Guernsey is one of the islands making up the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency located in a Bay of St. Malo off the coast of France. The island represents one of the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which once ruled much of both France and England. Though reliant on the United Kingdom for its defence, the Bailiwick is not a part of the U.K., nor is it a member of the European Union. Financial services represent an important part of the economy in Guernsey, but the island is also highly dependant on tourism. In addition, it still exports certain agricultural goods such as sweet peppers and tomatoes. Roughly 50% of the Bailiwick’s income comes from finance.
The official state languages in Guernsey are English and French, English serving as the dominant language for business and French acting as the legislative language. A local patois, Guernésiais, is also recognised, though it use has dwindled since the Second World War, when an entire generation was evacuated from the island and therefore never learned to rely on the language.
Geographically speaking, the Bailiwick of Guernsey includes not only its main island but also several smaller islets. The best known of these are Alderney, Sark and Herm. When combined with the Bailiwick of Jersey, Guernsey and its smaller siblings are referred to as the Channel Islands.
For more information, see:
www.thisisguernsey.com
www.visitguernsey.com
www.gov.gg