2019 is the 940th anniversary of the founding of Tynwald, the Isle of Man's legislature and arguably the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world. (Image: Flag of the High Court of Tynwald, i.e., the Parliament of the Isle Of Man.)
Like the Icelandic Þingvellir, the word Tynwald derives from the Old Norse word Þingvǫllr, meaning the meeting place of the assembly. The Old Norse word for meeting, Þing (thing), is one of the few Old Norse words to pass directly into English, though in English it obviously means more than just a meeting—it can refer to just about...any thing.
The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown dependency. Its head of state is Queen Elizabeth II in her own right as Lord of Mann. She's represented by a lieutenant governor. The defense of the island falls under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.
For centuries, the first language of the island's native inhabitants was Manx, also known as Manx Gaelic (sometimes historically spelled Manks). It's no longer spoken widely on Man and since 1974 is extinct as a first language, but it still plays an important cultural role.
The island is also known for, among other things, the Manx cat breed—noteworthy for its genetic mutation resulting in very short, stubby tails and slightly longer hind legs—and the Manx Loaghtan sheep, which can have up to six horns; the sheep's meat is considered a delicacy.
The map below shows the Isle of Man's place within the Kingdom of the Isles, which
comprised the Hebrides, the islands of the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Man from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the Suðreyjar, or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the Norðreyjar or Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. (Wikipedia)
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