I keep mentioning the Isle of Man....Ellan Vannin in Manx Gaelic.....and various place names , so for those who are not too sure where it is, what it is and how big it is , here goes. Briefly, it is an island, approx. 30 x 10 miles in size , very mountainous and the geographic centre of the British Isles and plumb in the middle of the Irish Sea . It is a self governing , Crown dependency with its own language, currency and laws and is not part of the UK. It has the longest , continuously running Parliament in the world, originally set up by the Vikings when they invaded the Island and settled here 1000 years ago.
The present population of approx. 80,000 [ about half Manx born and the remainder made up from an influx of new residents over the years ] seems large but as the Island has to raise every penny it spends, this is understandable.. Income tax is comparatively low with a free Health Service for all, this being paid for by a small deduction from wage earners during their working life. Though tourism was a main source of income for years , this has lessened in recent times and now the Island is an Off Shore Financial Centre which generates about 30% of the Islands total income .
I could go on all day about the Island's history, folklore , haunted castles, it's many myths and stories but I think this is enough for the time being . Maybe another time !
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