Guernsey, officially known as the Bailiwick of Guernsey, is derived from the Old Norse word ‘ey’ which means ‘island’ and ‘Guern’ is derived from the Spanish word ‘cuerno’, which means ‘corner’. Hence, originally, Guernsey is known as the ‘Corner Island’. From floral festivals to walking streets, there are huge programmes in Guernsey. It is popular for the Literary Festival and the Photography Festival. The country is Europe’s newest democracy. Let us see some other interesting facts about Guernsey.
Guernsey has a distinct identity. Though, it is a British Crown Dependency, it is neither a part of the United Kingdom nor of the European Union. Geographically, it lies in the Western Europe. Guernsey is an island which is located in the English Channel, to the northwest of France. It covers a total area of 78 sq. km and lies between 49° 28’N latitude and 2° 35’W longitude. Stretching a coastline of 50 km, the island is about half the size of Washington, D.C. The area comprises of Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark and other smaller islands. The two main geographic regions of Guernsey include the Haut Pas, which is a high southern plateau and Bas Pas, which is a low-lying and sandy northern region.
Due to its location, the land has low hills to its southwest and is generally levelled. Guernsey enjoys a temperate climate, that is, mild winters and warm summers. The average temperature during the coolest month, February, is 6°C. The warmest months of Guernsey are July and August, with an average temperature of around 20°C. One can see rare snowfalls, but is likely to occur in February. It rains in November, December and January with an average rainfall of 89mm.
Guernsey possesses innumerable species of both flora and fauna. The plants and flowers include yellow buttercups, the white daisy, the pink orchids, camellias, etc. Apparently, the national animals of Guernsey are the donkey and the Guernsey Cow. The Guernsey goat, covered with a golden-colour coat, is also an iconic figure of the island.
The traditional food of Guernsey includes the famous bean jar, the fruit loaf and the apple cake. The Guernsey men consume the fresh local products which include the dairy items like milk, butter and cheese, vegetables and seafood. The local delicacy is the flesh of the Ormer, a rare mollusc. The restaurants are full with menus like the crab, lobster, bass, mussels and scallops.
Hospitality forms a significant part of the Guernsey culture. The Guernsey men are free and frank and very peace-loving in nature. The official language of Guernsey is English and the other vernacular language spoken in the province is Norman. The family and place names given by the native folks can be noticed by the linguistic heritage.
In Guernsey, a majority of the population follows Christianity. There are Roman Catholics on the island. However, Protestantism is also practiced. There are people who preach Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational and Methodist.
The major source for the economy of Guernsey are the financial services, namely, banking, fund management and insurance. However, the other important sources include tourism, manufacturing, horticulture, construction, retail, etc. Guernsey is bound for the light tax and death duties. The largest optical chain in the U.K. and Ireland, the Specsavers Optical Group that operates in Scandinavia, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Spain is home to Guernsey. The States of Guernsey controls the public services such as water, the wastewater, the two harbours and the airport. In addition, the states commercialized the electricity and the postal services. However, independent private companies supply the gas.
