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 or of the European Union. However the UK Government remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.

Geographic coordinates: 54 15 N 4 30 W

Area
Rank: 194
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

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
Extremes highest point: Snaefell 621 m

Natural resources: none

Land use
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 56.14% (permanent pastures forests mountain and heathland) (2011)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2011)

Natural hazards: NA

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

Population: 86,866 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 200
Growth rate: 0.8% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 138
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Adjective: Manx

Ethnic groups: white 96.5% Asian/Asian British 1.9% other 1.5% (2011 est.)

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

Religions: Protestant (Anglican Methodist Baptist Presbyterian Society of Friends) Roman Catholic

Age structure
15-24 years: 11.9% (male 5,371/female 4,990)
25-54 years: 39.5% (male 17,110/female 17,209)
55-64 years: 12.8% (male 5,605/female 5,519)
65 years and over: 19.1% (male 7,839/female 9,045) (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 42.7 years
Female: 44.1 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.8% (2014 est.)
Rank: 138

Birth rate: 11.17 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 176

Death rate: 10.03 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 49

Net migration rate: 6.84 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 20

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 0.38% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: DOUGLAS (capital) 27,000 (2011)

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

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 195
Male: 4.12 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.21 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 25
Male: 79.33 years
Female: 82.75 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 135

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

Literacy: NA

Country name
Conventional short form: Isle of Man
Abbreviation: I.O.M.

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
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

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

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Tynwald Day 5 July

Constitution: several previous; latest announced 16 October 2006 (Isle of Man Constitution Act 2006) (2006)

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

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Chief Minister Allan BELL (since 11 October 2011)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; the chief minister elected by the Tynwald for a five-year term; election last held on 11 October 2011 (next to be held in December 2016)
Election results: House of Keys speaker Allan BELL elected chief minister by the Tynwald with 27 votes out of 30

Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man a nonvoting attorney general and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: House of Keys - last held on 29 September 2011 (next to be held in September 2016)
Election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 3 independents 21

Judicial branch: note - appeals beyond the High Court of Justice are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts: High Court; Court of Summary Gaol Delivery; Summary Courts; magistrate's Court; specialized courts

Political parties and leaders:

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 (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 anthem
Lyrics and music: William Henry GILL [English] John J. KNEEN [Manx]/traditional

Economy overview: Offshore banking manufacturing and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers low taxes and other 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 contributions to GDP. The Isle of Man also attracts online gambling sites and the film industry. Trade is mostly with the UK. In January 2013 the Isle of Man signed a tax agreement with Guernsey and Jersey in order to enable the islands' authorities to end tax avoidance and evasion. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $2.719 billion (2005 est.)
Rank: 176

Real gdp growth rate: 5.2% (2005)
Rank: 52

Real gdp per capita: $35,000 (2005 est.)
Rank: 13

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 11%
Services: 88% (FY08/09 est.)

Agriculture products: cereals vegetables; cattle sheep pigs poultry

Industries: financial services light manufacturing tourism

Labor force: 41,790 (2006)
Rank: 195
By occupation manufacturing: 5%
By occupation construction: 8%
By occupation gas electricity and water: 1%
By occupation transport and communication: 9%
By occupation wholesale and retail distribution: 11%
By occupation professional and scientific services: 20%
By occupation public administration: 7%
By occupation banking and finance: 23%
By occupation tourism: 1%
By occupation entertainment and catering: 5%
By occupation miscellaneous services: 8% (2006)

Unemployment rate: 1.8% (October 2010 est.)
Rank: 16

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 0.5% of GDP (FY05/06 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 33

Taxes and other revenues: 23.7% of GDP (FY05/06 est.)
Rank: 138

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.1% (2006)
Rank: 155

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

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

Imports: $N/A
Commodities: timber fertilizers fish

Debt external: $N/A

Exchange rates:

Telephone system
International: country code - 44; fiber-optic cable microwave radio relay satellite earth station submarine cable

Broadcast media: national public radio broadcasts over 3 FM stations and 1 AM station; 2 commercial broadcasters operating with 1 having multiple FM stations; receives radio and TV services via relays from British TV and radio broadcasters (2008)

Internet
Country code: .im
Hosts: 895 (2012)
Hosts rank: 174

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 219
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)

Railways
Rank: 128
Narrow gauge: 6 km 1.076-m gauge (6 km electrified); 57 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified)

Roadways
Rank: 195

Merchant marine
Rank: 30
By type: bulk carrier 59 cargo 55 chemical tanker 52 container 7 liquefied gas 43 passenger/cargo 2 petroleum tanker 93 roll on/roll off 5 vehicle carrier 5
Foreign owned: 223 (Bermuda 7 Chile 9 Denmark 30 Germany 56 Greece 62 Ireland 1 Japan 19 Malaysia 6 Norway 30 South Africa 2 US 1) (2010)

Disputes international: none