Isle of Man

Internet country code

.im

Internet users

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable

Telephones - main lines in use

51,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)

Agriculture - products

cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Budget

revenues: $485 million expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY00/01 est.)

Currency

British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound

Currency code

GBP

Debt - external

NA

Economic aid - recipient

NA

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. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

Exchange rates

Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6125 (2003), 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Exports

NA

Exports - commodities

tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb

Exports - partners

UK (2000)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.6 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $21,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

13.5%

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

NA

Imports - commodities

timber, fertilizers, fish

Imports - partners

UK (2000)

Industrial production growth rate

3.2% (FY96/97)

Industries

financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.6% (March 2003 est.)

Labor force

36,610 (1998)

Labor force - 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%

Population below poverty line

NA

Unemployment rate

0.7% (March 2003)

Area

total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time

Coastline

160 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 m

Environment - current issues

waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution

Geographic coordinates

54 15 N, 4 30 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

0 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 9% permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)

Location

Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

none

Terrain

hills in north and south bisected by central valley

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

Capital

Douglas

Constitution

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

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man

Dependency status

British crown dependency

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (British crown dependency)

Executive branch

chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Ian MACFADYEN (since 26 October 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004) 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 14 December 2004 (next to be held NA December 2010) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

none (British crown dependency)

International organization participation

UPU

Judicial branch

High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)

Legal system

English common law and Manx statute

Legislative branch

bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member body 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 are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2006) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19

National holiday

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Political parties and leaders

Man Labor Party [leader NA]; Alliance for Progressive Government [leader NA]; Man Nationalist Party [leader NA] note: most members sit as independents

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.4% (male 6,669; female 6,357) 15-64 years: 65.4% (male 24,527; female 24,302) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,128; female 7,672) (2004 est.)

Birth rate

11.28 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

11.35 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

English, Manx Gaelic

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.16 years male: 74.8 years female: 81.7 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Median age

total: 39.3 years male: 38 years female: 40.8 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx

Net migration rate

5.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

74,655 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

0.53% (2004 est.)

Religions

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Highways

total: 800 km paved: 800 km unpaved: 0 km (1999)

Merchant marine

total: 226 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,055,436 GRT/9,972,459 DWT by type: bulk 25, cargo 40, chemical tanker 25, combination bulk 2, container 19, liquefied gas 31, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 59, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 17, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: Australia 3, Cyprus 4, Denmark 30, Estonia 3, France 1, Germany 57, Greece 8, Hong Kong 11, Iceland 1, Italy 6, Monaco 4, Netherlands 2, New Zealand 1, Norway 10, Singapore 2, Sweden 3, United Kingdom 80, United States 1 registered in other countries: 9 (2004 est.)

Ports and harbors

Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey

Railways

total: 61 km (35 km electrified) (2003)