Isle of Man

Isle of Man
Mannin, Ellan Vannin (Manx)
Motto
"Quocunque Jeceris Stabit" (Latin)
(English: "Wherever you throw it, it shall stand")
Anthem: "O Land of Our Birth"[a]
Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
Location of the Isle of Man (green), in Europe (dark grey)
Sovereign state responsible for the Isle of Man[1][2]United Kingdom
Norse control9th century
Scottish control2 July 1266
English control1399
Revested into British Crown10 May 1765
CapitalDouglas
54°13′30″N 4°31′59″W / 54.225°N 4.533°W / 54.225; -4.533
Official languages
Ethnic groups
(2021)[5]
Religion
(2021)[5]
Demonym(s)Manx
GovernmentParliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy
Charles III
Sir John Lorimer
Alfred Cannan[6]
LegislatureTynwald
Legislative Council
House of Keys
Area
• Total
574 km2 (222 sq mi) (unranked)
• Water (%)
1
Highest elevation
2,030 ft (620 m)
Population
• 2021 census
84,069[5] (202nd)
• Density
148/km2 (383.3/sq mi) (86th)
GDP (PPP)2014 estimate
• Total
$7.43 billion
• Per capita
$84,600 (9th)
GDP (nominal)estimate
• Total
US$7.49 billion[7]
HDI (2010)0.849[8]
very high · 14th
CurrencyPound sterling
Manx pound (£) (GBP)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)
UTC+01:00 (BST)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Mains electricity240 V, 50 Hz
Driving sideleft
Calling code+44
UK postcode
ISO 3166 codeIM
Internet TLD.im

The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin [ˈmanɪnʲ], also Ellan Vannin [ˈɛlʲan ˈvanɪnʲ]) or Mann (/mæn/ man),[10] is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the isle's military defence and represents it abroad.

Humans have lived on the island since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century AD, when Irish missionaries following the teaching of St. Patrick began settling the island,[11] and the Manx language, a branch of the Goidelic languages, emerged. In 627, King Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man along with most of Mercia. In the 9th century, Norsemen established the thalassocratic Kingdom of the Isles, which included the Isle of Man. Magnus III, King of Norway from 1093 to 1103, reigned as King of Man and the Isles between 1099 and 1103.[12]

In 1266, King Magnus VI of Norway sold his suzerainty over Man to King Alexander III of Scotland under the Treaty of Perth.[13] After a period of alternating rule by the Kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal lordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship revested in the British Crown in 1765, but the island did not become part of the 18th-century Kingdom of Great Britain, nor of its successors, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the present-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It has always retained its internal self-government. In 1881, the Isle of Man Parliament, Tynwald, became the first national legislative body in the world to give women the right to vote in a general election, although this excluded married women.[14][b]

The Manx economy is bolstered by its status as a tax haven and offshore banking destination.[15][16][17] Insurance and online gambling each generate 17% of the GNP, followed by information and communications technology and banking with 9% each.[18] This status has also brought the problems of money laundering, financial crime, and terrorism financing.[19]

Internationally, the Isle of Man is known for the TT Motorcycle Races,[20] and the Manx cat, a breed with short or no tails.[21] In 2016, UNESCO awarded the Isle of Man biosphere reserve status.[22]

  1. ^ Fact sheet on the UK's relationship with the Crown Dependencies (PDF), UK Ministry of Justice, retrieved 2 May 2023, The Crown Dependencies are not recognised internationally as sovereign States in their own right but as 'territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible'.
  2. ^ Framework for developing the international identity of the Isle of Man (PDF), Isle of Man Government, retrieved 2 May 2023, 2. The Isle of Man has an international identity which is different from that of the UK.
  3. ^ "National anthem – The World Factbook". CIA.gov. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  4. ^ "New Manx anthem shifts loyalty to land of their birth". The Guardian. 27 January 2003. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Official census statistics provided by Statistics Isle of Man, Isle of Man Government:
  6. ^ "Alfred Cannan appointed as Isle of Man's Chief Minister". gov.im. Isle of Man government. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Isle of Man | Data". data.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2010" (PDF). HDR.UNDP.org. United Nations Development Programme. January 2010. p. 143 ff. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Income Inequalities". The Poverty Site. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Manx National Heritage". Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Isle of Man". Britannica Online. 3 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Magnus 3 Olavsson Berrføtt – Norsk biografisk leksikon". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). 28 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Treaty of Perth: Overview of Treaty of Perth". Scottish-places.info. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man: Adult suffrage". Tynwald.org.im. 2017. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  15. ^ Matthew Collin (5 May 2021). "The hacker, the tax haven, and what $200 million in offshore deposits can tell us about the fight against illicit wealth". Brookings.edu. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Isle of Man Guide | Britain Visitor – Travel Guide To Britain". Britain Visitor. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  17. ^ Garside, Juliette (7 November 2017). "UK is subsidising Isle of Man to be tax haven, say campaigners | Isle of Man". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Isle of Man: National Income Report" (PDF). gov.im. Isle of Man government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Isle of Man needs to take more measures to prevent money laundering". Isle of Man. 28 November 2022.
  20. ^ Williams, David (3 October 2017). "Great British drives: Isle of Man". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019. The Isle of Man is best known, of course, for its famous race, the annual Tourist Trophy, or 'TT'.
  21. ^ Long, Peter (1998). "Isle of Man". The Hidden Places of England. Hidden Places - National Guides (4 ed.). Aldermaston: Travel Publishing Ltd (published 2004). p. 281. ISBN 9781904434122. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020. Best known for its motorcycle races, its tailless cats and its kippers [...].
  22. ^ "UNESCO: Isle of Man biosphere reserve". Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.


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