Isle of Man
The Isle of Man is one of the British Islands in the Irish Sea between Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
The island is mostly hilly. The highest point is the 621 meter high Snaefell, which is reached with the Snaefell Mountain Railway. In the north the island is very flat.Isle of Man has a coastline of 160 kilometers. The longest river is the Sulby. The Calf of Man bird sanctuary lies in front of the southwest tip and separated by Calf Sound. To the north of the island is Sulby Glen, a small valley that stretches to the Irish Sea.
The Isle of Man is known beyond its borders for the Tourist Trophy motorcycle race. The small island, which lives mainly from tourism, is home to numerous museums. With regard to the international highlight, the Tourist Trohy, there are two motorcycle museums here. The Port Erin Railway Museum and the Snaefell Motorcycle Museum.
When visiting the Isle of Man, vacationers should of course visit the island’s numerous attractions. In addition to The Grove House and Gardens, which is in the town of Ramsey, the Ballaharra in Mehire should also be viewed. Of particular interest is the Giants Grave, a Bronze Age grave found on the Isle of Man. You should also take a look at the Mounds of Bride, an interesting burial area that fascinates numerous visitors.
From an archaeological point of view, the rock carvings on the Spiral Stone are very important. There are also some castles on the Isle of Manand smaller castles from medieval times. Also the architecturally impressive St. German’s Cathedral, which was built in the 13th century, should not be missed by tourists on the Isle of Man.
Isle of Man – key data
Land Area: 572 km²
Population: 76,512 (2009 estimate, CIA). Composition: Manx (Nordic-Celtic roots) and British.
Population density: 134 residents per square kilometer
Population growth: 0.524% per year (2009)
Capital: Douglas (25,422 residents, 2005)
Highest point: Snaefell, 621 m
Lowest point: Irish Sea, 0 m
Form of government: The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom and is not part of the EU. The international legal status is that of a Crown Dependency, which means that the island is directly subordinate to the British Crown. On the Isle of Man there is a bicameral parliament (Tynwald), which consists of a lower house (House of Keys, 24 members) and an upper house (Legislative Council, 11 members).
Head of State: British Queen Elizabeth II (since February 6, 1952), represented on the Isle of Man by Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood (since April 7, 2011)
Head of Government: Chief Minister Alan Bell (since October 11, 2011)
Language: The Isle of Man’s population speaks English. The original language, however, is the Celtic language Manx (in its own name Gaelg Vanninagh, in German “Manx-Gaelic”). The last Manx speaker died in 1974 (although this Manx only learned after English, so not a native speaker). However, attempts are being made to revive Manx. In 1991 about 0.8 percent of the population spoke Manx again. Sometimes Manx is also taught in schools.
Religion: predominantly Anglican, next to Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Local time: CET -1 h. The Isle of Man has daylight saving time (CET) between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.
The time difference to Central Europe is -1 hour in both winter and summer.
International phone code: + 44-1624
Internet identifier:.im
Mains voltage: 230 V, 50 Hz
Isle of Man – How to get there
Airplane: there are numerous flight connections toIsle of Man. Aer Arann has flights from Dublin and London.British Airways flies from London Gatwick, Luton and Manchester and British Northwest Airlines from Blackpool. Eastern Airways flies between the Isle of Man and Leeds-Bradford, Bristol and Birmingham, among others. Emerals Airways takes off from Liverpool and Euromanx Airlines from Belfast, Liverpool, and London Manchester. Flybe connects Birmingham to the Isle of Man and Loganair has flights from Glasgow Prestwick.
Airports: Flights to the Isle of Man land at Ronaldsway Airport. The airport is south of Douglas near Castletown. Buses run regularly between the airport and Douglas.
Ship: The Steam Packet Company offers passenger and car ferry services as well as catamaran lines from Liverpool and Heysham to Douglas. From April to September there is a ferry connection to Dublin.
Isle of Man – traveling in the country
Rail: the island’s rail network dates in part from the 19th century and is used by both electric and steam-powered trains. There islinksbetween Douglas, Castletown and Port Erin; and between Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey. The Sneafell Mountain Railway runs between Laxey and the summit of Snaefell.
Car: outside of the city of Douglas there is on theIsle of Manno speed limit. This and the curved roads and sharp curves make driving on the island a real pleasure for many travelers. The most popular route is the Tourist Trophy (TT) route, a motorcycle race held on the island.
Car rental
Car rental companies are located onairport.
Bus: the island has an extensive bus network. Timetables and tickets are available from the Tourist Information Office in Douglas. Travelers can also purchase the Island Explorer there – a day or three-day ticket for all public transport, including the tram to Snaefell and the horse-drawn tram in Douglas.
Bicycle: Bicycles can be borrowed.
Channel Islands – how to get there
Airplane: Jersey and Guernsey are the main stops when traveling to or from the Channel Islands. Air Southwest flies from Jersey to Plymouth and Bristol. Aurigny Air takes passengers from Guernsey to Bristol, London Stansted and Gatwick, Manchester and Dinard. The airline also connects Alderney with Southampton and also offers inter-island flights.
Blue Islands flies to the islands of Bournemouth, Brighton, France and the Isle of Man. bmibaby connects Jersey with Cardiff, East Midland Airport, Edinburgh and Manchester. British Airways flies to Jersey from London Gatwick and Manchester. Flybe offers flights between Jersey and Guernsey and Belfast, Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London and Southampton.
Ship: Condor Ferries operate daily high-speed ferries to and from Poole and Weymouth. There is also a daily service from Portsmouth to Guernsey and Jersey. In addition, the company brings passengers daily from St. Malo in France to Guernsey and from there to Jersey if required.
Some Iles Express also connects the Channel Islands with France and operates, for example, between Guernsey and Alderney and Jersey and Sark.