Isle of Man
Full Name: Isle of Man
Capital: Douglas
Population: 75,049 (July 2005 est.)
National Holiday : Tynwald Day, 5 July
Dependency Status: British crown dependency

Executive Branch of Government:
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Ian MACFADYEN (since 26 October 2002)

head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004)

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 14 December 2004 (next to be held December 2010)

election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004

Legal System: English law and local statutes

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 November 2006)

Judicial Branch: Royal Court

History: 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 Gaelic language.

Economic 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 .

Currency: GBP (also Manx Pound)

GDP: £1.29 billion (2003 est.)

GDP by Sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)