| Country name: |
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man |
| Government type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: |
Douglas |
| 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, 1961, does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution |
| Legal system: |
English common law and Manx statute |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: |
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Ian MACFADYEN (since 26 October 2002) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004 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 2004 (next to be held NA December 2010) head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers |
| Legislative branch: |
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member body 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 22 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2006) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19 |
| 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: |
Man Labor Party [leader NA]; Alliance for Progressive Government [leader NA]; Man Nationalist Party [leader NA] 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 |