Isle of Man

Basic Data

The Isle of Man lies between Great Britain and Ireland in the Irish Sea. Once part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides, it came under British control in 1765. The Isle of Man has one dependent islet, the Calf of Man, which is a bird sanctuary. The Isle of Man chief of state is the British monarch, represented locally by an appointed Lieutenant Governor. The government is headed by the Chief Minister, who is elected by the members of the bicameral Tynwald, which consists of an 11-member Legislative Council and a 24-seat House of Keys. The population is approximately 73,000, and the official language is English. Many speak a dialect called Manx Celtic, and there are extensive efforts to keep this language alive. Offshore banking, manufacturing and tourism make up the largest sectors of the economy.

Citizens of the island enjoy the press and speech freedoms of England. The Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd. publishes the country's three newspapers, all of which appear weekly in English. Content from the publications appears on the Isle of Man Online Web portal, also owned by the newspaper company. The Isle of Man Courier is a tabloid-format newspaper that prints on Thursday. Its circulation is approximately 35,000, and it is available free of charge. The Isle of Man Examiner is a broadsheet that prints on Tuesday. Its circulation is approximately 15,000. The Manx Independent, published on Friday, is a tabloid-format newspaper with an approximate circulation of 13,000.

There are two radio stations, one AM and one FM. There are approximately 27,500 televisions, but no television station. IofM.net is the sole Internet service provider.