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 is a self-governing British crown dependency that is not part of the United Kingdom. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation. 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.

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
Rank: 228
Comparative: about one-half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 50 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 12
Note: nm

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

Terrain: mostly flat with low hills in southwest

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

Natural resources: cropland

Irrigated land
Note: NA

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

Geography
Note: large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port

Population: 66,697 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 204
Growth rate: 0.28% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 174
Below poverty line note: NA

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

Ethnic groups: Guernsey 52%, UK and Ireland 23.7%, Portugal 2.1%, Latvia 1.5%, other 6.7%, unspecified 14.1%
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

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.51%
0-14 note: (male 4,994 /female 4,686)
15-24 years: 10.89%
15-24 note: (male 3,711 /female 3,553)
25-54 years: 41.41%
25-54 note: (male 13,958 /female 13,658)
55-64 years: 13.38%
55-64 note: (male 4,425 /female 4,496)
65 years and over: 19.81%
65 and over note: (male 6,038 /female 7,178) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 47.1 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 21.6 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 25.4 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.9 (2015 est.) data represent the Guernsey and Jersey

Median age
Total: 44 years (2018 est.)
Male: 42.7 years
Female: 45.3 years
Rank: 14

Population growth rate: 0.28% (2018 est.)
Rank: 174

Birth rate: 9.8 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 194

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 61

Net migration rate: 2.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 49

Urbanization
Urban population: 30.9% of total population
Note:
Rate of urbanization: 0.46% annual rate of change

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.4 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 3.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.1 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 203

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.7 years (2018 est.)
Male: 80 years
Female: 85.5 years
Rank: 9

Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 186

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

Education expenditures
Note: NA

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 - the parish of Saint Anne on the island of Alderney and the parish of Saint Peter on the island of Sark - but they are generally not included in the enumeration of parishes

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 (2018)

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

Citizenship: see United Kingdom

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant-Governor Vice Admiral Ian CORDER (since 14 March 2016)
Head of government: Chief Minister Gavin ST PIER (since 6 May 2016); Bailiff Sir Richard COLLAS (since 23 March 2012); 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
Electionsappointments: 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 6 May 2016 (next to be held in 2020)
Election results: Gavin ST PIER (independent) elected president of the Policy and Resources Committee and chief minister

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral States of Deliberation (40 seats; 38 Peoples 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 27 April 2016 (next to be held in 2020)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 38; composition - men 27, women 13, percent of women 32.5%

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 Majestys 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: none; all independents

International organization participation: UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (British crown dependency)
From the us: 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 Duke William of Normandy 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 and music: George DEIGHTON/Domencio SANTANGELO
Note: adopted 1911; serves as a local anthem; as a British crown dependency, 'God Save the Queen' is official (see United Kingdom)

Economy overview: Financial services accounted for about 21% of employment and about 32% of total income in 2016 in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Construction, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Financial services, professional services, tourism, retail, and the public sector have been growing. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular offshore financial center.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 dollars
Rank: 184

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 193

Real gdp per capita: $52,500 (2014 est.)
Rank: 24

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
Note: NA

Labor force: 31,470 (March 2006)
Rank: 203

Unemployment rate: 1.2% (2016 est.)
Rank: 13

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Budget
Revenues: 563.6 million (2005)
Expenditures: 530.9 million (2005 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 1.2% (of GDP) (2005)
Surplus or deficit rank: 29

Taxes and other revenues: 20.6% (of GDP) (2005)
Rank: 146

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.4% (June 2006 est.)
Rank: 141

Exports: NA
Commodities: tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables

Imports: NA
Commodities: coal, gasoline, oil, machinery, and equipment

Debt external: NA

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 36,547
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 164
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 71,249
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 113 (July 2016 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 197

Telephone system
General assessment: high performance global connections with quality service; connections to major cities around the world to rival and attract future investment and future needs of islanders and businesses (2018)
Domestic: fixed-line 60 per 100 and mobile-cellular 113 per 100 persons (2018)
International: country code - 44; landing points for Guernsey-Jersey, HUGO, INGRID, Channel Islands -9 Liberty and UK-Channel Islands-7 submarine cable to UK and France (2019)

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: 55,050
Users percent of population: 83.3% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 190

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2
Note: (registered in UK) (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 200
With paved runways total: 2 (2019)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1

Roadways
Total: 260 km (2017)
Rank: 198

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

Disputes international: none