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Isle of ManIsle of Man: ''Not to be confused with the Isle of Mam. For the native Isle of Man Cat, see Manx (cat)|Manx Cat''. The '''Isle of Man''' ('''Ellan Vannin''' in Manx_language|Manx), is a self-governing democracy located in the Irish Sea at the centre of the British Isles. The Island is not part of the United Kingdom but is a crown dependency and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth. Despite its position, as it is not a constituent part of the United Kingdom, the BBC does not provide it with any local BBC services on TV, radio or online, neither is it mentioned in BBC weather forecasts. {| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 0 1em 1em; float:right; width:290px;" |+ '''Ellan Vannin''' (Manx_language|Manx)<br /> '''Isle of Man''' (English language|English) |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan="2" | {| border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 |- | align="center" width="140px" | Image:Man flag large.png|125px| || align="center" width="140px" | Image:Isle of Man_Arms_ Small.png |- |align="center" width="140px"|(Flag of the Isle of Man|In detail) || align="center" width="140px"|(Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man|Full size) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 style="border-bottom:3px solid gray;" | <font size="-1">''National'' ''motto: Quocunque Jeceris Stabit<br/>(Latin: Whithersoever you throw it, it will'' ''stand'')</font> |- | align=center colspan=2 | Image:BritishIslesMan.png |- | Official languages || English language|English, Manx language|Manx |- | Capital || Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas |- | List of Kings of the Isle of Man|Lord of Mann || Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II |- | Lieutenant Governor || Air Marshal Ian Macfadyen |- | Chief Minister || Donald Gelling (formerly Richard Corkill) |- | Currency || Isle of Man pound (on par with Pound Sterling) |- | Time zone || Coordinated Universal Time|UTC (Daylight Saving Time|DST +1) |- | National anthem || Isle of Man National Anthem |- | Top-level domain|Internet TLD || .im |- | List_of_country_calling_codes|Calling Code || 44 (UK area code 1624) |} ==Geography== ''Main article: Geography of the Isle of Man'' Image:manmap.jpg|thumb|left|float|Map of the Isle of Man; click to enlarge. The Isle of Man forms part of the British Isles, an archipelago off the north-western coast of mainland Europe. The Island lies in the Irish Sea, approximately equidistant between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Approximately 30 miles long and between 8 and 15 miles in breadth, the Island has an area of around 1 E8 m2|572 km² (221 square miles). Hills in the north and south of the Island are bisected by a central valley. The extreme north of the Island is exceptionally flat, consisting mainly of deposits built up by gradual deposition of material by the sea. The Island has one mountain, Snaefell, with a height of 620 metres (2,034 feet). According to an old saying, from the summit, one can see seven kingdoms: those of Man, Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, Heaven and the Sea. ==People== ''Main article: Demographics of the Isle of Man'' According to the 2001 census, the Isle of Man is home to around 76,315 people, of which around 25,347 reside in the Island's capital, Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas. ==Culture== The Isle of Man has a rich cultural heritage with strong influences from its celtic and norse origins. See: Music of the Isle of Man ==Government== ''Main article: Politics of the Isle of Man'' ===Structure=== The Isle of Man is a self-governing crown dependency. The head of state is currently Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|HM The Queen by virtue of her title ''Lord of Mann''. She is represented on the Island by the Lieutenant Governor. The United Kingdom is responsible for the Island's defence and for representing the Island in international fora, while the Island's own parliament has competency over almost all domestic matters. The Island's parliament is the ''Tynwald'', which dates from around 979 AD. Tynwald is a bicameral legislature, comprised of the House of Keys (directly elected by universal sufferage) and the Legislative Council (Isle of Man)|Legislative Council (consisting of indirectly elected and ex officio members). There is a Council of Ministers which is headed by the Chief Minister, currently Mr Donald Gelling. The Island's system of government is currently under review - there are plans to transform the Legislative Council into a directly-elected chamber, echoing the push for reform in the UK's House of Lords. ===External Relations=== A common misconception exists that Man forms part of the United Kingdom; under British law it does not, although the United Kingdom takes care of its external and defence affairs. Due to this autonomy and the conservative nature of a primarily rural society, the Isle of Man has had several run-ins with the European Court of Human Rights because it was late to change its laws concerning birching (corporal punishment for juvenile male offenders) and sodomy_law|sodomy (consensual sexual relations between adult men). The Isle of Man holds neither membership nor associate membership of the European Union, but forms part of the customs territory of the Union, allowing it to trade freely with EU members. Citizens of the Isle of Man (Manxmen) are defined as also being European Union Citizens, however Protocol Three in the [http://www.bmdf.co.uk/ukaccessiontreaty.pdf treaty of accession of the United Kingdom] stipulates that "Manx people shall not benefit from provisions relating to the free movement of persons and services". This means that a special endorsement is placed in their passports preventing them from freely living or working in other EU states. Travel to the Isle of Man is regulated by the local government laws. Visitors from countries who require a UK visa may also require a special Man visa, obtainable from a British Embassy. All non-Manx, including UK citizens, are required to obtain a work permit to take up employment on the Island. ===Politics=== Manx politicians stand for election as independents, rather than as representatives of political parties. Though political parties do exist, their influence is not nearly as strong as is the case in the United Kingdom. Consequently, much Manx legislation develops through consensus among the members of Tynwald, which contrasts with the much more adversarial nature of the UK parliament. Man is a British Crown dependency. Mec Vannin, a political party, advocates the establishment of Man as a sovereign republic. A Manx Labour Party also exists, unaffiliated to the UK Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party. The Island formerly had a Manx National Party and a Manx Communist party. There are Manx members in the Celtic League (political organisation)|Celtic League, a political pressure group that advocates greater cooperation between and political autonomy for the Celtic "Nations". The main political issues include the island's relationship with the finance sector, housing prices and shortages, and the Manx language. The vast majority of the members of the House of Keys are non-partisan (19), with two representatives from the Manx Labour Party and three from the Alliance for Progressive Government. The next scheduled elections are in 2006. ==Economy== ''Main article: Economy of the Isle of Man'' Offshore bank|Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism form key sectors of the economics|economy of the Isle of Man. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the Island has expanded employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of Gross domestic product (GDP). Banking and other services now contribute the great bulk of GDP. Trade takes place mostly with the United Kingdom. The Isle of Man has access to European Union goods markets. Since 1999, the Isle of Man has received electricity through by world's longest submarine alternating current cable, the Isle of Man to England Interconnector. ==History== ''Main article: History of the Isle of Man'' ===Ancient Times to Present=== The Isle of Man became a Viking outpost/kingdom from ''circa'' AD 700 to AD 900, and was part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it came under the control of the Scotland|Scottish crown. The Island came under English control in the 14th century and to the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the once almost-extinct Manx language, and the recent significant immigration of non-Manx people to serve the financial sector. These immigrants are mainly involved in setting up off-shore entities for tax avoidance purposes. ===The Tynwald=== The Island arguably has the oldest continuous parliament in the world, the Tynwald, nominally founded in 979 AD (Iceland's parliament is thought to be older, but was abolished between 1800 and 1845). ===The Triskelion=== Image:ManxCarRegistrationPlate.jpg|thumb|left|license plate|car registration plate, with the triskelion The Isle of Man has for centuries used the ancient symbol known as the Triskelion: three bent legs, each with a spur, joined at the thigh. The Triskelion does not appear to have an official definition - Government publications, currency, flags, the tourist authority and others all use different variants. Most, but not all, preserve rotational symmetry. Some run clockwise, others counter-clockwise. Some have the uppermost thigh at 12:00, others at 11:30 or 10:00, etc. Some have the knee bent at 90 degrees, some at 60 degrees, some at closer to 120 degrees. Also the degree of ornamentation of the legwear and spur varies considerably. The three legs relate directly to the Island's motto - ''Quocunque Jeceris Stabit'', which translates to ''Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand''. Interpretations of the motto often stress stability and robustness in the Manx character. Many schools on the Island have adapted the motto to promote perserverence and hard work. ==See Also== *Communications on the Isle of Man *Transport on the Isle of Man *List of Kings of the Isle of Man *Calf of Man & Chicken Rock - island and rocks housing a lighthouse. *St Mary's Isle (Conister Rocks or Tower of Refuge) - Douglas bay islet. *Fort Island|St Michael's Isle (Fort Island) - connected to Langness by causeway. *St Patrick's Isle (Peel Castle) - One of the smallest islets in the Irish Sea but probably the most historic. Now connected to the mainland by causeway. *Isle of Man TT *Manx Loaghtan|Loaghtan sheep *Manx (cat)|Manx cat *Towns in the Isle of Man *Tynwald Day *Isle of Man coins ==References== *CIA World Factbook 2000 ==External links== * [http://www.manxforums.com Manx Discussion Forums ] The busiest Manx forum. * [http://www.isle-of-man.com/places.shtml Information on places in the Isle of Man] * [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IsleofMan/ IsleofMan Email group ]with Photographs, Files and Links to information about the Isle of Man * [http://www.gov.im Manx Government Website] A comprehensive site covering many aspects of manx life from fishing to financial regulation * [http://www.manxradio.com/ Manx Radio] The Government/commercial funded radio station for the Isle of Man, and the most listened to station in the British Isles * [http://www.corpun.com/manx.htm Birching in the Isle of Man 1945-1976] Article about the use of the birch as a judicial punishment in the Isle of Man. {{Europe}} Category:European dependencies Category:Islands in the British Isles Category:Isle of Man| Category:Special territories {{British dependencies}} ast:Islla de Man cs:Man cy:Ynys Manaw da:Man (ø) de:Isle of Man el:Νήσος Μαν et:Man es:Isla de Man eo:Manksinsulo fo:Mann fr:Île de Man ga:Oileán Mhanann gv:Mannin gd:Eilean Mhanainn id:Pulau Man kw:Ynys Manow nl:Man (eiland) ja:マン島 nb:Man nn:Isle of Man pl:Wyspa Man pt:Ilha de Man ro:Insula Man ru:Остров Мэн sk:Man (ostrov) sl:Man fi:Mansaari sv:Isle of Man zh:萌島 zh-min-nan:Mannin First page | Prev | Next | Last page | This article on Isle of Man is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. 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