Man, Isle of
Island in the Irish Sea, a dependency of the British crown, but not part of the UK; area 570 sq km/220 sq mi; population (2001) 76,300, almost 50% of which lives in the capital Douglas and nearby Onchan. Other towns and cities include Ramsey, Peel, and Castletown. Industries include light engineering products, agriculture, and fishing. Tourism has declined in importance and has been replaced by financial services as the island's principal industry. The Isle of Man was Norwegian until 1266, when it was ceded to Scotland. It came under UK administration in 1765.
Features of the island include Snaefell (620 m/2,035 ft), the annual Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle races, and the tailless Manx cat. There is also a Victorian steam railway and an electric tramway (1832). The Mannanan international festival of music and arts, based in Port Erin, has been held annually since 1975. The University of Liverpool has a marine laboratory in Port Erin. The island is a tax haven and there are a number of casinos.
The island produces its own coins and notes in UK currency denominations. English is the main language spoken (Manx, nearer to Scottish than Irish Gaelic, has been almost extinct since the 1970s).
Government The government is composed of a crown-appointed lieutenant-governor, a legislative council, and the representative House of Keys, which together make up the Court of Tynwald, passing laws subject to the royal assent. Laws passed at Westminster only affect the island if specifically so provided. Tynwald is the world's oldest parliamentary body, with over 1,000 years of unbroken rule. |
| In elections in November 2001, Richard Corkhill became chief minister. |
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