Published on February 9, 2010

Report

Isle of Man

Introduction

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.

Geography

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

Geographic coordinates: 54 15 N, 4 30 W

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

Land boundaries: 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 extremes:
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m

Natural resources: none

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

Irrigated land: 0 sq km

Natural hazards: NA

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

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

People

Population: 76,512 (July 2009 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 6,612/female 6,300)
15-64 years: 66% (male 25,433/female 25,083)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,408/female 7,676) (2009 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.2 years
male: 39 years
female: 41.4 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.524% (2009 est.)

Birth rate: 10.77 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Death rate: 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Urbanization:
urban population: 51% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

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: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.82 years
male: 75.86 years
female: 81.93 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

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

Ethnic groups: Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons

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

Languages: English, Manx Gaelic

Literacy: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man
abbreviation: I.O.M.

Dependency status: British crown dependency

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Douglas
geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W
time difference: UTC 0 (five 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: unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution

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

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald for a five-year term; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief minister by the Tynwald

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 are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2011)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Manx Labor Party 1, independents 21

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:
Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter KARRAN]; Manx Labor Party; Manx Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT]
note: most members sit as independents

Political pressure groups and leaders: Alliance for Progressive Government or APG (a government watchdog); Mec Vannin (political party advocating a sovereign state and environment policies); note - has only had one member elected to the Tynwald

International organization participation: UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation 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

Economy - overview: Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers 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. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.719 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate): $2.719 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP): $35,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 39,690 (2001)

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% (2001)

Unemployment rate: 1.5% (December 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $965 million
expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (December 2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

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

Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Exports: $NA

Exports - commodities: tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb

Imports: $NA

Imports - commodities: timber, fertilizers, fish

Debt - external: $NA

Exchange rates:
Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.6494 (2009), 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005)
note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 51,000 (1999)

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

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations: 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)

Internet country code: .im

Internet hosts: 478 (2009)

Transportation

Airports: 1 (2009)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)

Railways:
total: 63 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.076-m gauge (6 km electrified); 57 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified)
note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2008)

Roadways:
total: 500 km (2008)

Merchant marine:
total: 273
by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container 12, liquefied gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56, Greece 50, Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, US 4)
registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Douglas, Ramsey

Military

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 14,691
females age 16-49: 14,338 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 466
female: 446 (2009 est.)

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none