Government Guernsey
Country name:
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Dependency status:
British crown dependency
Government type:
NA
Capital:
Saint Peter Port
Administrative divisions:
none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale,
Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint
Martin, Saint Andrew
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)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor
appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt.
Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff de Vic Graham CAREY
(since NA 1999)
cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of
the States
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the bailiff, 10
Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 people's deputies
elected by popular vote, 2 representatives from Alderney, Her
Majesty's Procureur (Attorney General), Her Majesty's Comptroller
(Solicitor General) and Her Majesty's Greffier (Court Recorder and
Registrar General); note - Alderney and Sark have their own
parliaments
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Judicial branch:
Royal Court
Political parties and leaders:
none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
none
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Flag description:
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
Economy Guernsey
Economy - overview:
Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. -
account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island
economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes
and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties
make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration
of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which
Guernsey operates.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 10% services: 87% (2000)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.99% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
31,322 (2000)
Unemployment rate:
0.5% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries:
tourism, banking
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% other: 0% nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Agriculture - products:
tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit;
Guernsey cattle
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other
vegetables
Exports - partners:
UK (regarded as internal trade)
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners:
UK (regarded as internal trade)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Currency:
British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound
Currency code:
GBP
Exchange