Crown Dependencies

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British Crown Dependency
)

Crown Dependencies
Dépendances de la Couronne (
Jèrriais
)
Anthem: "God Save the King"
Largest territoryIsle of Man
Official languagesEnglish
Government
Charles III
Area
• Total
768 km2 (297 sq mi)
Population
• 2021 Census estimate
252,719 (exc. Sark)
Currency
UTC±00:00 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)
UTC+01:00 (BST)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideleft
Calling code+44

The Crown Dependencies[c] are three offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, both located in the English Channel and together known as the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.

They are not parts of the United Kingdom (UK) nor are they British Overseas Territories.[1][2] They have the status of "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible", rather than sovereign states.[3] As a result, they are not member states of the Commonwealth of Nations.[4] However, they do have relationships with the Commonwealth and other international organizations, and are members of the British–Irish Council. They have their own teams in the Commonwealth Games.

Each island's political development has been largely independent from, though often parallel with, that of the UK,[5] and they are akin to "miniature states with wide powers of self-government".[6]

As the Crown Dependencies are not sovereign states, the power to pass legislation affecting the islands ultimately rests with the

lieutenant-governor or, in the case of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Lieutenant-Governor).[7] In Jersey and the Isle of Man, the head of government is called the chief minister. In Guernsey, the head representative of the committee-based government is the President of the Policy and Resources Committee
.

Terminology

The term 'Crown Dependencies' has been disputed by Gavin St Pier, former Chief Minister of Guernsey. He argues that the term was an administrative invention of Whitehall, which incorrectly implies that the Islands are dependent upon the Crown, and advocates instead the use of the term 'Crown Dominion'.[8]

List of Crown Dependencies

Name Location Title of monarch Area Population Island Arms Capital Airport
Bailiwick of
Guernsey
English Channel King in right of the Bailiwick[9][d] 78 km2 (30 sq mi) 67,334[12]
Alderney
Saint Anne Alderney Airport

Guernsey
Saint Peter Port[e] Guernsey Airport

Herm
(none) (none)

Sark
La Seigneurie (de facto;
Sark does not have a capital city)
(none)
Bailiwick
of Jersey
English Channel King in right of Jersey[13][f][d] 118.2 km2 (46 sq mi) 107,800[15]
Jersey
Saint Helier
Jersey Airport
Isle of Man Irish Sea Lord of Mann 572 km2 (221 sq mi) 83,314[16]
Isle of Man
Douglas Isle of Man Airport
(Ronaldsway Airport)

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands located in the English Channel

Since 1290,[17] the Channel Islands have been governed as:

Each Bailiwick is a Crown dependency and each is headed by a Bailiff, with a Lieutenant Governor representing the Crown in each Bailiwick. Each Bailiwick has its own legal and healthcare systems and its own separate immigration policy, with "local status" in one Bailiwick having no validity in the other. The two Bailiwicks exercise bilateral double taxation treaties. Since 1961, the Bailiwicks have had separate courts of appeal, but generally, the Bailiff of each Bailiwick has been appointed to serve on the panel of appellate judges for the other Bailiwick.

Bailiwick of Guernsey

The Bailiwick of Guernsey comprises three separate jurisdictions:

  • Alderney, including smaller surrounding uninhabited islands.
  • Guernsey, which also includes the nearby islands of Herm, Jethou, Lihou, and other smaller uninhabited islands.
  • Sark, which also includes the nearby island of Brecqhou, and other smaller uninhabited islands.
Brecqhou island

The parliament of Guernsey is the

independents.[18]

Bailiwick of Jersey