Isle of Man (2001) | Heard Island and McDonald Islands (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
17.51% (male 6,562; female 6,306) 15-64 years: 65.19% (male 24,061; female 23,845) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 5,076; female 7,639) (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry | - |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 412 sq km
land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC |
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. | These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve. |
Birth rate | 11.58 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues:
$485 million expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
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Capital | Douglas | - |
Climate | cool summers and mild winters; temperate; overcast about one-third of the time | antarctic |
Coastline | 160 km | 101.9 km |
Constitution | unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution | - |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Isle of Man |
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound | - |
Death rate | 11.84 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $NA | - |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | - |
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. Banking and other services now contribute 42% to GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. | No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing around the islands. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m |
Environment - current issues | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution | NA |
Ethnic groups | Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton | - |
Exchange rates | Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound | - |
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) head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers 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 3 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald |
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Exports | $NA | - |
Exports - commodities | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb | - |
Exports - partners | UK | - |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | - |
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 | the flag of Australia is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1% industry: 9% services: 90% (1999 est.) |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $18,800 (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 13.5% (1999 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 54 15 N, 4 30 W | 53 06 S, 72 31 E |
Geography - note | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary | - |
Highways | total:
800 km paved: 800 km unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
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Imports | $NA | - |
Imports - commodities | timber, fertilizers, fish | - |
Imports - partners | UK | - |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.2% (FY96/97) | - |
Industries | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism | - |
Infant mortality rate | 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | - |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2000 est.) | - |
International organization participation | none | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) | - |
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% | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
9% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 6% other: 39% (includes 25% mountain and heathland) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English, Manx Gaelic | - |
Legal system | English common law and Manx statute | the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply |
Legislative branch | bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (a 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 21 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 24 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.64 years male: 74.26 years female: 81.2 years (2001 est.) |
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Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
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Location | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland | islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica |
Map references | Europe | Antarctic Region |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,917,402 GRT/8,333,858 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 13, chemical tanker 11, combination bulk 3, container 20, liquefied gas 13, petroleum tanker 43, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1, UK 3 (2000 est.) |
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Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols |
National holiday | Tynwald Day, 5 July | - |
Nationality | noun:
Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx |
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Natural hazards | NA | Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island |
Natural resources | none | fish |
Net migration rate | 5.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
Political parties and leaders | there is no party system; members sit as independents | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | - |
Population | 73,489 (July 2001 est.) | uninhabited (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 0.52% (2001 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | - |
Radios | NA | - |
Railways | total:
68.5 km (43.5 km electrified) |
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Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends | - |
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: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 51,000 (1999) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | - |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) | - |
Terrain | hills in north and south bisected by central valley | Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky |
Total fertility rate | 1.65 children born/woman (2001 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 0.6% (August 2000) | - |
Waterways | none | none |