Is the Isle of Man a Country?

• The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown dependency, sometimes known simply as Mann (with two Ns), or Manx.
• Mann has a strongly Viking heritage and became a separate kingdom, along with many of the Scottish islands, was tussled over by Scotland and England over time and was eventually ruled by the English Stanley family for many years, until it passed to the Scottish Duke of Atholl.
• The Isle of Man today is not part of the United Kingdom (and was never part of the EU for that matter). It’s a Crown Dependency, which means that it is technically a possession of the crown directly, it is not a territory of the UK. The UK never conquered the island; the crown bought the title, The Lord of Mann, in 1765 from the Duke of Atholl, (to prevent lost revenue from smuggling). So, the King or Queen is Lord of Mann (never Lady).

• Mann has the oldest continuous parliament in the world, standing since 979 with no break. Since 1990, it has been led by a president. Before this it was presided over by a lieutenant governor, sent from the UK. The parliament is called The Tynwald, which means 'meeting place'. The districts of the island are called sheadings and the original Tynwald Hill is built of soil taken from each of the sheadings.

Facts and Factoids

• The population of Mann, or Manx, is 83,000.
• The flag is the distinctive three legged triskelion, which represents movement. It is based on the Manx coat of arms, which dates back to the thirteenth century.
• The original language, Manx, was a Gaelic language. The last native speaker died in 1974, although there are attempts to revive the language
• The British Pound is used as currency; the island is often utilised as a tax haven –‘offshore investments’.
• The island was used for internment camps, during the Second World War
• Birching, as a punishment was retained here until 1976, the last jurisdiction in Europe to continue to use it.
• The Bee Gees were all born on the Isle of Man. The family owned a house there (used as a recording studio) until very recently
• Jeremy Clarkson owned some lighthouse cottages here for a while - they weren't private enough for him
• The Isle of Man operates as a tax haven - ' one of the world's best regulated offshore finance centres.'
• Much of the island seems rooted in the past, but perhaps these tax incentives are the reason why Mann has developed a leading role in the space industry. Its home to many global satellite companies and is providing optics for Mars missions and high precision parts for the International Space Station. It's even sometimes known as Space Isle.

What to Do on the Isle of Man?

• This is another island firmly rooted in the last century.
• Enjoy going back in time - visit the museum and the living villages
• Sample the many different types of transport-especially the horse drawn carriages
• Take in the the castles and the harbours
• Enjoy the stunning scenery
• You can get round the island in a day if you whizz- like the bikes - the annual TT motorcycle race is one of the most dangerous races in the world.