Map of Isle of Man | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The Isle of Man was part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century, when it was ceded to Scotland. The isle came under English lordship in the 14th century before being purchased by the British Government in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. The Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency, which makes it a self-governing possession of the British Crown that is not part of the UK. The UK Government, however, remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.


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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
Country comparison total: 0 km

Land boundaries
Total: 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 a third of the time

Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Elevation
Highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m

Natural resources: none

Land use
Agricultural land: 74.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 43.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 30.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 6.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 19.2% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional high winds and rough seas

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


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Population
Distribution: most people concentrated in cities and large towns of which Douglas, in the southeast, is the largest
Total: 92,269
Male: 46,331
Female: 45,938 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 0.45% (2024 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: White 94.7%, Asian 3.1%, Mixed 1%, Black 0.6%, other 0.4% (2021 est.)
Note: data represent population by nationality

Languages: English, Manx Gaelic (about 2% of the population has some knowledge)

Religions: Christian 54.7%, Muslim 0.5%, Buddhist 0.5%, Hindu 0.4%, Jewish 0.2%, none 43.8% (2021 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16% (male 7,701/female 7,100)
15-64 years: 61.9% (male 29,035/female 28,044)
65 years and over: 22.1% (2024 est.) (male 9,595/female 10,794)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 58.6
Youth dependency ratio: 23.6
Elderly dependency ratio: 34.9
Potential support ratio: 2.9 (2021)

Median age
Total: 44.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 43.7 years
Female: 46.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.45% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 10.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 10.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: most people concentrated in cities and large towns of which Douglas, in the southeast, is the largest

Urbanization
Urban population: 53.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 27,000 DOUGLAS (capital) (2018)

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 3.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.5 years (2024 est.)
Male: 80.7 years
Female: 84.4 years

Total fertility rate: 1.88 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0.9% of population (2020)
Unimproved urban: NA

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: NA
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: NA

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


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Isle of Man; abbreviation: I.O.M.
Etymology: the name 'man' may be derived from the Celtic word for 'mountain'

Government type: parliamentary democracy (Tynwald)

Capital
Name: Douglas
Geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 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: name derives from the Dhoo and Glass Rivers, which flow through the valley in which the town is located and which in Manx mean the 'dark' and the 'light' rivers respectively

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 (1417); date Tynwald Day was first recorded

Constitution
History: development of the Isle of Man constitution dates to at least the 14th century
Amendments: proposed as a bill in the House of Keys, by the 'Government,' by a 'Member of the House,' or through petition to the House or Legislative Council; passage normally requires three separate readings and approval of at least 13 House members; following both House and Council agreement, assent is required by the lieutenant governor on behalf of the Crown; the constitution has been expanded and amended many times, last in 2020

Legal system: the laws of the UK apply where applicable and include Manx statutes

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see United Kingdom

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Lord of Mann King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir John LORIMER (since 29 September 2021)
Head of government: Chief Minister Alfred CANNAN (since 12 October 2021)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the lieutenant governor
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister indirectly elected by the Tynwald for a 5-year term (eligible for second term); election last held on 23 September 2021 (next to be held in 2,026)
Election results: 2021: Alfred CANNAN (independent) elected chief minister; Tynwald House of Keys vote - 21 of 24; 2016: Howard QUAYLE elected chief minister; Tynwald House of Keys vote - 21 of 33

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Tynwald or the High Court of Tynwald consists of: Legislative Council (11 seats; renewal of 4 members every 2 years; elected members serve 4-year terms), House of Keys (24 seats; 2 members each from 12 constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Legislative Council - last held 14 March 2023 (next to be held by March 2,028), House of Keys - last held on 23 September 2021 (next to be held on 24 September 2,026)
Election results: Legislative Council - composition - men 6, women 4, vacant 1; percentage women 36.4%, House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Liberal Vannin 5.3%, Manx Labour Party 5.1%, Green Party 3.3% independent 86.3%; seats by party - independent 21; Manx Labour Party 2, Liberal Vannin 1; composition – men 14, women 10, percentage women 41.7%; total Tynwald percentage women 40%
Note: Legislative Council includes the President of Tynwald, 2 non-voting members (the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man and the attorney general), and 8 members indirectly elected by the House of Keys

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Isle of Man High Court of Justice (consists of 3 permanent judges or 'deemsters' and 1 judge of appeal; organized into the Staff of Government Division or Court of Appeal and the Civil Division); the Court of General Gaol Delivery is not formally part of the High Court but is administered as though part of the High Court and deals with serious criminal cases
Note: appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
Judge selection and term of office: deemsters appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor; deemsters can serve until age 70
Subordinate courts: High Court; Court of Summary Gaol Delivery; Summary Courts; Magistrate's Court; specialized courts

Political parties and leaders: Green Party , Liberal Vannin Party or LVP , Manx Labor Party, Mec Vannin (sometimes referred to as the Manx Nationalist Party)

International organization participation: UPU

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

Flag description: red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (triskelion), 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; the flag is based on the coat of arms of the last recognized Norse King of Mann, MAGNUS III (r. 1252-65); the triskelion has its roots in an early Celtic sun symbol

National symbols: triskelion (a motif of three legs); national colors: red, white

National anthem
Name: 'Arrane Ashoonagh dy Vannin' (O Land of Our Birth)
Lyrics/music: William Henry GILL [English], John J. KNEEN [Manx]/traditional
Note: adopted 2003, in use since 1907; serves as a local anthem; as a British Crown dependency, 'God Save the King' is official (see United Kingdom) and is played when the sovereign, members of the royal family, or the lieutenant governor are present

National heritage


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Economy overview: high-income British island economy; known financial services and tourism industries; taxation incentives for technology and financial firms to operate; historic fishing and agriculture industries are declining; major online gambling and film industry locale

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $6.792 billion (2015 est.); $7.428 billion (2014 est.)
Note: data are in 2014 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 3.84% (2021 est.); -8.84% (2020 est.); 0.25% (2019 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $84,600 (2014 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.3% (2021 est.)
Industry: 9.4% (2021 est.)
Services: 91.8% (2021 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 9.95% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force

Unemployment rate: 1.1% (2017 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2017 est.)

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.1% (2017 est.); 1% (2016 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
Partners: almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)
Commodities: crude petroleum, artwork, vegetables, fruits, whiskies (2022)

Imports
Partners: almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)
Commodities: ships, delivery trucks (2022)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

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% (2022 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

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: M

Airports: 4 (2024)

Heliports: 1 (2024)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 1,107 km (2022)
Paved: 1,107 km

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs