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The World Factbook 2002
| Man, Isle of |

Introduction | Man, Isle of

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.

Geography | Man, Isle of

Location: | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
Geographic coordinates: | 54 15 N, 4 30 W
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 572 sq km
Area - 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: | temperate; cool summers and mild winters; 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 highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Natural resources: | none
Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | 0 sq km (1998 est.)
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 | Man, Isle of

Population: | 73,873 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 6,601; female 6,324) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 24,206; female 24,010) 65 years and over: 17.2% (male 5,097; female 7,635) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.52% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: | 11.49 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: | 11.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: | 5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 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 (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.81 years female: 81.36 years (2002 est.) male: 74.44 years
Total fertility rate: | 1.65 children born/woman (2002 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), Briton
Religions: | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages: | English, Manx Gaelic
Literacy: | definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Government | Man, Isle of

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man
Dependency status: | British crown dependency
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)
election results: Richard CORKILL elected chief minister by the Tynwald
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 6 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Richard CORKILL (since 6 December 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers

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

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: | 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
International organization participation: | none
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 | Man, Isle of

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.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 13.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $18,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.5% (2000 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%
Unemployment rate: | 0.7% (February 2002)
Budget: | revenues: $485 million expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Industries: | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: | 3.2% (FY96/97)
Agriculture - products: | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
Exports: | $NA
Exports - commodities: | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
Exports - partners: | UK
Imports: | $NA
Imports - commodities: | timber, fertilizers, fish
Imports - partners: | UK
Debt - external: | $NA
Economic aid - recipient: | $NA
Currency: | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound
Currency code: | GBP
Exchange rates: | Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March

Communications | Man, Isle of

Telephones - main lines in use: | 51,000 (1999)
Telephones - 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
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: | NA
Television broadcast stations: | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)
Televisions: | 27,490 (1999)
Internet country code: | .im
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | NA
Internet users: | NA

Transportation | Man, Isle of

Railways: | total: 68.5 km (43.5 km electrified) (2001)
Highways: | total: 800 km paved: 800 km unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Waterways: | none
Ports and harbors: | Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey

Merchant marine:

total: 212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,540,100 GRT/9,130,508 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 45, France 1, Germany 48, Greece 6, Hong Kong 10, Iceland 1, Italy 8, Monaco 7, Netherlands 3, Norway 5, Sweden 4, Switzerland 2, United Kingdom 70, United States 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 29, cargo 34, chemical tanker 22, combination bulk 2, container 29, liquefied gas 24, petroleum tanker 46, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5

Airports: | 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)

Military | Man, Isle of

Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues | Man, Isle of

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002