Guernsey
British crown dependency
Geography 
Economy 
Defense Forces
People 
Transportation 
Government
Communications 
History 
Travel
GEOGRAPHY
Location
Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France
Area
- Total area: 194 sq km
- Land area: 194 sq km
- Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Note: Includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands
Land Boundaries
0 km
Coastline
50 km
Maritime Claims
- Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
- Territorial sea: 3 nm
International Disputes
None
Climate
Temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast
Terrain
Mostly level with low hills in southwest
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m
Natural Resources
Land Use
- Arable land: NA
- Permanent crops: NA
- Meadows and pastures: NA
- Forest and woodland: NA
- Other: NA
Irrigated Land
NA
Environment
- Current issues: NA
- Natural hazards: NA
- International agreements: NA
Note: Large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port
PEOPLE
Population
62,920 (July 1996 est.)
64,353 (July 1995 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 Years
18% (male 5,592; female 5,439) (July 1996 est.)
18% (male 5,892; female 5,664) (July 1995 est.)
15-64 Years
67% (male 20,636; female 21,472) (July 1996 est.)
66% (male 21,030; female 21,574) (July 1995 est.)
65 Years and Over
15% (male 3,925; female 5,856) (July 1996 est.)
16% (male 4,134; female 6,059) (July 1995 est.)
Population Growth Rate
1.28% (1996 est.)
0.98% (1995 est.)
Birth Rate
13.06 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
13.29 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death Rate
9.73 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
9.93 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net Migration Rate
9.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.67 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.92 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
9.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Total population: 78.22 years (1996 est.), 78.34 years (1995 est.)
- Male: 75.28 years (1996 est.), 75.63 years (1995 est.)
- Female: 81.27 years (1996 est.), 81.07 years (1995 est.)
Total Fertility Rate
1.56 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.7 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality
- Noun: Channel Islander(s)
- Adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic Divisions
- U.K. and Norman-French descent
Religions
Languages
English, French; Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Literacy
NA
Labor Force
NA
GOVERNMENT
Names
- Conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
- Conventional short form: Guernsey
Digraph
GK
Type
British crown dependency
Capital
Saint Peter Port
Administrative Divisions
None (British crown dependency)
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 (since 6 February 1952)
- Head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Vice-Admiral Sir John COWARD (since NA 1994); Bailiff Mr. Graham Martyn DOREY (since February 1992)
- Cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee (other committees); appointed by the States
Legislative Branch
Unicameral
Assembly of the States
Elections last held NA (next to be held NA); results - no percent of vote by party since all are independents; seats - (60 total, 33 elected), all independents
Judicial Branch
Royal Court
Political Parties and Leaders
None; all independents
Member of
None
Diplomatic Representation in U.S.
None (British crown dependency)
U.S. Diplomatic Representation
None (British crown dependency)
Flag
White with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag
ECONOMY
Overview
Financial services account for about 55% of total income. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Bank profits (1992) registered a record 26% growth. Fund management and insurance are the two other major income generators.
National Product
GDP NA
National Product Real Growth Rate
9% (1987)
National Product Per Capita
NA
Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)
7% (1988)
Unemployment Rate
NA
Budget
- Revenues: $238.3 million (1993 est.), $208.9 million (1988)
- Expenditures: $223.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.), $173.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)
Exports
NA
Commodities:
- Tomatoes
- Flowers and ferns
- Sweet peppers
- Eggplant
- Other vegetables
Partners:
- U.K. (regarded as internal trade)
Imports
NA
Commodities:
Partners:
- U.K. (regarded as internal trade)
External Debt
NA
Industrial Production
Growth rate NA
Electricity
- Capacity: 173,000 kW
- Production: 525 million kWh
- Consumption per capita: 9,060 kWh (1992)
Industries
Agriculture
Tomatoes, flowers (mostly grown in greenhouses), sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables, fruit; Guernsey cattle
Economic Aid
None
Currency
1 Guernsey (#G) pound = 100 pence
Exchange Rates
Guernsey pounds (#G) per US$1 - 0.6535 (January 1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal Year
Calendar year
TRANSPORTATION
Railroads
0 km
Highways
- Total: NA
- Paved: NA
- Unpaved: NA
Ports
Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson
Merchant Marine
None
Airports
- Total: 2
- With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
- With paved runways under 914 m: 1
COMMUNICATIONS
Telephone System
41,850 telephones (1983 est.)
- Local: NA
- Intercity: NA
- International: 1 submarine cable
Radio
- Broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
- Radios: NA
Television
- Broadcast stations: 1
- Televisions: NA
DEFENSE FORCES
Note: Defense is the responsibility of the U.K.
History
World Atlas
last updated: 20 november 1997
