General information: According to Itypeusa, Guernsey and other islands in the English Channel were the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy, which played a large role in the history of France and England. The islands were the only British territory occupied by German troops during World War II. Geography
Geography
Location: Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France.
Geographical coordinates: 49° 28′ N. latitude, 2° 35′ W
Reference map: Europe.
Area: total: 194 sq. km.; land surface area: 194 km2; water surface area: 0 km2; note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Germs, Sark and several other smaller islands.
Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 50 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing rights zone: 12 nautical miles; territorial waters: 3 nautical miles.
Climate: temperate with mild winters and cool summers; Cloudy on about half of the days of the year.
Terrain: mostly flat with low hills in the southwest.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m; highest point: unnamed point on Sark Island 114 m.
Natural resources: arable land.
Land use: arable land: no data; cultivated land: no data; pastures: no data; forests and plantations: no data; others: no data.
Irrigated land: no data.
Natural hazards: no data available.
Current environmental issues: no data available.
International agreements on environmental protection:
Note to the section “Geography”:
Population
Population: 64,342 (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 16.22% (male 5,285; female 5,151); 15 to 64 years old: 66.67% (male 21,264; female 21,630); over 65: 17.11% (male 4,546; female 6,466) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 0.39% (2000 est.).
Birth rate: 9.9 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 9.87 deaths / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Migration: 3.89 people / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male/female; up to 15 years: 1.03 male/female; 15 to 64 years old: 0.98 male/female; over 65: 0.7 male/female; for the general population: 0.94 male/female (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 5.0 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 79.78 years; men: 76.78 years; women: 82.88 years (2001 est.).
General birth rate: 1.36 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of the adult population infected with HIV: no data available.
Number of people infected with HIV: no data.
Mortality due to AIDS: no data available.
Nationality: noun: Channel Islander; adjective: pertaining to the islands of the English Channel.
Ethnic groups: descended from the inhabitants of Great Britain and northern France.
Believers: Anglicans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, Congregationalists, Methodists.
Languages): English, French, Northern French dialect spoken in rural areas.
Literacy: definition: no data; for the general population: no data available; men: no data; women: no data. State Name:
Politics
The generally accepted long form: the county of Guernsey (Bailiwick of Guernsey);
Common short form: Guernsey. Dependency status: possession of the British Crown.
State structure: no data.
Capital: Saint Peter Port.
Administrative division: none (possession of the British crown); there are no first-order administrative divisions according to the classification adopted by the US government, but there are 10 districts (parish): St. Peter Port, St. Samson, Vail, Castell, St. Savure, St. Pierre-du-Beau, Torteval, Forest, Saint Martin, Saint Andrew.
Independence: none (possession of the British crown).
National holiday: Liberation Day, May 9 (1945).
Constitution: unwritten; partly statuses, partly customary and case law.
Legal system: English law and local laws; justice is administered by the Royal Court.
Suffrage: from 18 years old; universal.
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander Sir John FOLEY (since 2000), Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY (from when – no data);
Government: advisory and financial committee appointed by the Assembly of the States; elections: no; hereditary monarchy; the governor is appointed by the monarch; the bailiff is appointed by the monarch.
Legislature: the unicameral Assembly of Estates consists of the bailiff, 10 representatives of the district councils, 45 people’s deputies elected by popular vote, 2 representatives of Alderney, the attorney general (HM Procureur), the attorney general (HM Comptroller) and the secretary general of the court (HM Greffier); elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held in 2006); election results: percentage of votes: no data; seat distribution: all independents.
Judiciary: Royal Court.
Political parties and leaders: no; All deputies are independent.
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: no.
Diplomatic representation in the United States: none (possession of the British Crown).
U.S. Diplomatic Representation: None (British Crown property).
Flag description: white with a red cross. George (the patron saint of England), which reaches to the edges of the flag, with the yellow equilateral cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the cross of St. George.
Economics
Economic overview: The financial sector – banking, fund management, insurance, etc. – generates approximately 55% of the total income of this tiny island in the English Channel. Tourism, manufacturing and horticulture, mainly tomato and flower growing, are in decline. Low taxes, including on inheritance, make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The growing economic integration of the EU countries is changing the rules of the game by which the Guernsey offshore economic system operates.
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity $1.3 billion (1999 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: 5.7% (1999 est.).
GDP per capita: Purchasing Power Parity $20,000 (1999 est.)
The composition of GDP by sectors of the economy: agriculture: 3%; industry: 10%; services: 87% (2000 est.).
Proportion of the population below the poverty line: no data available.
Percentage distribution of household income or consumption: for the poorest 10% of households: n/a; by top 10% of households: no data. Consumer price inflation rate: 3.99% (2000 est.).
Inflation rate at consumer prices:
Labor force: 31,322 (2000).
Employment structure:
Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1999 est.).
Budget: revenues: $381.3 million; expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures – NA (1998 est.).
Spheres of economy: tourism, banking.
Growth in industrial production: no data.
Electricity production: no data.
Sources of electricity generation: fossil fuels: no data available; hydropower: no data; nuclear fuel: no data; others: no data.
Electricity consumption: no data.
Export of electricity: no data.
Electricity import: no data.
Agricultural products: tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplants, fruits; Guernsey dairy cattle.
Export: no data.
Exports: tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplants, other vegetables.
Export partners: United Kingdom (considered domestic trade).
Import: no data.
Imports: coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment.
Import partners: United Kingdom (considered domestic trade).
External debt: no data. Recipient of economic assistance: no data.
Economic aid donor:
Currency: British pound (there is also a Guernsey pound).
Currency code: GBP.
Exchange rate: Guernsey pound/USD -0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996) ; note – the Guernsey pound is equal to the English pound.
Fiscal year: calendar year.
Telecommunications
Telecommunications Telephone lines: 44,000 (1996).
Mobile cell phones: 12,000 (1997).
Telephone system: internal: no data; international: 1 submarine cable.
Broadcast stations: AM – 1, FM – 1, shortwave – 0 (1998).
Radio receivers: no data.
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997).
TVs: no data.
Internet country code: gg
Internet service providers: not available.
Number of users: no data.
Transport
Transport Railways: 0 km.
Roads: total: no data; coated: no data; uncoated: no data.
Ports and harbours: St. Peter Port, St. Sampson.
Merchant fleet: none (2000 est.).
Airports: 2 (2000 est.).
Airports with paved runways: total: 2; from 914 to 1523 m:1; less than 914 m: 1 (2000 est.).
Airports with unpaved runways:
