Map of Guernsey | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy 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. The Bailiwick of Guernsey consists of the main island of Guernsey and a number of smaller islands including Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, and Lihou. The Bailiwick is a self-governing British Crown dependency that is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation. 


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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
Land: 78 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands
Comparative: about one-half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 50 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

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

Terrain: mostly flat with low hills in southwest

Elevation
Highest point: Le Moulin on Sark 114 m
Lowest point: English Channel 0 m

Natural resources: cropland

Land use

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: very large tidal variation and fast currents can make local waters dangerous

Geography
Note: large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port


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Population: 67,642 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.22% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Channel Islander(s)
Adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups: Guernsey 53.1%, UK and Ireland 23.9%, Portugal 2.2%, Latvia 1.5%, other Europe 2.8%, other 4.4%, unspecified 11.4% (2020 est.)
Note: data represent population by country of birth; the native population is of British and Norman-French descent

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

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.38% (male 5,006/female 4,722)
15-64 years: 64.48% (male 22,005/female 21,611)
65 years and over: 21.14% (2023 est.) (male 6,646/female 7,652)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 48.6
Youth dependency ratio: 23.9
Elderly dependency ratio: 24.6
Potential support ratio: 4.1 (2021 est.)
Note: data represent Guernsey and Jersey

Median age
Total: 44.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 43.6 years
Female: 46.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.22% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 9.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 31.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Note: data include Guernsey and Jersey

Major urban areas
Population: 16,000 SAINT PETER PORT (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: coastal erosion, coastal flooding; declining biodiversity due to land abandonment and succession to scrub or woodland

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 83.4 years (2023 est.)
Male: 80.7 years
Female: 86.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved: total: 94.2% of population
Unimproved: total: 5.9% of population (2017 est.)
Note: includes data for Jersey

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:
Note: data represent Guernsey and Jersey

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 15.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 15.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 15.6%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
Conventional short form: Guernsey
Former: Norman Isles
Etymology: the name is of Old Norse origin, but the meaning of the root "Guern(s)" is uncertain; the "-ey" ending means "island"

Government type: parliamentary democracy (States of Deliberation)

Capital
Name: Saint Peter Port
Geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 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
Etymology: Saint Peter Port is the name of the town and its surrounding parish; the "port" distinguishes this parish from that of Saint Peter on the other side of the island

Administrative divisions: none (British Crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes: Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint Saviour, Torteval, Vale
Note: two additional parishes for Guernsey are sometimes listed - Saint Anne on the island of Alderney and Saint Peter on the island of Sark - but they are generally not included in the enumeration of parishes

Dependent areas

Independence: none (British Crown dependency)

National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Constitution
History: unwritten; includes royal charters, statutes, and common law and practice
Amendments: new laws or changes to existing laws are initiated by the States of Deliberation; passage requires majority vote; many laws have been passed; in 2019, 60 laws were passed

Legal system: customary legal system based on Norman customary law; includes elements of the French civil code and English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see United Kingdom

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Lieutenant-Governor Richard CRIPWELL (since 15 February 2022)
Head of government: Chief Minister Peter FERBRACHE (since 16 October 2020); Bailiff Richard McMAHON (since 11 May 2020); note - the chief minister is the president of the Policy and Resources Committee and is the de facto head of government; the Policy and Resources Committee, elected by the States of Deliberation, functions as the executive; the 5 members all have equal voting rights
Cabinet: none
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch; chief minister, who is the president of the Policy and Resources Committee indirectly elected by the States of Deliberation for a 4-year term; last held on 7 October 2020 (next to be held in 2024)
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral States of Deliberation (40 seats; 38 People's Deputies and 2 representatives of the States of Alderney; members directly elected by majority vote to serve 4-year terms); note - non-voting members include the bailiff (presiding officer), attorney-general, and solicitor-general
Elections: last held on 7 October 2020 (next to be held in June 2025)
Election results: percent of vote - independents 62.6%, GPI 24.0%, GP 10.0%, APG 3.4%; seats - independents 22, GPI 10, GP 6; composition - men 32, women 8, percent of women 20%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Guernsey Court of Appeal (consists of the Bailiff of Guernsey, who is the ex-officio president of the Guernsey Court of Appeal, and at least 12 judges); Royal Court (organized into 3 divisions - Full Court sits with 1 judge and 7 to 12 jurats acting as judges of fact, Ordinary Court sits with 1 judge and normally 3 jurats, and Matrimonial Causes Division sits with 1 judge and 4 jurats); note - appeals beyond Guernsey courts are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
Judge selection and term of office: Royal Court Bailiff, Deputy Bailiff, and Court of Appeal justices appointed by the British Crown and hold office at Her Majesty's pleasure; jurats elected by the States of Election, a body chaired by the Bailiff and a number of jurats
Subordinate courts: Court of Alderney; Court of the Seneschal of Sark; Magistrates' Court (includes Juvenile Court); Contracts Court; Ecclesiastical Court; Court of Chief Pleas

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (British crown dependency)
From the us embassy: 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; the red cross represents the old ties with England and the fact that Guernsey is a British Crown dependency; the gold cross is a replica of the one used by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066

National symbols: Guernsey cow, donkey; national colors: red, white, yellow

National anthem
Name: "Sarnia Cherie" (Guernsey Dear)
Lyrics/music: George DEIGHTON/Domencio SANTANGELO
Note: adopted 1911; serves as a local anthem; as a British crown dependency, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)

National heritage


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Economy overview: high-income English Channel island economy; strong financial sector but stressed due to COVID-19 disruptions; manufacturing, tourism, and construction industries suffered but expected to recover; stable inflation; maintains independent taxation authority

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita: $52,500 (2014 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

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

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

Industries: tourism, banking

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Labor force: 86,800 (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 15.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 15.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 15.6%

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: $563.6 million (2005)
Expenditures: $530.9 million (2005 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: 1.2% (of GDP) (2005)

Taxes and other revenues: 20.6% (of GDP) (2005)

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Note: data represent Retail Price Index inflation rates

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: NA
Partners: almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)
Commodities: aircraft, photo lab equipment, clocks, ships, paintings, scientific instruments (2022)

Imports: NA
Partners: almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)
Commodities: ships, aircraft, refined petroleum, mineral manufactures, beverages (2022)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 33,930 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 53 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 71,485 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 112 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: multiple UK terrestrial TV broadcasts are received via a transmitter in Jersey with relays in Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney; satellite packages are available; BBC Radio Guernsey and 1 other radio station operating

Internet
Country code: .gg
Users total: 55,069 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 86.6% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 25,336 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40 (2020 est.)


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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
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020) (registered in UK)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 9 (registered in UK)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 2

Airports: 2 (2021)
With paved runways: 2
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 260 km (2017)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Braye Bay, Saint Peter Port


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Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: NA