Country name: |
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man abbreviation: I.O.M. |
Government type: |
parliamentary democracy |
Capital: |
name: Douglas geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Administrative divisions: |
none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections |
Independence: |
none (British crown dependency) |
National holiday: |
Tynwald Day, 5 July |
Constitution: |
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution |
Legal system: |
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes |
Suffrage: |
16 years of age; universal |
Executive branch: |
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief minister by the Tynwald |
Legislative branch: |
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1, independents 21 |
Judicial branch: |
High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) |
Political parties and leaders: |
Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT] note: most members sit as independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
none |
International organization participation: |
UPU |
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
none (British crown dependency) |
Flag description: |
red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used |