Country List | World Factbook Home
The World Factbook 2002
| Guernsey |

Introduction | Guernsey

Background: | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom 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.

Geography | Guernsey

Location: | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: | 49 28 N, 2 35 W
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 78 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands water: 0 sq km land: 78 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 50 km
Maritime claims: | exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast
Terrain: | mostly level with low hills in southwest
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m
Natural resources: | cropland
Land use: | arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | NA sq km
Natural hazards: | NA
Environment - current issues: | NA
Geography - note: | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port

People | Guernsey

Population: | 64,587 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 16% (male 5,250; female 5,101) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 21,356; female 21,728) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 4,622; female 6,530) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.37% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: | 9.69 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: | 9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: | 3.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 79.9 years female: 83.01 years (2002 est.) male: 76.91 years
Total fertility rate: | 1.36 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: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic groups: | UK and Norman-French descent
Religions: | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist
Languages: | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Literacy: | definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Government | Guernsey

Country name: | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey conventional short form: Guernsey
Dependency status: | British crown dependency
Government type: | NA
Capital: | St. Peter Port
Administrative divisions: | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including St. Peter Port, St. Sampson, Vale, Castel, St. Saviour, St. Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, St. Martin, St. Andrew
Independence: | none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution: | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY (since NA)
cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of the States

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 people's deputies elected by popular vote, 2 representatives from Alderney, Her Majesty's Procureur (Attorney General), Her Majesty's Comptroller (Solicitor General) and Her Majesty's Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar General); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents

Judicial branch: | Royal Court
Political parties and leaders: | none; all 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: | 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

Economy | Guernsey

Economy - overview:

Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 5.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 3% industry: 10% services: 87% (2000)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3.99% (2000 est.)
Labor force: | 31,322 (2000)
Unemployment rate: | 0.5% (1999 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $381.3 million expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: | tourism, banking
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% other: NA% nuclear: NA%
Electricity - consumption: | NA kWh
Electricity - exports: | NA kWh
Electricity - imports: | NA kWh
Agriculture - products: | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle
Exports: | $NA
Exports - commodities: | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables
Exports - partners: | UK (regarded as internal trade)
Imports: | $NA
Imports - commodities: | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners: | UK (regarded as internal trade)
Debt - external: | $NA
Economic aid - recipient: | $NA
Currency: | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound
Currency code: | GBP
Exchange rates: | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6944 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Guernsey

Telephones - main lines in use: | 44,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 12,000 (1997)
Telephone system: | general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: | NA
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (1997)
Televisions: | NA
Internet country code: | .gg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | NA
Internet users: | NA

Transportation | Guernsey

Railways: | 5 km
Highways: | total: NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km
Waterways: | none
Ports and harbors: | St. Peter Port, Saint Sampson
Merchant marine: | none (2002 est.)
Airports: | 2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)

Military | Guernsey

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

Transnational Issues | Guernsey

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002