Location of GuernseyGuernsey
Country

Guernsey

49.46° N, 2.56° W

No land border at all — every neighbor is across water, along 50 km of coast, the 174th longest on Earth.

land borders 0 km · 164th/230 · coastline 50 km · 174th/229
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value

Population
62,792
Area
78 km²
Population density
≈ 1,308 / km²
ISO codes
GG · GGY
GDP (nominal)
$12.51 billion
Compare with…Open on map
How big, reallyDrawn at the same scale as San Marino — the next country down in size. Equal-area projection, not the map you are used to.
Guernsey 78 km²San Marino 61 km²

geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area

Where Guernsey sits in the world

Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.

  1. Median age45.1 years21st of 224 · median 32.6 years
  2. Life expectancy83.6 years11th of 224 · median 76.2 years
  3. Fertility rate1.59 children per woman169th of 225 · median 1.92 children per woman
  4. Population62,792205th of 235 · median 5,454,073
  5. Total area78 km²217th of 228 · median 83,736 km²
  6. Coastline50 km174th of 229 · median 402 km

Overview

Name

The name comes from Old Norse: its root "Guern(s)" has an unclear meaning and may refer to a person's name, Grani, or the color green; "-ey" means "island".

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Background

The Channel Islands are the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. During World War II, the islands were the only British soil that Germany occupied. The Bailiwick of Guernsey consists of the main island of Guernsey and a number of smaller islands, including Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, and Lihou.

The Bailiwick is a self-governing British Crown dependency, not part of the UK. The UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Government

An unwritten constitution includes royal charters, statutes, and common law and practice. Government takes the form of a parliamentary democracy, the States of Deliberation. Its customary legal system is based on Norman customary law and includes elements of the French civil code and English common law. Guernsey has no independence and is a British Crown dependency. Liberation Day, 9 May (1945), is the national holiday.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Key figures

CIA World Factbook

Economy

GDP (nominal)
$12.51 billion
GDP growth
+3.7%
Unemployment
6.3%

People

Life expectancy
83.6 years
Median age
45.1 years
Birth rate
9.64 per 1,000
Death rate
9.19 per 1,000
Fertility rate
1.59 children per woman
Population growth
+0.19% a year
Urban population
31.2%
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Religions
  • ProtestantAnglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist
  • Roman Catholic

Land

Total area
78 km²Land 78 km² · Water 0 km²
Coastline
50 km
Land borders
0 km
Highest point
114 m Le Moulin on Sark

Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.

Connections

Within

Natural geography 1

Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID

Straits 1

Sources