Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

 
Central Intelligence Agency
The Work of a Nation. The Center of Intelligence
World Factbook Title
navigation arrows
View Text Low Bandwidth Version Download Publication
Europe :: Guernsey
(British crown dependency)
page last updated on September 12, 2012
Flag of Guernsey
(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)
Location of Guernsey
Click flag or map to enlarge Opens in New Window
 
Map of Guernsey
Click map to enlarge Opens in New Window
No Photos available for Guernsey
 
no photos available of Guernsey
Expand All | collapse All
Introduction ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK or of the European Union. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.
Back to Top
Geography ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
49 28 N, 2 35 W
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
total: 78 sq km
country comparison to the world: 228
land: 78 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
about one-half the size of Washington, DC
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
0 km
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
50 km
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
mostly level with low hills in southwest
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation on Sark 114 m
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
cropland
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port
Back to Top
People ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
British and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Protestant (Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist), Roman Catholic
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
65,345 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
0-14 years: 14.8% (male 5,020/ female 4,657)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 22,222/ female 22,031)
65 years and over: 17.5% (male 5,108/ female 6,307) (2012 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
total: 42.5 years
male: 41.4 years
female: 43.5 years (2012 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
0.41% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
10.04 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
8.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
2.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
urban population: 31% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
total: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 208
male: 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
total population: 82.24 years
country comparison to the world: 7
male: 79.57 years
female: 85.04 years (2012 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
1.54 children born/woman (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
Back to Top
Government ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
British crown dependency
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
parliamentary democracy
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
name: Saint Peter Port
geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes: Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint Saviour, Torteval, Vale
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
none (British crown dependency)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
customary legal system based on Norman customary law, and includes elements of the French Civil Code and English common law
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
16 years of age; universal
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Air Marshall Peter WALKER (since 15 April 2011)
head of government: Chief Minister Peter HARWOOD (since 1 May 2012); Bailiff Richard COLLAS (since 23 March 2012)
cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation
(For more information visit the World Leaders website Opens in New Window)
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch; chief minister elected by States of Deliberation
election results: Lyndon TROTT elected chief minister, percent of vote NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; note - there are also 10 Douzaine representatives - one from each parish, 2 representatives from Alderney and the appointed attorney general and soliciter general); note - Alderney and Sark have parliaments
elections: last held on 23 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
none; all independents
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Stop Traffic Endangering Pedestrian Safety or STEPS; No More Masts [Colin FALLAIZE]
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
UPU
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
none (British crown dependency)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
none (British crown dependency)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross; the red cross represents the old ties with England and the fact that Guernsey is a British Crown dependency; the gold cross is a replica of the one used by Duke William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Guernsey cow; donkey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
name: "Sarnia Cherie" (Guernsey Dear)
lyrics/music: George DEIGHTON/Domencio SANTANGELO
note: adopted 1911; serves as a local anthem; as a British crown dependency, "God Save the Queen" remains official (see United Kingdom)
Back to Top
Economy ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account for about 23% of employment and about 55% of total income in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Financial services, construction, retail, and the public sector have been growing. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates.
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
$2.742 billion (2005)
country comparison to the world: 181
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
$2.742 billion (2005)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
3% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
$44,600 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 13
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
agriculture: 3%
industry: 10%
services: 87% (2000)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
31,470 (March 2006)
country comparison to the world: 205
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
0.9% (March 2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA%
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
revenues: $563.6 million
expenditures: $530.9 million (2005 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
20.6% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 158
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
1.2% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 33
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
3.4% (June 2006)
country comparison to the world: 73
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
tourism, banking
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA%
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
$NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
$NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
$NA
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Guernsey pound
0.6241 (2011)
0.6472 (2010)
0.6175 (2009)
0.5302 (2008)
0.4993 (2007)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
calendar year
Back to Top
Communications ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
45,100 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 165
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
43,800 (2004)
country comparison to the world: 202
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
general assessment: NA
domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 44; 1 submarine cable
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
multiple UK terrestrial TV broadcasts are received via a transmitter in Jersey with relays in Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney; satellite packages are available; BBC Radio Guernsey and 1 other radio station operating (2009)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
.gg
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
224 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 197
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
48,300 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 175
Back to Top
Transportation ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
2 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 200
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2012)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Braye Bay, Saint Peter Port
Back to Top
Military ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
males age 16-49: 12,493
females age 16-49: 12,272 (2010 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
male: 354
female: 342 (2010 est.)
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Back to Top
Transnational Issues ::Guernsey
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
none
Back to Top
Expand All | collapse All
  The online Factbook is updated weekly. ISSN 1553-8133
For additional information on government leaders in selected foreign countries, go to World Leaders.