To travel from England to Ireland, you can cross the Irish Sea. There is an island in the Irish Sea where people have lived for a very long time. This island is called the Isle of Man, and people first lived there at least 10,000 years ago.
One town in the Isle of Man is called Castletown. There is a large castle there called Castle Rushen. It is thought to have been built 800 years ago to be the home of a king. Castle Rushen was built to be very strong. Its entrance has a drawbridge. This is a special kind of bridge that can be moved up and down. It has walls that are three feet thick. That is about the same as the length of a baseball bat! There are towers by the walls, and many rooms inside. Today, Castle Rushen is a museum that people can visit.
Photo Credit: Gemma Batty
The Isle of Man is about the same distance from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
The Isle of Man is about 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. About 84,000 people live there. Douglas is the largest city and is also the capital. Every year there is a famous motorcycle race around the island called the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy).
People from the Isle of Man are known as Manx. The original Manx language is still taught in school there, starting in preschool!
Photo Credit: McGraw Hill
The Isle of Man coastline includes many beaches.
The Isle of Man has a rocky coastline with many cliffs. There is an electric railway which can take you along the east coast. One of the railcars has been used since 1893!
A biosphere reserve is an area that takes special care for people and nature to live together. The Isle of Man is the world’s first entire nation to be recognized as a biosphere reserve. This means there are plans and activities for the beaches, the coast, and elsewhere to make sure people can enjoy them but also that wildlife and nature are not disturbed.
Photo Credit: Gemma Batty
Wallabies from Australia now live in the wild on the Isle of Man.
Wallabies are a type of kangaroo from Australia, which is about 9,000 miles from the Isle of Man. Today, though, wallabies are also found on the Isle of Man! In the 1960s, some wallabies escaped from a wildlife park there. The wallabies adapted to the cooler climate and continued to live there. It is thought that there are now about 1,000 wallabies living on the Isle of Man.
There are many other interesting animals on the Isle of Man. You can see seals, dolphins, whales, sharks, and lots of different types of birds. There are hedgehogs and sheep as well. The Manx cat is known for not having a tail.
What Do You Think? What from the Isle of Man would you like to learn more about? Why?
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