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Geography of the Isle of Man

Coordinates: 54°15′N 4°30′W / 54.250°N 4.500°W / 54.250; -4.500
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Isle of Man
Isle of Man is located in British Isles
Isle of Man
Isle of Man
Geography
LocationWestern Europe
Coordinates54°15′N 4°30′W / 54.250°N 4.500°W / 54.250; -4.500
ArchipelagoBritish Isles
Adjacent toIrish Sea
Area572 km2 (221 sq mi)
Coastline160 km (99 mi)
Highest elevation621 m (2037 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population79,805
Pop. density139.52/km2 (361.36/sq mi)

The Isle of Man is an island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland in Western Europe, with a population of almost 85,000. It is a British Crown dependency. It has a small islet, the Calf of Man, to its south. It is located at 54°15′N 4°30′W / 54.250°N 4.500°W / 54.250; -4.500.

Dimensions

Satellite image

Area:
total: 572 km2 (221 sq mi)
land: 572 km2 (221 sq mi)
water: 0 km2 (0 sq mi)

This makes it:

Coast and Territorial Sea

The Isle of Man has a coastline of 160 km (99 mi), and a territorial sea extending to a maximum of 12 nm from the coast, or the midpoint between other countries. The total territorial sea area is approximately 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) square, or 87% of the total jurisdiction of the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man only holds exclusive fishing rights in the first 3 nm. The territorial sea is managed by the Isle of Man Government Department of Infrastructure.

Raad ny Foillan long distance footpath runs 153 km (95 mi) miles around the Manx coast.

Climate

The Isle of Man enjoys a temperate climate, with cool summers and mild winters. Average rainfall is high compared to the majority of the British Isles, due to its location to the western side of Great Britain and sufficient distance from Ireland for moisture to be accumulated by the prevailing south-westerly winds. Average rainfall is highest at Snaefell, where it is around 1,900 mm (74.8 in) a year. At lower levels it can fall to around 800 mm (31.5 in) a year.

Temperatures remain fairly cool, with the recorded maximum being 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) at Ronaldsway.

Terrain

Main article: Hills and mountains of the Isle of Man
Some of the island's mountainous terrain as viewed from Snaefell, the island's highest peak.

The island's terrain is varied. There are two mountainous areas divided by a central valley which runs between Douglas and Peel. The highest point in the Isle of Man, Snaefell, is in the northern area and reaches 620 metres (2,034 ft) above sea level. The northern end of the island is a flat plain, consisting of glacial tills and marine sediments. To the south the island is more hilly, with distinct valleys. There is no land below sea level.

Land use

  • Arable land: 43.86%
  • Permanent crops: 0%
  • Other: 56.14% (includes permanent pastures, forests, mountain and heathland) (2011)

Natural hazards and environmental issues

There are few severe natural hazards, the most common being high winds, rough seas and dense fog. In recent years there has been a marked increase in the frequency of high winds, heavy rains, summer droughts and flooding both from heavy rain and from high seas. Snow fall has decreased significantly over the past century while temperatures are increasing year round with rainfall decreasing.

Air pollution, marine pollution and waste disposal are issues in the Isle of Man.

Global warming and a sea level rise potentially pose a great threat to the Isle of Man. All of the Island's towns are at threat from rising sea levels while the Northern Plain, a large, flat and low-lying plain composed of soft marine sediments and glacial material, which makes up about a quarter of the Island's landmass, is in danger of being lost to the sea over the next two centuries. The same is true for the considerably smaller Southern Plain surrounding the settlements of Castletown and Ballasalla and including Ronaldsway Airport[1].

Protected sites for nature conservation

In order of importance, international first, non-statutory last.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves

  • The entire territory of the Isle of Man, including all land, sea, freshwater, airspace and seabed is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Ramsar sites

A view up a glen with Snaefell at the head
  • Ballaugh Curraghs (2006, 183.86 ha (454.33 acres)). Shares an identical boundary to the Ballaugh Curraghs ASSI.

National nature reserves

Areas of Special Scientific Importance

There are 21 ASSIs on the Isle of Man as of 01/09/16. One additional ASSI has been rescinded (Ramsey Harbour).

Marine nature reserves

A marine nature reserve was designated in Ramsey Bay in Oct 2011.[1] [2]

Areas of Special Protection

Bird sanctuaries

Nature reserves and wildlife sites

The Isle of Man now has forty-five non-statutory wildlife sites as of 30 January 2009, covering approximately 195ha of land and an additional 10.5 km (6.5 mi) of inter-tidal coast. The Manx Wildlife Trust also manage twenty four nature reserves, along with the Calf of Man as of September 2016:

Marine no-take zones

See also: Environment of the Isle of Man

Geology

The larger part of the island is formed from highly faulted and folded sedimentary rocks of Ordovician age. There is a belt of younger Silurian rocks along the west coast between Niarbyl and St Patrick's Isle and a small area of Devonian sandstones around Peel. A band of Carboniferous age rocks underlies part of the northern plain but is nowhere seen at the surface however similar age rocks do outcrop in the south between Castletown, Silverdale and Port St Mary. Permo-Triassic age rocks are known to lie beneath Point of Ayre but, as with the rest of the northern plain, these rocks are concealed by substantial thicknesses of superficial deposits.[4]

The island has significant deposits of copper, lead and silver, zinc, iron, and plumbago (a mix of graphite and clay).[5] There are also quarries of black marble, limestone flags, clay schist, and granite.[6] These are all modern, and there was no noticeable exploitation of metals or minerals prior to the modern era.

Demographics

The island has a census-estimated population of 84,497 according to the most recent 2011 census: up from 79,805 in 2006 and 76,315 in 2001.

The island's largest town and administrative centre is Douglas, whose population is 23,000 — nearly a third of the population of the island. Neighbouring Onchan, Ramsey in the north, Peel in the west and the three southern ports of Castletown, Port Erin and Port St Mary are the island's other main settlements. Almost all its population lives on or very near the coast.

See also

Citations

  1. ^ Official notification,
  2. ^ Satutory instrument.
  3. ^ L.G. Murray, H. Hinz and M.J. Kaiser, University of Wales, Bangor, Marine Fisheries Research Report to DAFF 2007/2008 p.12
  4. ^ British Geological Survey 1:50,000 scale Special map sheet Isle of Man BGS 2001
  5. ^ Cumming 1861:27–28 Mines
  6. ^ Cumming 1861:28 Quarries

References

  • Cumming, Joseph George (1861), A Guide to the Isle of Man, London: Edward Stanford
  • Isle of Man Government
  • http://www.gov.im/dlge/enviro/climatechange.xml
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