Isle of Man (2002) | Baker Island (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections | - |
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.) |
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Agriculture - products | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry | - |
Airports | 1 (2001) | 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m, completely covered with vegetation and unusable (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
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Area | total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
1.4 sq km land: 1.4 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC | about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in 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. | The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast. |
Birth rate | 11.49 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est. ) |
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Capital | Douglas | - |
Climate | temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time | equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun |
Coastline | 160 km | 4.8 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:
none conventional short form: Baker Island |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound | - |
Death rate | 11.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $NA | - |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | - |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | - |
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. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. | no economic activity |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 8 m |
Environment - current issues | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution | no natural fresh water resources |
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); 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 Ian MACFADYEN (since NA 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Richard CORKILL (since 6 December 2001) 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 6 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2006) election results: Richard CORKILL 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 the US is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 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 | 0 13 N, 176 31 W |
Geography - note | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary | treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife |
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 | 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | - |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2000 est.) | - |
International organization participation | none | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 0 sq km (1993) |
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: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (1998 est.) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% |
Languages | English, Manx Gaelic | - |
Legal system | English common law and Manx statute | the laws of the US, where applicable, apply |
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 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 77.81 years
male: 74.44 years female: 81.36 years (2002 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 | Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
Map references | Europe | Oceania |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,540,100 GRT/9,130,508 DWT
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 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.) |
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Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard |
National holiday | Tynwald Day, 5 July | - |
Nationality | noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx |
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Natural hazards | NA | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
Natural resources | none | guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife |
Net migration rate | 5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | - |
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 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders | none | - |
Population | 73,873 (July 2002 est.) | uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 0.52% (2002 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey | none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | - |
Radios | NA | - |
Railways | total: 68.5 km (43.5 km electrified) (2001) | - |
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: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 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 | low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef |
Total fertility rate | 1.65 children born/woman (2002 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 0.7% (February 2002 ) | - |
Waterways | none | none |