(British crown dependency)
Location: Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 49 28 N, 2 35 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 194 sq km
land: 194 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 50 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone : 12 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast
Terrain: mostly level with low hills in southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m
Natural resources: cropland
Land use:
arable land : NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures : NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography - note: large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port
Population: 64,587 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 5,250; female 5,101)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 21,356; female 21,728)
65 years and over : 17.3% (male 4,622; female 6,530) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate:0.37% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 9.69 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.9 years
male: 76.91 years
female: 83.01 years (2002 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent
Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist
Languages: English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Literacy: NA
Country name:
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Data code: GK
Dependency status: British crown dependency
Government type: NA
National capital: Saint Peter Port
Administrative divisions:none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including St. Peter Port, St. Sampson, Vale, Castel, St. Saviour, St. Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, St. Martin, St. Andrew
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY (since NA)
cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee (other committees) appointed by the Assembly of the States
elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; lieutenant governor appointed by the queen; bailiff appointed by the queen
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 people's deputies elected by popular vote, 2 representatives from Alderney, Her Majesty's Procureur (Attorney General), Her Majesty's Comptroller (Solicitor General) and Her Majesty's Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Judicial branch: Royal Court
Political parties and leaders: none; all independents
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown dependency)
Flag description: white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag
Economy - overview: Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: $20,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry:10%
services:87% (2000)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 3.99% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 31,322 (2000)
Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: tourism, banking
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: NA kW
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables, fruit; Guernsey cattle
Exports: $NA
commodities: tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables
partners: UK (regarded as internal trade)
Imports: $NA
commodities: coal, gasoline, and oil
partners: UK (regarded as internal trade)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid: none
Currency: 1 Guernsey (£G) pound = 100 pence
Exchange rates: Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6944 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones: 44,000 (1996)
Telephone system:
domestic : NA
international: 1 submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: NA
Railways: 5 km
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways:
total : 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Disputes - international: none
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