Best Bitcoin Card for Jersey
Jersey is the largest and, with a population of over 100,000, most populous Channel Island. It lies in the English Channel in the Bay of Saint-Malo, about 150 km off Great Britain and about 25 km off the west coast of the north French peninsula Cotentin. To the other Channel Islands the (air-line) distances are 28 km to Guernsey, 20 km to Sark and 50 km to Alderney. Jersey is the sunniest of the British Isles and has extensive beaches. The capital is Saint Helier.
Jersey, like the other Channel Islands, is neither a part of the United Kingdom nor a crown colony, but a crown dependency under the direct control of the British Crown. The Channel Islands as a whole are therefore separate legal entities and not part of the European Union (EU), but are treated as part of the EU for trade and customs purposes. However, Jersey is not part of the European tax jurisdiction for excise and value added taxes, and therefore imports into the EU from Jersey are subject to customs duty.
The island belongs with the smaller islands Minquiers and Ecréhous to the self-administration Bailiwick of Jersey (in German: Vogtei Jersey, self-designation: States of Jersey). The Bailiwick of Jersey also includes other island and rock groups that are not permanently inhabited today: Above all these are Pierres de Lecq and Les Dirouilles as well as further islands in the south and southeast. Other Channel Islands in the area belong to the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
Economy
Jersey’s gross domestic product in 2013 was approximately £3.7 billion. The financial sector is the island’s most important economic sector, accounting for 42% of gross value added, benefiting mainly from low tax rates for foreign investors and employing about a quarter of Jersey’s workforce. In a ranking of the world’s major financial centres, Jersey ranked 39th. The tourism industry is also economically important; visitor spending on the island amounted to £232m in 2014. Although agriculture accounts for only 1.6% of gross value added, it continues to shape the island’s image (more than half of the island’s area is used for agriculture). The main agricultural activities are the export-oriented cultivation of potatoes and the dairy industry, which is based on its own breed of cattle, the so-called jersey cattle. Floriculture is also important for exports. In the southwest of the island, in the municipality of Saint Brélade, there is a lavender farm which produces a significant proportion of the British demand for lavender oil.
Tourism
Jersey’s economy also depends to a large extent on tourism. Airplanes from London and other European cities land at the airport. From Germany there are direct flights from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart during the summer season (2016). There are flights to Bern to Switzerland. Thanks to TGV and speedboats, the island can be reached from Paris in about five hours. The ferries run at least twice a day. Camping is only allowed on the official campsites. The price level has fallen sharply since the devaluation of the British pound to which the Jersey pound is pegged.
In addition to the island’s capital St Helier, there are numerous tourist destinations such as the archaeological sites (Dolmen), Mont Orgueil Castle or the Quétivel mill. The bays of Saint Brélade, Saint Aubin and the Royal Bay of Grouville, among others, are popular for beach holidays.
Politics
There are two areas that officially have bailiwick status, Guernsey and Jersey. However, they are not headed by a bailiff, but are directly under the control of the British Crown.
Jersey therefore does not belong to the United Kingdom and is not dependent on the British Parliament. The island belongs with the smaller islands Minquiers and Ecréhous to the self-administration Bailiwick of Jersey. It is a crown dependency under the exclusive control of the British Crown and therefore has its own legislation (some of which is based on Norman law), its own internal administration and its own fully independent tax system, which attracts many foreign investors thanks to low tax rates (maximum income tax rate of 20%).
Jersey itself has been divided into twelve parishes for over 1000 years. They each bear the name of the saint who was the patron saint of their parish church. All parishes are further subdivided for administrative purposes. In eleven of the twelve Parishes these subdivisions are called Vingtaines, in the Parish Saint-Ouen the subdivisions are called Cueillettes. The term Vingtaine is also used in Guernsey.