Alderney

Alderney
Aoeur'gny (Auregnais)
Aurigny (French)
Anthem: "God Save the King"
Alderney is located in English Channel
Alderney
Alderney
Alderney
Alderney
Alderney
Alderney
Alderney
Location of Alderney (circled)

in the Bailiwick of Guernsey (red)

Map of Guernsey within the Bailiwick
Map of Alderney within the Bailiwick
Sovereign state responsible for the BailiwickUnited Kingdom
Crown DependencyBailiwick of Guernsey
Separation from the Duchy of Normandy1204
Capital
and largest settlement
Saint Anne
49°42′48″N 2°12′21″W / 49.71333°N 2.20583°W / 49.71333; -2.20583
Official languagesEnglish
GovernmentSelf-governing dependency under a parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Duke
Charles III
• Leader
William Tate
LegislatureStates 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]
CurrencyAlderney pound[a]
Pound sterling (£) (GBP)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)
UTC+01:00 (BST)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideleft
Calling code+44
UK postcode
ISO 3166 codeGG
Internet TLD.gg
Designations
Official nameAlderney West Coast and the Burhou Islands
Designated24 August 2005
Reference no.1587[2]
English Channel with Alderney in the middle
1890 map of Alderney and adjacent islands

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+12 miles (2.4 km) wide.

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 cape 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.

  1. ^ "Facts & Figures". States of Alderney. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Alderney West Coast and the Burhou Islands". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. ^ Dictionnaire Jersiais–Français, 1966; Customs, Ceremonies & Traditions of the Channel Islands, Lemprière, 1976, ISBN 0-7091-5842-4
  4. ^ Dictionnaire Jersiais–Français, 1966


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