Geography
Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
total:
572 sq km
land:
572 sq km
water:
0 sq km
comparison ranking
:
total 193
slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
territorial sea:
12 nm
exclusive fishing zone:
12 nm
temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about a third of the time
hills in north and south bisected by central valley
highest point:
Snaefell 621 m
lowest point:
Irish Sea 0 m
agricultural land:
74.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 43.8% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 30.9% (2018 est.)
forest:
6.1% (2018 est.)
other:
19.2% (2018 est.)
most people concentrated in cities and large towns of which Douglas, in the southeast, is the largest
occasional high winds and rough seas
one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary
People and Society
noun:
Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective:
Manx
White 94.7%, Asian 3.1%, Mixed 1%, Black 0.6%, other 0.4% (2021 est.)
note:
data represent population by nationality
English, Manx Gaelic (about 2% of the population has some knowledge)
Christian 54.7%, Muslim 0.5%, Buddhist 0.5%, Hindu 0.4%, Jewish 0.2%, none 43.8% (2021 est.)
0-14 years:
16% (male 7,701/female 7,100)
15-64 years:
61.9% (male 29,035/female 28,044)
65 years and over:
22.1% (2024 est.) (male 9,595/female 10,794)
2023 population pyramid
:
total dependency ratio:
58.6
youth dependency ratio:
23.6
elderly dependency ratio:
34.9
potential support ratio:
2.9 (2021)
total:
44.9 years (2024 est.)
male:
43.7 years
female:
46.1 years
comparison ranking
:
total 26
0.45% (2024 est.)
comparison ranking
:
153
10.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking
:
178
10.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking
:
34
4.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking
:
22
most people concentrated in cities and large towns of which Douglas, in the southeast, is the largest
27,000 DOUGLAS (capital) (2018)
at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female
0-14 years:
1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.89 male(s)/female
total population:
1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
total:
4.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
male:
4.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
3.7 deaths/1,000 live births
comparison ranking
:
total 186
total population:
82.5 years (2024 est.)
male:
80.7 years
female:
84.4 years
comparison ranking
:
total population 28
1.88 children born/woman (2024 est.)
comparison ranking
:
127
improved:
urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 99.1% of population
unimproved:
urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 0.9% of population (2020)
improved:
urban: NA
rural: NA
total: NA
unimproved:
urban: NA
rural: NA
total: NA
total population:
NA
male:
NA
female:
NA
Environment
air pollution, marine pollution; waste disposal (both household and industrial)
temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about a third of the time
agricultural land:
74.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 43.8% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 30.9% (2018 est.)
forest:
6.1% (2018 est.)
other:
19.2% (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2017 est.)
comparison ranking
:
181
municipal solid waste generated annually:
50,551 tons (2011 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually:
25,276 tons (2011 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled:
50% (2011 est.)
Government
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Isle of Man
abbreviation:
I.O.M.
etymology:
the name "man" may be derived from the Celtic word for "mountain"
parliamentary democracy (Tynwald)
name:
Douglas
geographic coordinates:
54 09 N, 4 29 W
time difference:
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
etymology:
name derives from the Dhoo and Glass Rivers, which flow through the valley in which the town is located and which in Manx mean the "dark" and the "light" rivers respectively
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
none (British Crown dependency)
Tynwald Day, 5 July (1417); date Tynwald Day was first recorded
history:
development of the Isle of Man constitution dates to at least the 14th century
amendments:
proposed as a bill in the House of Keys, by the "Government," by a "Member of the House," or through petition to the House or Legislative Council; passage normally requires three separate readings and approval of at least 13 House members; following both House and Council agreement, assent is required by the lieutenant governor on behalf of the Crown; the constitution has been expanded and amended many times, last in 2020
the laws of the UK?apply where applicable and include Manx statutes
16 years of age; universal
chief of state:
Lord of Mann King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir John LORIMER (since 29 September 2021)
head of government:
Chief Minister Alfred CANNAN (since 12 October 2021)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the lieutenant governor
elections/appointments:
the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister indirectly elected by the Tynwald for a 5-year term (eligible for second term); election last held on 23 September 2021 (next to be held in 2026)
election results:
2021:
Alfred CANNAN (independent) elected chief minister; Tynwald House of Keys vote - 21 of 24
2016:
Howard QUAYLE elected chief minister; Tynwald House of Keys vote - 21 of 33
description:
bicameral Tynwald or the High Court of Tynwald consists of:
Legislative Council (11 seats; includes the President of Tynwald, 2 ex-officio (non-voting) members - the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man and the attorney general - and 8 members indirectly elected by the House of Keys with renewal of 4 members every 2 years; elected members serve 4-year terms)
House of Keys (24 seats; 2 members each from 12 constituencies?directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
elections:
Legislative Council - last held 14 March 2023 (next to be held by March 2028)
House of Keys - last held on 23 September 2021 (next to be held on 24 September 2026)
election results:
Legislative Council - composition - men 6, women 4, vacant 1; percentage women 36.4%
House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Liberal Vannin 5.3%, Manx Labour Party 5.1%, Green Party 3.3% independent 86.3%; seats by party - independent 21; Manx Labour Party 2, Liberal Vannin 1; composition ? men 14, women 10, percentage women 41.7%; total Tynwald percentage women 40%
highest court(s):
Isle of Man High Court of Justice (consists of 3 permanent judges or "deemsters" and 1 judge of appeal; organized into the Staff of Government Division or Court of Appeal and the Civil Division); the Court of General Gaol Delivery is not formally part of the High Court but is administered as though part of the High Court and deals with serious criminal cases; note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
judge selection and term of office:
deemsters appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor; deemsters can serve until age 70
subordinate courts:
High Court; Court of Summary Gaol Delivery; Summary Courts; Magistrate's Court; specialized courts
Green Party [Andrew LANGAN-NEWTON]
Liberal Vannin Party or LVP [Lawrie HOOPER]
Manx Labor Party [Joney FARAGHER]
Mec Vannin [Mark KERMODE] (sometimes referred to as the Manx Nationalist Party)
note:
most members sit as independents
none (British crown dependency)
embassy:
none (British crown dependency)
red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (triskelion), 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 is based on the coat of arms of the last recognized Norse King of Mann, MAGNUS III (r. 1252-65); the triskelion has its roots in an early Celtic sun symbol
triskelion (a motif of three legs); national colors: red, white
name:
"Arrane Ashoonagh dy Vannin" (O Land of Our Birth)
lyrics/music:
William Henry GILL [English], John J. KNEEN [Manx]/traditional
note:
adopted 2003, in use since 1907; serves as a local anthem; as a British Crown dependency, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom) and is played when the sovereign, members of the royal family, or the lieutenant governor are present
Economy
high-income British island economy; known financial services and tourism industries; taxation incentives for technology and financial firms to operate; historic fishing and agriculture industries are declining; major online gambling and film industry locale
$6.792 billion (2015 est.)
$7.428 billion (2014 est.)
$6.298 billion (2013 est.)
note:
data are in 2014 dollars
comparison ranking
:
171
-8.84% (2020 est.)
0.25% (2019 est.)
2.21% (2018 est.)
note:
annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
comparison ranking
:
214
$84,600 (2014 est.)
$86,200 (2013 est.)
$73,700 (2012 est.)
comparison ranking
:
7
$6.684 billion (2020 est.)
note:
data in current dollars at official exchange rate
4.1% (2017 est.)
1% (2016 est.)
comparison ranking
:
60
Moody's rating:
Aa3 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating:
N/A
note:
The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
6.66% (2020 est.)
note:
annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
comparison ranking
:
44
1.1% (2017 est.)
2% (April 2011 est.)
comparison ranking
:
20
total:
10.1% (2011 est.)
male:
11.8%
female:
8.2%
comparison ranking
:
total 150
revenues:
$965 million (FY05/06 est.)
expenditures:
$943 million (FY05/06 est.)
0.3% (of GDP) (FY05/06 est.)
comparison ranking
:
42
almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)
crude petroleum, artwork, vegetables, fruits, whiskies (2022)
almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)
ships, delivery trucks (2022)
Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.811 (2022 est.)
0.727 (2021 est.)
0.78 (2020 est.)
0.783 (2019 est.)
0.75 (2018 est.)
Communications
general assessment:
the Isle of Man has an extensive communications infrastructure consisting of telephone cables, submarine cables, and an array of television and mobile phone transmitters and towers (2022)
domestic:
landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international:
country code - 44; fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable
national public radio broadcasts over 3 FM stations and 1 AM station; 2 commercial broadcasters operating with 1 having multiple FM stations; receives radio and TV services via relays from British TV and radio broadcasters
Transportation
4 (2024)
comparison ranking
:
180
total:
63 km (2008)
narrow gauge:
6 km (2008) 1.076-m gauge (6 km electrified)
57 0.914-mm gauge (29 km electrified)
note:
primarily summer tourist attractions
comparison ranking
:
total 131
total:
1,107 km (2022)
paved:
1,107 km
comparison ranking
:
total 185
total:
269 (2023)
by type:
bulk carrier 102, container ship 6, general cargo 27, oil tanker 56, other 78
comparison ranking
:
total 62
total ports:
2 (2024)
large:
0
medium:
0
small:
2
very small:
0
ports with oil terminals:
1
key ports:
Douglas, Ramsey