Welcome to Jersey!
Jersey is the largest and southernmost of the Channel Islands. It's a self-governing dependency of the British Crown, but not part of the United Kingdom. It lies 14 mi (23 km) west of the Cherbourg peninsula of France in the Bay of St Malo, rather than in the Channel proper.
With a resident population of around 108,000, Jersey extends some 9 miles east-west and 5 miles north-south. The island's capital, with a third of the population, is St Helier on the south coast. The centre of the island's economy, the port town includes museums, shops, entertainment venues and visitor attractions, such as Elizabeth Castle.
A broad bay sweeps west from town to St Brelade, which includes the charming village of St Aubin and the popular beaches on its south coast. To the east of the town are the parishes of Grouville and St Clement, which also feature popular sandy beaches, as well as the small village of Gorey, which is overlooked by Mont Orgeuil Castle. The rest of Jersey is gently rolling country, a quiltwork of small fields with small, straggling villages named for their parish church: St Peter (location of the airport), St Lawrence, St Ouen, St Mary, Trinity, St John and St Martin.
Jersey (Jèrriais: Jèrri), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (French: Bailliage de Jersey, Jèrriais: Bailliage dé Jèrri), is an island and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the largest of the Channel Islands and is 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. The Bailiwick consists of the main island of Jersey and some surrounding uninhabited islands and rocks including Les Dirouilles, Les Écréhous, Les Minquiers, and Les Pierres de Lecq.Jersey was part of the Duchy of Normandy, whose dukes became kings of England from 1066. After Normandy was lost by the kings of England in the 13th century, and the ducal title surrendered to France, Jersey remained loyal to the English Crown, though it never became part of the Kingdom of England.
Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination. The island has a separate relationship with the Crown than the other Crown Dependencies and the Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen there. Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom, and has an international identity separate from that of the UK, but the UK is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey.The island has a large financial services industry, which generates 40% of its GVA. British cultural influence on the island is evident in its use of English as the main language and Pound sterling as its primary currency. Additional British cultural similarities include: driving on the left, access to British television and newspapers, a school curriculum following that of England, and the popularity of British sports, including cricket. The island also has a strong Norman-French culture, such as its ancient Norman language Jèrriais and place names with French or Norman origins. The island has close cultural links with its neighbouring islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Jersey and its people have been described as a nation.