MAN, ISLE OF (British crown dependency) GEOGRAPHY Total area: 588 km2; land area: 588 km2 Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 113 km Maritime claims: Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 3 nm Climate: cool summers and mild winters; humid; overcast about half the time Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley Natural resources: lead, iron ore Land use: arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures NA%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA%; extensive arable land and forests Environment: strong westerly winds prevail Note: located in Irish Sea equidistant from England, Scotland, and Ireland PEOPLE Population: 64,075 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991) Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Manxman, Manxwoman, adjective--Manx Ethnic divisions: native Manx of Norse-Celtic descent; British Religion: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends Language: English, Manx Gaelic Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education age 5 to 16 Labor force: 25,864 (1981) Organized labor: 22 labor unions patterned along British lines GOVERNMENT Long-form name: none Type: British crown dependency Capital: Douglas Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency) Independence: none (British crown dependency) Constitution: 1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act Legal system: English law and local statute National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July Executive branch: British monarch, lieutenant governor, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet) Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald consists of an upper house or Legislative Council and a lower house or House of Keys Judicial branch: High Court of Justice Leaders: Chief of State--Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Air Marshal Sir Laurence JONES (since NA 1990); Head of Government--President of the Legislative Council Sir Charles KERRUISH (since NA 1990) Political parties and leaders: there is no party system and members sit as independents Suffrage: universal at age 21 Elections: House of Keys--last held in 1986 (next to be held 1991); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(24 total) independents 24 Communists: probably none Member of: none Diplomatic representation: none (British crown dependency) Flag: 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 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 GNP. Banking now contributes over 20% to GNP and manufacturing about 15%. Trade is mostly with the UK. GNP: $490 million, per capita $7,573; real growth rate NA% (1988) Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Unemployment rate: 1.5% (1988) Budget: revenues $130.4 million; expenditures $114.4 million, including capital expenditures of $18.1 million (FY85 est.) Exports: $NA; commodities--tweeds, herring, processed shellfish meat; partners--UK Imports: $NA; commodities--timber, fertilizers, fish; partners--UK External debt: $NA Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 61,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 2,930 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: an important offshore financial center; financial services, light manufacturing, tourism Agriculture: cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry Economic aid: NA Currency: Manx pound (plural--pounds); 1 Manx pound (LM) = 100 pence Exchange rates: Manx pounds (LM) per US$1--0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 36 km electric track, 24 km steam track Highways: 640 km motorable roads Ports: Douglas, Ramsey, Peel Merchant marine: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,634,471 GRT/2,906,039 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 6 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 2 combination ore/oil, 3 liquefied gas, 13 bulk; note--a captive register of the United Kingdom, although not all ships on the register are British-owned Airports: 2 total; 1 usable with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: 24,435 telephones; stations--1 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV DEFENSE FORCES Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK