Jersey Introduction

Jersey cows

Jersey, at any time of the year, is one of the most scenic, well kept, interesting and attractive islands in Europe. Measuring a mere 45 square miles, Jersey contains a rich variety of landscapes and architecture. Secluded coves and unending sandy beaches share the magnificent coastline with craggy cliffs. Impenetrable forts contrast starkly with farmhouses and cottages built from the beautiful local pink granite. Inland, the island is host to lush and verdant valleys and woods. Sportsmen and women are catered for in every possible way, with every type of watersport imaginable being available. The beaches are Europe's cleanest.

St Helier, the capital is a bustling cosmopolitan town and the centre of the thriving international offshore banking industry. Banks and finance houses sit comfortably alongside French style street cafes and bistros, designer boutiques, jewellers and perfumeries. With no VAT in Jersey, prices are cheaper and there are bargains galore to be had. As you would expect, with a strong international influence and the availability of the finest produce such as fish, shell fish, fruit and vegetables, as well as meat, and dairy produce, Jersey is home to some of the finest restaurants in Europe.

The reason most people would give for coming to Jersey is that it is different. There are many similarities, but it is not quite England and although there is a strong Continental flavour, it is not quite France either.

A lot of this has to do with the Island's history - once part of France, then a very loyal part of the British Isles. It is the relics of this often turbulent history and the very different political and constitutional system which provide other good reasons for visiting the Island.

This history is also reflected in the people of Jersey. Some are long-standing Islanders who can trace their ancestors back to William the Conqueror or even before. Many have come to the Island quite recently to work in the Island's hugely successful banking and finance industry.

Naturally you will find quite a few French in the Island as well and there are lots of Scots, quite a few Irish, people who originally came from the north-east or the north-west and quite a large number from Portugal, many of whom came over for seasonal work and liked it so much that they stayed.

They all share a love of this special island, and they are welcoming to those who want to come and share it, if only for a few days.

Although Jersey is fiercely loyal to Britain, it is a Crown dependency and not part of the United Kingdom. The Island, which is located in the English Channel about 15 miles from the French coast and 90 miles south of England, is small - about ten miles by five - and has a population of only 85,000, but it is a major international offshore finance centre holding deposits worth billions of pounds sterling. As well as having a character which is strangely similar to yet quite different from mainland Britain, Jersey takes pride in handling its own affairs.