Alderney
Jurisdiction of the Bailiwick of Guernsey / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alderney (/ˈɔːldərni/; French: Aurigny [oʁiɲi]; Auregnais: Aoeur'gny) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is 3 miles (5 km) long and 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) wide.
Alderney | |
|---|---|
| Anthem: "God Save the King" | |
      | |
 Map of Alderney within the Bailiwick | |
| Sovereign state responsible for the Bailiwick | United Kingdom |
| Crown Dependency | Bailiwick of Guernsey |
| Separation from the Duchy of Normandy | 1204 |
| Capital and largest settlement | Saint Anne 49°42′48″N 2°12′21″W |
| Official languages | English |
| Government | Self-governing dependency under a parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Duke | Charles III |
• Leader | William Tate |
| Legislature | States of Alderney |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.8 km2 (3.0 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0 |
| Highest elevation | 296 ft (90 m) |
| Population | |
• 2021 census | 2,141[1] |
| Currency | Alderney pound[lower-alpha 1] Pound sterling (£) (GBP) |
| Time zone | UTC±00:00 (GMT) |
| UTC+01:00 (BST) | |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +44 |
| UK postcode | |
| ISO 3166 code | GG |
| Internet TLD | .gg |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Alderney West Coast and the Burhou Islands |
| Designated | 24 August 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1587[2] |
The island's area is 3 square miles (8 km2), making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick. It is around 10 miles (15 km) to the west of the town of La Hague on the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, in France, 20 miles (30 km) to the northeast of Guernsey and 60 miles (100 km) from the south coast of Great Britain. It is the closest of the Channel Islands both to France and to the United Kingdom. It is separated from Cap de la Hague by the dangerous Alderney Race (French: Raz Blanchard).
As of March 2021, the island had a population of 2,141; natives are traditionally nicknamed vaques[3] after the cows, or else lapins[4] after the many rabbits seen in the island. Formally, they are known as Ridunians, from the Latin Riduna.
The only parish of Alderney is the parish of St Anne, which covers the whole island.
The main town, St Anne, historically known as La Ville ('The Town'), is often referred to as St Anne's by visitors and incomers, but rarely by locals (who, in normal conversation, still most frequently refer to the area centred on Victoria Street simply as Town). The town's "High Street", which formerly had a small handful of shops, is now almost entirely residential, forming a T-junction with Victoria Street at its highest point.
The town area features an imposing church and an unevenly cobbled main street: Victoria Street (Rue Grosnez, the English name being adopted on the visit of Queen Victoria in 1854). There is one school (providing both primary and secondary education), a post office, and hotels, as well as restaurants, banks and shops. Other settlements include Braye, Crabby, Longis, Mannez, La Banque, and Newtown.