Rate This Article

Average: 0/5

Isle of Man

Isle of Man

Source: NASA/Wikimedia Commons Source: NASA/Wikimedia Commons
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor: Peter Saundry

The Isle of Man is an island of nearly 85,000 people in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. There is also one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary.

The 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.

Its major environmental issues include waste disposal (both household and industrial) and transboundary air pollution.

Source: Wikimedia Commons Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Calf of Man seen from Cregneash. Source: Eric Bobson/Wikimedia Commons
View from the top of Snaefell Mountain looking southwestward showing the mountainous terrain along the axis of the Isle of Man. Source:
Gregory J Kingsley/Wikimedia Commons
Overlooking Douglas Bay and harbour from Douglas Head. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

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.

Geography

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

Geographic Coordinates: 54 15 N, 4 30 W

Area: 572 sq km

Coastline: 160 km

Maritime Claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nmZ

Terrain:  hills in north and south bisected by central valley. The highest point is Snaefell (621 m)

Climate: temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about a third of the time.

Land Use:

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

People and Society

Population: 85,421 (July 2012 est.)

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

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 16.6% (male 7,362/female 6,664)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 27,752/female 27,466)
65 years and over: 18.2% (male 7,003/female 8,408) (2011 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 0.882% (2012 est.)

Birthrate: 11.36 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

Death Rate: 9.95 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

Net Migration Rate: 7.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth: 80.76 years 

male: 79.17 years
female: 82.47 years (2012 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 1.96 children born/woman (2012 est.)

Languages: English, Manx Gaelic (about 2% of the population has some knowledge)

Urbanization: 51% of total population (2010) and not changing (2010-15 est.)

Government

Dependency Status/Government Type: British crown dependency/parliamentary democracy

Capital: Douglas  26,000 (2009)

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

Legal System:   the laws of the UK where applicable apply and include Manx statutes.

Economy

Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy.

The government offers low taxes and other 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- per capita (PPP): $35,000 (2005 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 1%
industry: 11%
services: 88% (FY08/09 est.)

Agricultural products: cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Currency: Manx pounds (IMP)

 

Citation

Central Intelligence Agency (Lead Author);CIA World Factbook (Content Source);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Isle of Man". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth December 27, 2011; Last revised Date May 23, 2012; Retrieved May 24, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Isle_of_Man>

The Author

Central Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 amended the National Securit ... (Full Bio)

0 Comments

Add Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Click here to login