This is from an official information regarding The Isle of Man from appr 2010 :
The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin in Manx) or Mann (Mannin in Manx), is located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles. Although it is not part of the United Kingdom, it is a Crown dependency.
The Isle of Man is part of the British Isles, an archipelago off the north-western coast of mainland Europe. The island lies in the Irish Sea, approximately equidistant between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Approximately 48 kilometres (32 mi) long and between 13 and 24 kilometres (8 and 15 mi) in breadth, the island has an area of around 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi).
Hills in the north and south are bisected by a central valley. The extreme north is exceptionally flat, consisting mainly of deposits built up by deposition from glacial advances from Western Scotland during colder times. There are more recently deposited shingle beaches at the Point of Ayre. It has only one mountain higher than 2,000 feet, Snaefell, with a height of 621 metres (2,036 ft). According to an old saying, from the summit one can see seven kingdoms: those of Mann, Scotland, England, Irelane, Wales, Heaven and Neptune.
According to the 2001 census, the Isle of Man is home to 76,315 people, of whom around 25,347 reside in the Island's capital, Douglas (Doolish). This gives the island a population density of 345 people per square mile, or 133 per square kilometer.
The culture of the Isle of Man is strongly influenced by its Celtic and Norse origins. It is currently enjoying a revival of the Gaelic Manx language (Gaelg). Although the last original native speaker died in 1974, small children are once again being brought up speaking Manx. There are now 27 known native speakers and 650 other speakers. Manx is closely related to the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages. A well known Manx expression is "Traa Dy Liooar", meaning "time enough" and represents a stereotypical view of the Manx attitude to life.
The Isle of Man is a self-governing crown dependency. The head of state is the Lord of Mann who is the British Sovereign, currently Her Majesty The Queen; her title on the Island is Lord of Mann. She is represented by the Island's Lieutenant Governor. The United Kingdom is responsible for the Island's defence and for representing the Island in international forums, while the Island's own parliament has competence over almost all domestic matters.
The Island's parliament is Tynwald (Tinvaal), which dates from 979 A.D - the oldest parliament currently still active anywhere in the world. Tynwald is a tricameral legislature, comprising the House of Keys (directly elected by universal suffrage) and the Legislative Council (consisting of indirectly elected and ex officio members). Furthermore, when these two bodies meet together the third chamber, called Tynwald, is formed. There is a Council of Ministers, which is headed by the Chief Minister, currently Donald Gelling MLC.
As of 2005, the Island's system of government is under review — there are plans to transform the Legislative Council into a directly-elected chamber, echoing the push for reform in the UK's House of Lords and the abolition of indirectly elected Conseillers in Guernsey.
To date, no legislation has successfully passed through the House of Keys and given the fact that the issue has been high up the political agenda for over a decade, change does not seem to be forthcoming in the short term. This was reinforced by the political retirement of one of the main proposers of change, Edgar Quine. In October 2005 Tynwald accepted a proposal to change the title of the Lieutenant Governor to Crown Commissioner or Barrantagh y Chrooin in Manx (the title would also be "Barrantagh ny Benrein," or "Queen's Commissioner"; when there is a King it will be "Barrantagh ny Ree," or "King's Commissioner"). The proposal now has to go to London for approval, but the United Kingdom Department for Constitutional Affairs indicated early in 2005 that this was likely to be given.
However, recent developments have suggested that the issue may be decided on the basis of an Island wide referendum.
A common misconception exists that Mann forms part of the United Kingdom. Under British law it does not, although the United Kingdom takes care of its external and defence affairs. The Isle of Man had a dispute with the European Court of Human Rights in the 1970s because it was reluctant to change its laws concerning birching (corporal punishment for male offenders). The law on sodomy might have also led down this road had it not been changed in the early 1990s.
The Isle of Man holds neither membership nor associate membership of the European Union, and lies outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Nonetheless, Protocol Three of the treaty of accession of the United Kingdom permits trade for Manx goods without non-EU tariffs. In conjunction with the Customs and Excise agreement with the UK, this facilitates free trade with the UK. While Manx goods can be freely moved within the EEA, people, capital and services cannot.
There is no Manx citizenship. Manx people are classed as British citizens but those defined as Manx under Protocol Three have a special endorsement placed in their passports preventing them from freely living or working in EU states. Those Manx persons with a parent or grandparent born in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), or who have lived in the UK for 5 years, are not subject to this provision.
The restriction on free movement of persons is anomalous in that the treaty establishing the EU (formerly EEC) clearly states that all citizens of member states will also be citizens of the EU. However a special protocol was inserted in the Treaty of Accession of the United Kingdom excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man from the provisions governing free movement of people. This was done at the request of the governments of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man at the time.
Travel to the Isle of Man is regulated by the local government laws, although the Isle of Man is part of the Common Travel Area. Visitors from countries who require a UK visa may also require a special Manx visa, obtainable from a British diplomatic mission. All non-Manx, including UK citizens, are required to obtain a work permit to take up employment on the Island.
Most Manx politicians stand for election as independents rather than as representatives of political parties. Though political parties do exist, their influence is not nearly as strong as is the case in the United Kingdom. Consequently, much Manx legislation develops through consensus among the members of Tynwald, which contrasts with the much more adversarial nature of the UK parliament.
One political party, Mec Vannin, advocates the establishment of a sovereign republic. A Manx Labour Party also exists, unaffiliated to the UK Labour Party. The island formerly had a Manx National Party and a Manx Communist party. There are Manx members in the Celtic League, a political pressure group that advocates greater co-operation between and political autonomy for the Celtic nations. The main political issues include the Island's relationship with the finance sector, housing prices and shortages, and the Manx language. The vast majority of the members of the House of Keys are non-partisan (19), with two representatives from the Manx Labour Party and three from the Alliance for Progressive Government. The next scheduled election is in 2006.
The Isle of Man is divided into six administrative districts, called sheadings. The six sheadings are Ayre, Glenfaba, Garff, Michael, Rushen and Middle. The sheadings form the basis of some constituencies and each has a Coroner. This office must not be confused with the Coronor for Inquests, a role usually fulfilled by the High Bailiff. A person may fulfil the role of coroner for more than one sheading at the same time.
The term 'sheading' is thought to be a Norse word for 'ship division'; each district was believed to be responsible for producing a certain number of warships. It could also be a Celtic word meaning 'sixth part'.
The Isle of Man is a low tax economy with income tax rates of 10% and 18% and 0% rate of corporate tax. Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism form key sectors of the economy of the Isle of Man. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the Island has expanded employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of gross domestic product (GDP). Banking and other services now contribute the great bulk of GDP. Trade takes place mostly with the United Kingdom. The Isle of Man has access to European Union markets.
Since 1999, the Isle of Man has received electricity through the world's longest submarine AC cable, the 90 kV Isle of Man to England Interconnector, as well as from a natural gas power station in Douglas, an oil power station in Peel and a small hydro-electric power station in Sulby Glen.
The Manx government has also been promoting island locations for making films by contributing to the production costs. Among the most successful was Waking Ned Devine where the Manx countryside stood in for rural Ireland.
The Isle of Man became a Viking outpost/kingdom from circa AD 700 to AD 900. The Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles was created by Godred Crovan in 1079. Norway's King Magnus VI ceded the isles to Scotland in 1266, as dictated in the Treaty of Perth. The Isle of Man came under English control in the 14th century and to the British Crown in 1765.
The Island arguably has the oldest continuous parliament in the world, the Tynwald, nominally founded in 979 AD (both the Icelandic parliament and the Faroese parliament are older, but they were abolished between 1800 - 1845, and 1816 - 1852 respectively). The annual ceremonial meeting at Tynwald Hill, on Tynwald Day in July, continues the celebration of the Island's national day. The main purpose of the occasion is to read the titles and to give a brief description of the new laws which have been enacted by the Tynwald Court during the previous year.
For centuries, the Island's symbol has been the ancient Triskelion: three bent legs, each with a spur, joined at the thigh. The Triskelion does not appear to have an official definition — Government publications, currency, flags, the tourist authority and others all use different variants. Most, but not all, preserve rotational symmetry. Some run clockwise, others anticlockwise. Some have the uppermost thigh at 12:00, others at 11:30 or 10:00, etc. Some have the knee bent at 90°, some at 60°, some at closer to 120°. Also the degree of ornamentation of the leg wear and spur vary considerably.
The three legs relate directly to the island's motto — Quocunque Jeceris Stabit, which translates to Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand. Interpretations of the motto often stress stability and robustness in the Manx character. Many schools on the island have adapted the motto to promote perseverance and hard work.
Variations on the Triskelion are still in use on the coats of arms belonging to the different branches of the ancient Norwegian noble family that ruled Mann up until the 13th century. This particular version belongs to the Skancke branch of the Skanke family. The name stems from skank, the Norwegian version of the word shank. The Norse royal family of Man stayed on the island for some years after the death of Magnus III and the beginning of Scottish rule. The family's emigration only came after the a final attempt on the Manx' part at restoring the old Sudreyar dynasty in the 1275 uprising against the Scots. This revolt failed disastrously, ending in the deaths of hundreds of rebels, including the last Norse King of Man, Godred Magnusson when the Manx suffered defeat in the decisive Battle of Ronaldsway, near Castletown. When the Norse-Manx royals arrived in Norway they took service as nobles of the Norwegian king, quickly becoming knights, landlords, and clergy under the Norwegian Crown.
The Isle of Man shall host the IV Commonwealth Youth Games in 2011.
The Island started the Island Games in 1985 and hosted them once again in 2001.
There are a number of Rugby Union clubs that participate in the English rugby scene, such as Douglas R.U.F.C.; Castletown R.U.F.C.; Southern Nomads R.U.F.C.; and Vagabonds R.U.F.C.. It would be possible to enter an Isle of Man Sevens rugby team in the Commonwealth Games.
Cammag is similar to the Scottish game of shinty, and Irish hurling. It used to be the most widespread sport on the Isle of Man, but it ceased to be played after the introduction of football, until very recently when it has been somewhat revived. It involves a stick (cammag) and a ball (crick) with anything between four and hundreds of players. Sometimes whole towns and villages took part, or even played each other. The cammag can be any stick with a bent end, and the crick can be made from cork or wood. Old accounts tell us that it was occasionally covered in a rag to make it less painful to hit. Cammag season started on Hunt the Wren Day (26th December) and was only played by men (of all ages) during the winter.
Realistically, it ceased to be played around 1900. However, in modern times, an annual match of cammag is played in St. John's (Balley Keill Eoin). As there are no rules to cammag, a trip to the local inn is advised to ease any feelings of cowardice beforehand!
Monarch Assurance international chess tournament is held in Port Erin every September-October.
The Isle of Man Cricket Association broke their affiliation with the Lancashire Cricket Board in 2004 to become affiliate members of the International Cricket Council and compete as a national team in their own right.
Mark Cavendish won the Madison, Track cycling, event at the Los Angeles World Championships in 2005, and won the Commonwealth Games, Gold Medal, in the 2006, 80 lap Scratch race on the track in Melbourne.
He currently rides for small German team Team Sparkasse, as one of the most promising talents in British cycling.
Football is also popular, with the Isle of Man Football Association running a football league of 27 clubs in two divisions, as well as a football combination for the reserve teams of the league clubs. There is also a national football team, although it does not participate in UEFA or FIFA tournaments.
The Isle of Man hosts very successful Men's and Women's gymnastics teams, which consist of gymnasts solely from Manx Gymnastics. Recent accomplishments include 2001, 2003 and 2005 Island Games, the latest of which the gymnastics team came away with 29 medals, including 15 golds out of the total of 34 that the Isle of Man team won. Manx Gymnastics sent a number of gymnasts to the 2004 Junior Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and plan to send more to the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
There are many Manx hockey teams, with mixed, mens and ladies leagues.
The Isle of Man is famous for its TT Motorbike racing event, which began in 1904 as a motorcar race. From 1905, the TT was held as a closed roads motorcycle racing event and the original course was extended in the 1920s. This is now a series of annual motorcycle road races over 37.25 miles held from late May to early June. TT stands for Tourist Trophy.
The 4.25 mile Billown Course near Castletown has been the scene of further events such as the Southern 100 in May, June and July since 1955.
Further racing takes place on the TT course each August-September in the form of the Manx Grand Prix. The idea of motor cycle racing for amateurs and private entrants on the famous TT course gave rise to the birth of the MGP back in 1921.
Linked to all this motor cycle racing are the Supporters Clubs, Riders Assns and, of course, the TT Marshals Association and the MGP Marshals Association as, without marshals, no racing would be possible.
Despite the wet and cool climate, the low income tax regime and zero tax on personal investments attract a small number of famous people to live on the island. The British racing driver Nigel Mansell lived on the Isle of Man together with his family until moving to the USA. Sir Norman Wisdom, comedian and actor, is a long term resident. The Bee Gees were born on the Island. Jeremy Clarkson has a home at Langness, near Castletown. Rick Wakeman has lived on the island for a number of years. John Rhys-Davies is also from Mann. The journalist, author, and screenwriter George MacDonald Fraser resides on the Isle of Man; the title of his memoir "The Light's on at Signpost" is a reference to the Isle of Man TT race.
