Isle of Man, Ellan Vannin

The Isle of Man

The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin in Manx), a British Crown Dependency, lies in the Irish Sea almost an equil distance from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
With an area of 572 km² (221 square miles) and a population of around 76,315 (2001 Census) it arguably has the "Oldest Continuous Parliament in the World" (a claim made by several other countries) - the Tynwald - supposedly founded in 979.
Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the island came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language, the native language for the Isle of Man.
English is now the only language spoken on the island. The Isle of Man is a dependency of the British Crown, it is not part of the United Kingdom or a member of the EU.
The island is also famous for the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race, which is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man since 1907. The tailless Manx cat originated on the island.

The Isle of Man - Click to enlargee

Flag Description

The flag of the Isle of Man shows a triskelion, the Three Legs of Man emblem, in the centre of a red flag.
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.
The Three Legs of Man is the island's symbol of Independence.
While there is much local argument about which way the legs run (officially it is clockwise), the symbol's meaning is undisputed:
Quocunque Jeceris Stabit - 'Whichever way you throw me I stand'.

Geography

The mountain Snaefell (621m) dominates the centre of the island: from its summit, according to an old saying, one can see seven kingdoms: the Kingdoms of Man, Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, Heaven and the Sea. The island's terrain is varied. There are two mountainous areas divided by a central valley which runs between Douglas and Peel. The highest point on the island, Snaefell, is in the northern area and reaches 621m. The northern end of the island is a flat plain, consisting of glacial tills and marine sediments. To the south the island is more hilly, with distinct valleys. There is no land below sea level.

Climate

The Isle of Man has a temperate climate. Rainfall on the island can vary quite a lot depending on the location. There is less rainfall in the north of the island along the northern plain and in the south along the southern coast. The rainfall is abundant in the hill interior of the island, especially in the higher points of Snaefell Mountain. The Isle of Man rarely experiences frost or snow.
The summers are cool with clear skies. The winters are mild and wet. The island does not suffer with overcast skies as much as other places in the British Isles. The strong winds which whip through the island keep the clouds moving.

History

The history of the Isle of Man falls naturally into four periods. In the first of these a Celtic people inhabited the island. The next period features the Viking invasions and the establishment of Scandinavian rule. The third period comprises English dominion. Since 1866 the island has had an increasing measure of Home Rule.

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Manx Language

The Manx language is closely related to the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages. By the middle of the twentieth century only a few elderly native speakers remained: the last of them, Ned Maddrell, died on December 27, 1974.
By then a scholarly revival had begun to spread to the populace and many had learned Manx as a second language.
The first native speakers of Manx (bilingual with English) in many years have now appeared: children brought up by Manx-speaking parents.
Primary immersion education in Manx is provided by the Manx government: since 2003, the former St. John's School building has been used by the Bunscoill Gaelgagh (Manx language-medium school).
Degrees in Manx are available from the Isle of Man College, the Centre for Manx Studies and the University of Edinburgh.

The Isle of Man - Ellan Vannin

Manx-language playgroups also exist, and Manx language classes are available in island schools. In the 1991 census, 1,689 out of a population of about 71,000 claimed to have knowledge of Manx, although the degree of knowledge in these cases presumably varied. A well known Manx expression is "Traa Dy Liooar", meaning "time enough" and represents a stereotypical view of the Manx attitude to life.

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Economy

Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are 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 paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. Banking and other services now contribute the great bulk of GDP. Trade is mostly with the United Kingdom. The Isle of Man has access to European Union markets.