Is Isle of Man a Country?

Located in the middle of Irish sea, is a gorgeous island named ‘Isle of Man’, widely known as ‘Mann’. No, it is not a country, but a crown dependency in the British isle, suggesting that they run their own administration. The citizens here are referred as ‘Britishers’, but the United Kingdom is NOT in possession of the region. UK however, does hold the responsibility of handling defence and foreign affairs in the island.

Here are a few interesting facts you would like to know about the Isle of Man:

• The island covers an area of 221 square miles – which is only a little larger in comparison to the area of Singapore, yet as per 2016 census, the population in Isle of Man is only 83,314.

• Despite its location in Europe, between the Great Britain and Ireland, Isle of Man lies outside the European Economic Area (EEA), and is not a part of the European Union. The goods from here can freely move within EEA, but people and services have certain restrictions.

• The head of the state, aka, ‘Lord of Mann’ is presently Queen Elizabeth II. She isn’t called Queen or Lady, but ‘Lord’ in the island territory.

• Mann is known to have the oldest continuous parliaments that ever existed. The Tynwald has been the location for handling domestic affairs since 979. At present, two branches : the Legislative Council and the House of Keys, sit separately in the parliament for the legislation.

• If we talk about women rights, Isle of Man is not that far behind. In fact, Tynwald was also the first national legislative body in the world which provided women the right to vote in general elections.

• Early inhabitants of the island can be traced back to 6500 BC. The Manx Museum exhibits some of the tools of hunter gatherers and fishermen that first settled in the island.

• The original language in the region, was ‘Manx’. It is one of the Gaelic languages, and was similar to the Irish Gaelic. The current concern of 21st century is to revive the language, because the last native speaker – Ned Maddrell, passed away in 1974. Not many people in the Isle of Man have knowledge about the ancient language.

• The culture here is influenced by its origins of Celts and Norse. Vast number of migrations and tourists also reach the island because of its proximity to the United Kingdom, and thus, the culture has been highly influenced from the Great Britain as well.

• Online gambling is quite high in the region; however, under Government Supervision, it is crime-free. Total GDP in the country is around 4.45 billion euros, out of which e-gaming and online gambling hold 18% share.

• Tourism industry only generates 0.3% of the total Gross National Income, yet tourists have been visiting Isle of Man for its much-famous TT races – a motorcycle sport that is one of the dangerous racing events in the world.

Know More:

• Facts of Isle of Man
• Flag of Isle of Man

• Biography of Queen Elizbeth II

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