Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language.
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Location:
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Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
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Geographic coordinates:
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54 15 N, 4 30 W
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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160 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
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Climate:
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temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time
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Terrain:
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hills in north and south bisected by central valley
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m
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Natural resources:
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none
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Land use:
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arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution
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Geography - note:
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one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary
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Population:
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74,655 (July 2004 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 17.4% (male 6,669; female 6,357)
15-64 years: 65.4% (male 24,527; female 24,302)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,128; female 7,672) (2004 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 39.3 years
male: 38 years
female: 40.8 years (2004 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.53% (2004 est.)
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Birth rate:
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11.28 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate:
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11.35 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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5.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 6.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.16 years
male: 74.8 years
female: 81.7 years (2004 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx
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Ethnic groups:
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Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton
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Religions:
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Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
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Languages:
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English, Manx Gaelic
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man
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Dependency status:
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British crown dependency
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy
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Capital:
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Douglas
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Administrative divisions:
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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
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Independence:
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none (British crown dependency)
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National holiday:
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Tynwald Day, 5 July
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Constitution:
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unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
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Legal system:
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English common law and Manx statute
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Ian MACFADYEN (since 26 October 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004)
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 2004 (next to be held NA December 2010)
election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004
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Legislative branch:
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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
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Judicial branch:
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High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Man Labor Party [leader NA]; Alliance for Progressive Government [leader NA]; Man Nationalist Party [leader NA]
note: most members sit as independents
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none
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International organization participation:
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UPU
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (British crown dependency)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (British crown dependency)
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. 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. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $1.6 billion (2001 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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13.5%
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $21,000 (2001 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.6% (March 2003 est.)
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Labor force:
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36,610 (1998)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10%
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Unemployment rate:
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0.7% (March 2003)
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Budget:
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revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY00/01 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
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Industries:
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financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.2% (FY96/97)
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Exports:
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NA
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Exports - commodities:
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tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
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Exports - partners:
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UK (2000)
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Imports:
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NA
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Imports - commodities:
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timber, fertilizers, fish
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Imports - partners:
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UK (2000)
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Debt - external:
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NA
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA
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Currency:
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British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound
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Currency code:
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GBP
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Exchange rates:
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Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6125 (2003), 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Railways:
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total: 61 km (35 km electrified) (2003)
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Highways:
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total: 800 km
paved: 800 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
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Ports and harbors:
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Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey
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Merchant marine:
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total: 226 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,055,436 GRT/9,972,459 DWT
by type: bulk 25, cargo 40, chemical tanker 25, combination bulk 2, container 19, liquefied gas 31, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 59, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 17, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: Australia 3, Cyprus 4, Denmark 30, Estonia 3, France 1, Germany 57, Greece 8, Hong Kong 11, Iceland 1, Italy 6, Monaco 4, Netherlands 2, New Zealand 1, Norway 10, Singapore 2, Sweden 3, United Kingdom 80, United States 1
registered in other countries: 9 (2004 est.)
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Airports:
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1 (2003 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of the UK
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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