevation
Extremes highest point: unnamed elevation 143 m

Natural resources: arable land

Land use
Permanent crops: NA
Other: NA

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier


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Population: 96,513 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 197
Growth rate: 0.81% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 136
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups: Jersey 46.4% British 32.7% Portuguese/Madeiran 8.2% Polish 3.3% Irish French and other white 7.1% other 2.4% (2011 est.)

Languages: English 94.5% (official) Portuguese 4.6% other 0.9% (2001 census)

Religions: Protestant (Anglican Baptist Congregational New Church Methodist Presbyterian) Roman Catholic

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 14.8% (male 7,271/female 6,972)
25-54 years: 41.4% (male 20,000/female 19,927)
55-64 years: 12.2% (male 5,690/female 6,055)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 6,464/female 8,677) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 21.7 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 24.7 %
Potential support ratio: 4

Median age
Male: 37.1 years
Female: 41.6 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.81% (2014 est.)
Rank: 136

Birth rate: 11.65 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 170

Death rate: 7.63 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 113

Net migration rate: 4.08 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 30

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 0.63% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 201
Male: 4.08 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.63 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 16
Male: 79.22 years
Female: 84.26 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 175

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: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Jersey

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 49 11 N 2 06 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 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 (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government but there are 12 parishes; Grouville Saint Brelade Saint Clement Saint Helier Saint John Saint Lawrence Saint Martin Saint Mary Saint Ouen Saint Peter Saint Saviour and Trinity

Dependent areas

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Liberation Day 9 May (1945)

Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes partly common law and practice (2013)

Legal system: the laws of the UK where applicable apply; local statutes

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Chief Minister Ian GORST (18 December 2011); Bailiff Michael BIRT (since 9 July 2009)
Cabinet: Cabinet (since December 2005)
Elections: ministers of the Cabinet including the chief minister are elected by the Assembly of States; the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States of Jersey (58 seats; 53 are voting members of which 12 are senators elected for six-year terms 12 are constables or heads of parishes elected for three-year terms 29 are deputies elected for three-year terms; the 5 non-voting members include the bailiff and the deputy bailiff the Dean of Jersey the Attorney General and the Solicitor General appointed by the monarch)
Elections: last held on 27 April 2011 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 53; note - starting with the 2014 elections the number of Senators will be reduced to 8

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Jersey Court of Appeal bailiffs and judges appointed by the Crown upon the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice; bailiffs and judges appointed for extent of good behavior; Royal Court bailiffs appointed by the Crown upon the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice; commissioners appointed by the bailiff; jurats appointed by the Electoral College; bailiffs and commissioners appointed for extent of good behavior; jurats appointed until retirement at age 72
Subordinate courts: Magistrate's Court; Youth Court; Petty Debts Court; Parish Hall Enquires (a process of preliminary investigation into youth and minor adult offenses to determine need for presentation before a court)

Political parties and leaders: Jersey Democratic Alliance

International organization participation

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

Flag description: white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant surmounted by a yellow crown a red shield with three lions in yellow; according to tradition the ships of Jersey - in an attempt to differentiate themselves from English ships flying the horizontal cross of St. George - rotated the cross to the 'X' (saltire) configuration; because this arrangement still resembled the Irish cross of St. Patrick the yellow Plantagenet crown and Jersey coat of arms were added

National symbols: Jersey cow

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Gerard LE FEUVRE

National heritage


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Economy overview: Jersey's economy is based on international financial services agriculture and tourism. In 2010 the financial services sector accounted for about 50% of the island's output. Potatoes cauliflower tomatoes and especially flowers are important export crops shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for one-quarter of GDP. In recent years the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey with the result that an electronics industry has developed displacing more traditional industries. All raw material and energy requirements are imported as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. In January 2013 Jersey signed a tax agreement with Guernsey and the Isle of Man in order to enable the islands' authorities to end tax avoidance and evasion. Living standards come close to those of the UK.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $5.1 billion (2005 est.)
Rank: 171

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $57,000 (2005 est.)
Rank: 8

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 2%
Services: 96% (2010)

Agriculture products: potatoes cauliflower tomatoes; beef dairy products

Industries: tourism banking and finance dairy electronics

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 53,380 (June 2012)
Rank: 189

Unemployment rate: 2.2% (2006 est.)
Rank: 8

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

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

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Expenditures: $851 million (2005)
Surplus or deficit: -0.4% of GDP (2005)
Surplus or deficit rank: 53

Taxes and other revenues: 16.3% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 187

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.7% (2006)
Rank: 126

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: $N/A

Current account balance

Exports: $N/A
Commodities: light industrial and electrical goods dairy cattle foodstuffs textiles flowers

Imports: $N/A
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods foodstuffs mineral fuels chemicals

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:


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Electricity
Consumption: 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.)
Consumption rank: 164

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 73,800 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 153
Mobile cellular: 108,000 (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 192

Telephone system
Domestic: digital telephone system launch announced in 2006 now implemented; fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available; combined fixed and mobile-cellular density exceeds 100 per 100 persons
International: country code - 44; submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey the UK and France (2010)

Broadcast media: multiple UK terrestrial television broadcasts are received via a transmitter in Jersey; satellite packages available; BBC Radio Jersey and 1 other radio station operating (2009)

Internet
Country code: .je
Hosts: 264 (2012)
Hosts rank: 193
Users: 29,500 (2009)
Users rank: 182

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 (2013)
Rank: 221
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 191

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 103

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs