About Jersey
Jersey at a glance
Geographical area | 45.5 sq miles / 118 sq km |
Population | 90,800 |
Capital | St Helier |
Main language | English |
Currency | British pound sterling / Jersey currency of same value |
Government | Parliamentary democracy |
Where is Jersey?
Jersey sits in the Bay of St Malo - just 19 miles (or 30.5 km) from the French coast and 85 miles (137 km) south of the English coast. Jersey is the biggest of the Channel Islands.
It is made up of 12 parishes and has a population of 90,800. Jersey is only 5 miles (8 km) long and 9 miles (14.5 km) wide.
What languages are spoken in Jersey?
English is the main language spoken in Jersey. Other languages include Portuguese, Polish and Jèrriais (the Jersey language).
Jersey's Jèrriais language
What kind of climate does Jersey have?
Jersey’s southerly location and sheltered position in the Bay of St Malo mean that we have a generally temperate climate that is often warmer, with more sunshine hours, than you might experience in the other British Isles.
Weather and climate on Jersey Meteorological Department website
Is Jersey part of Great Britain, the United Kingdom or the British Isles?
Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are part of the British Isles. England, Scotland and Wales make up Great Britain, while the United Kingdom includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Jersey is a British Crown Dependency.
Jersey's history
Does Jersey have its own government?
Jersey is self-governing and has it own financial and legal systems and its own courts of law. The States Assembly is made up of 53 elected members.
Jersey is a British Crown Dependency, and is defended and internationally represented by the UK government. Today, the Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey is the personal representative of Her Majesty the Queen here in the Island.
Jersey’s government also issues its own internationally-recognised driving licences and is responsible for its own vehicle registration. Jersey has its own unique number plate sequence - number plates all start with the letter J.
The Island also has its own postal and telecommunications services.
Does Jersey have the same legal system as the UK?
Jersey has a Royal Court, which is equal to the UK's Crown Court for criminal matters, and the UK's High Court for civil matters. It also runs an administrative jurisdiction similar to that in the Divisional Court and receives statutory appeals from executive committees of the States. It exercises a supervisory and an appellate jurisdiction over the Island’s lower criminal and civil courts.
Is Jersey tax free?
Jersey is not tax-free. The public revenues of the Island are raised by income tax, by duties paid on certain goods (3% goods and services tax (GST)) and by other taxes and revenues. However, value added tax (VAT) is not charged in Jersey or the other Channel Islands.
Jersey in figures
Economic data (2008 figures) |
Gross Value Added (GVA): | £4.3 billion |
Gross National Income (GNI): | £4.0 billion |
GNI per head of population: | £44,000 |
States General Funds Income | £660 million |
States Net Revenue expenditure | £522 million |
States Income Tax returns | £499 million |
Principal industries (2008 figures) | % of GVA |
Financial services | 53% |
Public administration | 7% |
Wholesale and retail | 6% |
Construction | 5% |
Tourism | 3% |
Agriculture | 1% |
Other business activities | 7% |
States of Jersey Statistics Unit
The MaceThe Royal Mace is carried before the Bailiff at the sittings of the Royal Court and meetings of the Assembly of the States of Jersey. It was presented by King Charles II to the Bailiff of Jersey on the 28th November 1663 in gratitude for the hospitality he received from the Island on two occasions during his year in exile. The mace is one of the great maces of the seventeenth century. It consists of eleven pieces, made of silver gilt, is 4ft 9.5 inches long, weighs 237 ounces (14lbs. 13 ozs) and bears no hallmarks. Engraved on the foot knop is a Latin inscription, which translated reads: "Not all doth he deem worthy of such a reward Charles II, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, as a proof of his royal affection towards the Isle of Jersey (in which he has been twice received in safety when he was excluded from the remainder of his dominions) has willed that this Royal Mace should be consecrated to posterity and has ordered that hereafter it shall be carried before the Bailiffs, in perpetual remembrance of their fidelity not only to his august father Charles I but to His Majesty during the fury of the civil wars, when the Island was maintained by the illustrious Philip and George de Carteret, Knights, Bailiffs and Governors of the said Island." At the sittings of the Royal Court and meetings of the States, the Mace is placed standing upright in a socket in front of the Bailiff's desk. | 
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