Channel Islands, The

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Channel Islands, The

 

a group of islands in the English Channel, near the western coast of the Cotentin peninsula. A possession of Great Britain. Area, 196 sq km. Population, 125,000 (1971, estimate).

The Channel Islands consist of two large islands, Jersey and Guernsey, and of a number of smaller islands. They are composed mainly of gneisses and granites, and their maximum elevation is 148 m. There are meadows and market gardens (mainly in greenhouses). The population engages in fishing for flounder and mackerel. Guernsey and Jersey cattle are raised on the islands. The main city is St. Helier, a large banking center located on Jersey.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.