conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Dependency status:
British crown dependency
Government type:
NA
Capital:
St. 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 St. Peter Port, St. Sampson, Vale, Castel, St. Saviour, St. Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, St. Martin, St. 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 G. CAREY (since NA)
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
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.)
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 rates:
Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6944 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound