Guernsey

Basic Data

Guernsey and its seven dependent islands are part of the Channel Islands, which sit northwest of France in the English Channel. The islands are the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy and the only British soil occupied by Germany in World War II. Today Guernsey is a British Crown Dependency. The British monarch heads the state, and the head of government is a Lieutenant Governor, who is appointed by the monarch. The legislative branch is a unicameral Assembly of States. The population of Guernsey is nearly 65,000. The official language is English, but French is also widely spoken, and a Norman-French dialect is often used in rural districts. Financial services account for more than half of Guernsey's economy—light taxes and death duties make it a popular tax haven. Tourism, manufacturing, tomatoes and cut flowers also contribute to the GNP.

Citizens of Guernsey enjoy the press and speech freedoms of England. The daily newspaper of Guernsey is The Guernsey Press. In 1999, it changed its format from broadsheet to tabloid and shortened its name. It publishes Monday through Saturday, and its circulation is 16,000. Editorial content appears online through the this is guernsey.com Web portal. The newspaper's parent company also publishes the island's weekly, The Globe. This community-oriented, tabloid newspaper appears every Wednesday and has an approximate circulation of 18,000.

Guernsey has one FM radio station, one AM radio station, and one television station. There are two Internet service providers.