Overview
The Isle of Man was part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century, when it was ceded to Scotland. The isle came under English lordship in the 14th century before being purchased by the British Government in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. The Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency, which makes it a self-governing possession of the British Crown that is not part of the UK. The UK Government, however, remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.
Geography
- Location
- Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
- Total Area
- 572 sq km
- Climate
- temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about a third of the time
- Terrain
- hills in north and south bisected by central valley
- Natural Resources
- none
- Coastline
- 160 km
- Land Borders
- 0 km
People & Society
- Population
- 92,666 (2025 est.)
- Languages
- English, Manx Gaelic (about 2% of the population has some knowledge)
- Religions
- Christian 54.7%, Muslim 0.5%, Buddhist 0.5%, Hindu 0.4%, Jewish 0.2%, none 43.8% (2021 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- White 94.7%, Asian 3.1%, Mixed 1%, Black 0.6%, other 0.4% (2021 est.)
- Life Expectancy
- 82.5 years (2024 est.)
- Urbanization
- 53.5% of total population (2023)
Government
- Government Type
- parliamentary democracy (Tynwald)
- Capital
- Douglas
- Independence
- none (British Crown dependency)
- Constitution
- development of the Isle of Man constitution dates to at least the 14th century
- Legal System
- UK laws apply, as well as Manx statutes
- Executive Branch
- Lord of Mann King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir John LORIMER (since 29 September 2021)
Economy
- Economic Overview
- high-income British island economy; known financial services and tourism industries; taxation incentives for technology and financial firms to operate; historic fishing and agriculture industries are declining; major online gambling and film industry locale
- GDP (Official Rate)
- $7.431 billion (2022 est.)
- Major Industries
- financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Infrastructure & Communications
- Railways
- 63 km (2008)