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Isle of Man

Population |
75,000 (2004) |
Area |
227 square miles |
Agriculture and fishing |
Farming dates to 4000 B.C., grains and vegetables |
Animals of the region |
Manx cat (a “rumpy” has no tail at all; a “stumpy” has a vestige of a tail), Lochtan sheep, pigs, poultry, 35-foot long Basking sharks |
Culture |
Manx crosses, the film Waking Ned Devine was filmed on the island |
Capital & major cities |
Douglas, Peel, Castletown, Ramsey, Laxey |
Folklore, legends, crafts |
Tales and lore of ghosts and fairies |
Foods and beverages |
Kippers
Spirits of the Region |
Industry & products, past and present |
Off-shore banking, tourism (especially the annual TT motorcycle race), textiles (tweeds), mining of lead and zinc |
Inventions, discoveries, and notable people |
Barry, Robin, Maurice, and Andy Gibb (musical group The BeeGees) were born on the IOM, John Champion Bradshaw (photographer in the Arts & Crafts Era), Miles Standish (Mayflower), Fletcher Christian (Bounty), and Dan Quayle (former U.S. Vice President) all have direct ties to the IOM |
Musical instruments |
Harp, fiddle, whistle, violin, mandolin, guitar |
Symbols of the region |
The Trinacria (Three Legs of Man) was first officially used in the 14th century. The source of the legs emblem is attributed to a variety of pagan references to the sun, Sicily’s emblem, Medusa, and the swastika |
Tourist sites |
Peel Castle, sunken gardens at Douglas, St. John Arboretum, a variety of Victorian-era steam trains, the “Lady Isabella” waterwheel – the largest in Europe |
Unique qualities |
The Tynwald, IOM’s Parliament, is the world’s oldest parliamentary body, with over 1000 years of unbroken rule; citizens are called Manxmen and Manxwomen; because of the Gulf Stream, Manx Palm trees and wild orchids are not uncommon |
Websites |
www.isleofman.com
www.iomguide.com |
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