Map of Isle of Man
Isle of Man is a country in Europe with its capital at Douglas, home to about 84,118 people across 572 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 2 ports recorded for Isle of Man in YearMaps.
- Population
- 84,118
- Area
- 572 km²
- Capital
- Douglas
- Continent
- Europe
Interactive Map of Isle of Man
Centred on Douglas at 54.1504° N, 4.4800° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Isle of Man
The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin [ˈmanɪnʲ], also Ellan Vannin [ˈɛlʲan ˈvanɪnʲ]), also known simply as Man or Mann ( man), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man's military defence and represents it abroad, but the Isle of Man still has a separate international identity.
Humans have lived on the island since before 6500 BC. There was Gaelic cultural influence and settlement by the 5th century AD, and the Manx language emerged as a branch of the Goidelic languages. Irish missionaries following the teaching of Saint Patrick spread Christianity on Man. In 627, King Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man. In the 9th century, Norsemen founded the Kingdom of the Isles, which included Man and the Hebrides. For most of this period, Man was ruled by the Crovan dynasty and the island was a dependency of Norway. Norwegian King Magnus III reigned as King of Mann and the Isles between 1099 and 1103.
In 1266, Magnus VI of Norway sold his suzerainty over Man to Alexander III of Scotland in the Treaty of Perth. After a period of alternating rule by the Kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal lordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship revested in the British Crown in 1765, but the island did not become part of the 18th-century Kingdom of Great Britain, nor of its successors, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the present-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It has always retained its internal self-government. In 1881, the Isle of Man Parliament, Tynwald, became the first national legislative body in the world to give women the right to vote in a general election, although this excluded married women.
The Manx economy is bolstered by its status as a low tax and offshore banking destination. Insurance and online gambling each generate 17% of the GNI, followed by information and communications technology and banking with 9% each. This status has, however, also brought the problems of money laundering, financial crime, and the financing of terrorism. The Isle of Man is also known for the TT (Tourist Trophy) Motorcycle Races, and the Manx cat, a breed with short or no tails. In 2016, UNESCO awarded the Isle of Man biosphere reserve status.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Isle of Man (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Isle of Man
The Isle of Man was part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century, when it was ceded to Scotland. The isle came under English lordship in the 14th century before being purchased by the British Government in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. The Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency, which makes it a self-governing possession of the British Crown that is not part of the UK. The UK Government, however, remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.
- Location
- Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland.
- Climate
- Temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about a third of the time.
- Terrain
- Hills in north and south bisected by central valley.
- Highest point
- Snaefell 621 m.
- Lowest point
- Irish Sea 0 m.
- Coastline
- 160 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 0 km.
- Natural resources
- None.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 69.1% (2023 est.); arable land: 41.1% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.); permanent pasture: 28% (2023 est.); forest: 6.4% (2023 est.); other: 24.5% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Occasional high winds and rough seas.
- Geographic note
- One small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary.
- Languages
- English, Manx Gaelic (about 2% of the population has some knowledge)
- Religions
- Christian 54.7%, Muslim 0.5%, Buddhist 0.5%, Hindu 0.4%, Jewish 0.2%, none 43.8% (2021 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- White 94.7%, Asian 3.1%, Mixed 1%, Black 0.6%, other 0.4% (2021 est.)
- Economy
- High-income British island economy; known financial services and tourism industries; taxation incentives for technology and financial firms to operate; historic fishing and agriculture industries are declining; major online gambling and film industry locale.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Isle of Man in Numbers
- Population
- 84,118
- GDP
- US$7.6 billion
- GDP per person
- US$90,015
- Life expectancy
- 81.1 years
- Population growth
- -0.05% a year
- Population density
- 147 per km²
- Urban population
- 52.1%
- Surface area
- 572 km²
- Forest cover
- 6.4%
- Arable land
- 40.5%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Isle of Man in Depth
History
In the later part of the Mesolithic Period c.8000 BC, the Isle of Man was cut off from the surrounding islands as sea levels rose following the end of the last ice age. Humans colonised it by travelling by sea some time before 6500 BC. The first occupants were hunter-gatherers and fishermen. Examples of their tools are kept at the Manx Museum.
The Neolithic Period marked the beginning of farming, and the people began to build megalithic monuments, such as Cashtal yn Ard, King Orry's Grave and Mull Hill. There was also the local Ronaldsway culture, unique to the Isle of Man, and the Bann culture.
During the Bronze Age, burial mounds became smaller. The people put bodies into stone-lined graves with ornamental containers.
Geography
The Isle of Man is an island located in the middle of the northern Irish Sea, almost equidistant from England to the east, Northern Ireland to the west and Scotland (closest) to the north, while Wales to the south is almost the distance of the Republic of Ireland to the southwest. It is 52 kilometres (32 mi) long and, at its widest point, 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide. It has an area of around 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi). Besides the island of Man itself, the political unit of the Isle of Man includes some nearby small islands: the seasonally inhabited Calf of Man, Chicken Rock (on which stands an unstaffed lighthouse), St Patrick's Isle and St Michael's Isle. The last two of these are connected to the main island by permanent roads/causeways.
Economy
The Isle of Man has no capital gains tax, wealth tax, stamp duty, or inheritance tax and a top rate of income tax of 22% (as of April 2024). A tax cap is in force: the maximum amount of tax payable by an individual is £200,000 or £400,000 for couples choosing to have their incomes jointly assessed. Personal income is assessed and taxed on a worldwide income basis rather than a remittance basis. This means that all income earned throughout the world is assessable for Manx tax rather than only income earned in or brought into the island. The standard rate of corporation tax for residents and non-residents is 0%.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Isle of Man (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Isle of Man: Key Facts
| Currency | Manx pound |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, Manx |
| Head of state | Charles III |
| Head of government | Alfred Cannan |
| Calling code | +44 |
| Internet domain | .im |
| Highest point | Snaefell |
| Established | 10 May 1765 |
Facts from Wikidata Q9676 (CC0).
Visiting Isle of Man
The Isle of Man (Manx: Ellan Vannin) is an island in the British Isles, sitting in the Irish Sea midway between Cumbria in England and County Down in Northern Ireland. It's not part of the United Kingdom but is a Crown Dependency: its own elected parliament, the Tynwald, governs island affairs, but matters such as defence and foreign affairs are governed by the UK. In 2021 its population was 84,000.
The Isle of Man has a large summer tourist industry. Its big attraction is the TT motorbike races held in May and June.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Isle of Man (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Isle of Man
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Douglas | 35,854 | — | Admin-0 region capital |
Highest Mountains in Isle of Man
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snaefell | 621 m | 2,037 ft | Europe |
Snaefell
Mountain · 621 m
Snaefell is a mountain rising to 621 metres (2,037 ft) in Isle of Man, in the Europe region. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Snaefell (Old Norse: snjœ-fjall/snjó-fall, "snow mountain"; Manx: Sniaull) is the highest mountain and the only summit above 2,000 feet (610 m) on the Isle of Man, at 2,037 feet (620.9 m) above sea level. The summit is crowned by a railway station, cafe, and several communications masts, and can be reached by narrow gauge railway.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Snaefell (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 621 m (2,037 ft)
- Global rank
- #603 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Europe (#71)
- Subregion
- British Isles
- Country
- Isle of Man
- Coordinates
- 54.2601°, -4.4600°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Snaefell ranks #603 by elevation, below Tanekas (641 m) and above Black Mt (568 m).
- Ranges:
- Cambrian Mountains (Europe), Grampian Mountains (Europe)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Snowdon (1,085 m), Ben Nevis (1,343 m), Carrauntoohil (1,038 m)
More about Snaefell
Snaefell: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 621 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q147557 (CC0).
Ports in Isle of Man
2 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
Largest Islands of Isle of Man
1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | British Isles | 543,325 km² | Island group |
British Isles
Island group · 543,325 km²
British Isles is an island group in Europe (British Isles), covering an estimated 543,325 km². It extends across the United Kingdom, Ireland and Isle of Man. It is the 18th-largest of the 445 islands with a mapped extent in YearMaps.
The British Isles, also called "these islands" in diplomatic settings, are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland), and over six thousand smaller islands. They have a total area of 315,159 km2 (121,684 sq mi) and a combined population of almost 75 million, and include two sovereign states, the Republic of Ireland (which covers roughly five-sixths of Ireland) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Channel Islands, off the north coast of France, are normally taken to be part of the British Isles, even though geographically they do not form part of the archipelago. Under the UK Interpretation Act 1978, the Channel Islands are clarified as forming part of the British Islands, not to be confused with the British Isles.
The oldest rocks are 2.7 billion years old and are found in Ireland, Wales and the north-west of Scotland. During the Silurian period, the north-western regions collided with the south-east, which had been part of a separate continental landmass.
Adapted from Wikipedia: British Isles (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Island group
- Mapped extent
- 543,325 km²
- Size rank
- #18 of 445 islands
- Region
- Europe
- Subregion
- British Isles
- Countries
- United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man
- Coordinates
- 54.0510°, -4.2765°
- Summits:
- Snaefell (621 m)
- Ranges:
- Cambrian Mountains (Europe), Grampian Mountains (Europe)
- Settlements:
- Douglas (14 km)
More about British Isles
Geography
The British Isles lie at the juncture of several regions with past episodes of tectonic mountain building. These orogenic belts form a complex geology that records a huge and varied span of Earth's history. Of particular note was the Caledonian orogeny during the Ordovician and early Silurian periods, when the craton Baltica collided with the terrane Avalonia to form the mountains and hills in northern Britain and Ireland. Baltica formed roughly the north-western half of Ireland and Scotland. Further collisions caused the Variscan orogeny in the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, forming the hills of Munster, south-west England, and southern Wales.
History
2.5 million years ago, the British Isles were repeatedly submerged beneath an ice sheet that extended into the middle of the North Sea, with a larger ice sheet that covered a significant proportion of Scandinavia on the opposite side. Around 1.9 million years ago, these two ice sheets frequently merged, essentially creating a land bridge between Scandinavia and northern Great Britain. Further south was a direct land bridge, now known as Doggerland, which was gradually submerged as sea levels rose. However, the Irish Sea was formed before Doggerland was completely covered in water, with Ireland becoming an island roughly 6,000 years before Great Britain did.
Demographics
England has a generally high population density, with almost 80% of the total population of the islands. Elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland, high density of population is limited to areas around a few large cities. The largest urban area by far is the Greater London Built-up Area with 9 million inhabitants. Other major population centres include the Greater Manchester Built-up Area (2.4 million), West Midlands conurbation (2.4 million) and West Yorkshire Urban Area (1.6 million) in England, Greater Glasgow (1.2 million) in Scotland and Greater Dublin Area (1.9 million) in Ireland.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: British Isles (CC BY-SA 4.0).
British Isles: Key Facts
| Area | 315,160 km² |
|---|---|
| Population | 71,891,524 (2019) |
| Highest point | Ben Nevis |
| Surrounded by | Atlantic Ocean |
Facts from Wikidata Q38272 (CC0).
Visiting British Isles
Great Britain, Ireland and the rest of the British Isles lie just northwest of the European mainland. Together they form one of the most visited regions on Earth, containing some of the world's most recognisable landmarks, historical sites dating back thousands of years, and unique natural environments, world cities, quaint towns, and remote and isolated areas and islands.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Britain and Ireland (CC BY-SA 4.0).
More Maps in Europe
Isle of Man: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Isle of Man?
- The capital of Isle of Man is Douglas.
- What is the population of Isle of Man?
- Isle of Man has a population of about 84,118, the #201 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Isle of Man?
- Isle of Man covers 572 km², ranking #196 by area, with about 147 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Isle of Man in?
- Isle of Man is in Europe.
- What is the largest city in Isle of Man?
- Douglas is the largest city in Isle of Man, with a metropolitan population of about 35,854.
- What is the highest mountain in Isle of Man?
- The highest summit recorded for Isle of Man in YearMaps is Snaefell at 621 m (2,037 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.