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 Celtic language.

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
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: cool summers and mild winters; temperate; 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%
Permanent pastures: 46%
Forests and woodland: 6%
Other: 39% (includes 25% mountain and heathland)

Irrigated land: 0 km²

Natural hazards: NA

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

Population: 73,489 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.52% (2001 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

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.51% (male 6,562; female 6,306)
15-64 years: 65.19% (male 24,061; female 23,845)
65 years and over: 17.3% (male 5,076; female 7,639) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.52% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 11.58 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 11.84 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.44 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.42 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.64 years
Male: 74.26 years
Female: 81.2 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Isle of Man

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Douglas

Administrative divisions: there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Tynwald Day 5 July

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

Legal system: English common law and Manx statute

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995)
Head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December 1996)
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 3 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
Election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Keys - last held 21 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2001)
Election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 24

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: there is no party system; members sit as independents

International organization participation: none

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

Economy overview: Offshore banking manufacturing and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island 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. Banking and other services now contribute 42% to GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

Real gdp growth rate: 13.5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,800 (1999 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1%
Industry: 9%
Services: 90% (1999 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: 36,610 (1998)
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% (August 2000)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $485 million
Expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY00/01 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2000 est.)

Exports: $N/A
Commodities: tweeds herring processed shellfish beef lamb
Partners: UK

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

Debt external: $N/A

Exchange rates: Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001) 0.6596 (2000) 0.6180 (1999) 0.6037 (1998) 0.6106 (1997) 0.6403 (1996); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

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

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

Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Railways
Total: 68.5 km (43.5 km electrified)

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,917,402 GRT/8,333,858 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 13, chemical tanker 11, combination bulk 3, container 20, liquefied gas 13, petroleum tanker 43, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1, UK 3 (2000 est.)