The Isle of Jersey

SIZE
Jersey is 9 miles x 5 miles (around 13.5km x 7.5km) but land is always being reclaimed so it is slowly growing.

POPULATION
The population is around 90,000.

CAPITAL
St Helier.

MAIN INDUSTRIES
Finance (it is a tax haven), tourism and agriculture.

CURRENCY
Although Jersey issues its own currency, it is still the English pound - just with a different design to the money. You can use English money in Jersey but you can't use Jersey money in England.

DUTY FREE
Jersey is technically not part of the EU so you can still buy duty free goods on your way into and out of Jersey.

TIME
Jersey follows the same time as England - GMT and BST - but is thinking of changing so that it is in line with France.

TIDES
Jersey has some of the largest tidal ranges in the world - up to 12 meters.

GOVERNMENT
Jersey has its own, entirely independent Government and political system, known as a Bailiwick.

Absolutely not! Jersey beans (as we are known locally) are fiercely independent and will be quick to correct anyone who dares to suggest that we are part of England!

Jersey has been a British Crown dependency since 1066. As such it is an independently administrated jurisdiction which does not form part of the United Kingdom or the European Union. It is, however, part of Great Britain and, rather confusingly, Jersey beans do have EU passports.

Jersey is the largest and southernmost of a group of islands called the Channel Islands in the English Channel. It is situated approximately 14 miles from the Northwest coast of France and 100 miles from the south coast of England.

There are four other main islands - Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm. Only Jersey and Guernsey have motorised vehicles on them. In Alderney, Sark and Herm people get around by horse and cart or bicycle.

There are also a number of other tiny islands including Jethou and Brechou, but they are either privately owned or too small for most people to worry about.

The Channel Islands were the only British soil to be invaded and occupied by German troops during World War II.

The Channel Islands have no armed forces of their own. Until June 1940 it was agreed that the British Armed Forces would protect the Islands as well as the mainland. However, in June 1940 King George VI wrote the following letter to the people of Jersey and Guernsey:

"For strategic reasons it has been found necessary to withdraw the armed forces from the Channel Islands. I deeply regret this necessity and I wish to assure my people in the Islands that in taking this decision my Government have not been unmindful of their position. It is in their interests that this step should be taken in present circumstances."

And so Jersey was left at the mercy of the Germans. In fact, the occupation of Jersey was fairly peaceful. Apart from a severe shortage of food, the Islanders were not treated too badly. I say this, not as an ignorant youngster who didn't have to endure the occupation, but on the word of my gran who lived in Jersey throughout the second world war.

On the 8 May 1945 Winston Churchill made an announcement over the radio informing the islanders were informed that the war was over. Jersey was officially liberated on 9 May 1945 and the island continues to celebrate liberation day as a public holiday.

One of Jersey's greatest attractions is the late Gerald Durrell's Wildlife Conservation Trust. Often incorrectly referred to as a zoo, in fact the Wildlife Conservation Trust has an entirely different focus to a regular zoo.

The Trust works towards saving species from extinction both from its headquarters in Jersey and through its links with conservation activities worldwide. It has already saved six species from extinction and is currently working to ensure the survival of more than 30 endangered species around the world.

According to David Jones, Ex Director of London Zoo, "The zoo which Durrell founded on Jersey has been one of the very few that has successfully mixed displaying animals to the public in a sensible and humane way with effective involvement in field conservation. Many members of the zoo world originally saw him as a renegade. But he was a renegade who was right."

The Trust is also a beautiful place to visit. I go at least once a year when I visit my family. We spend hours walking around looking at the animals and eating a picnic on the huge lawn. Take a look at the beautiful flickr photos below of some of the animals.

Whenever I tell anyone that I'm from Jersey they always say "well you don't have an accent". I have to go into a big explanation about how I'm from the British Jersey, not New Jersey. But is there a link between the two?

Yes there is.

During the English Civil War the Island of Jersey gave sanctuary to the King of England. Charles II was proclaimed King of England from Jersey. As a reward for loyalty to the Crown, Jersey's Governor, George Carteret, was given a large piece of land in America. That piece of land became known as 'New Jersey'.

Jersey is well known for Jersey cows - a famous breed of cow originally bred in Jersey. Many of you will probably have seen Jersey cows around without realizing their heritage.

Jersey cows are honey brown in color and are famous for the high butterfat content of their milk. You can't beat the taste of fresh Jersey fudge made with real Jersey cream!

Jersey has its own language which is still spoken by the older generations (my gran included!) It is a Norman French patois known as Jersey French, or 'Jerriais'.

Unfortunately the language is now dying out. The tourist industry and the increasing anglicisation of the island has led to a serious decline in the use of Jerriais. In 1912, Jèrriais was replaced by English in schools. Now, it is not even passed down to new generations. It is only a matter of time before the language disappears entirely.

Some Useful Phrases

Salut / Bouônjour
Hello

Bouônjour man vyi! Comme est qu'tu'es?
Hello old mate! How are you?

Pâl'-ou l'Jèrriais?
Do you speak Jèrriais?

Tch'est qu'est vot' nom?
What's your name?

À bétôt, et à la préchaine!
Goodbye, until next time.

1. The first people appeared on Jersey 250,000 years ago - they were nomadic hunters.

2. Permanent settlements were not established in Jersey until 4500 BC.

3. The island was part of the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th century and became part of the Anglo-Norman realm in 1066. In 1204 King Philippe Auguste of France conquered the duchy from King John of England and Jersey remained in the personal possession of the king of England.

4. During the 16th century Jersey folk adopted the Protestant religion

5. An ancient law of Jersey states that, when adults broke the law, they could take refuge in their nearest church for eight days while their family brought them food. On the ninth day they had to choose either to be punished or to leave Jersey forever. Every church had a safe path to the beach called Les Perquages to allow criminals to leave the island by boat. As long as you were on this path, you could not be arrested.

6. Until the nineteenth century the local language of the island was Jèrriais (or Jersey French), although French was used for official business. The official language today is English.

7. The famous French writer, Victor Hugo, lived in exile in Jersey from 1852 to 1855.

8. In the 1970s, Jersey was one of the few places in Europe to make surfboards, three quarters of the British surfing team were from Jersey, and Europe's annual championships were held on the island.

9. The island is usually the hottest place in Britain in the summer with temperatures averaging a few degrees higher than the remainder of the British Isles.

10. 47% of today's population are not originally from the island.

If you liked this lens please check out some of my other lenses:

Eat Your Way to the Perfect Figure
New Zealand South Island
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You can also visit my freelance writing and photography website and my weight loss and healthy eating blog.