Tynwald Day is the National Day of the Isle of Man, an island in in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. The island is not part of the United Kingdom or European Union, but is a possession of the British Crown with an independent administration. Its inhabitants (known as Manx) are British citizens.

Flag: The Three Legs of Man

Each year on 5th July, the Members of Tynwald - the Manx parliament - meet on Tynwald Hill in St Johns, for a ceremony, a legal requirement established by the Island's ninth century rulers. The hill is said to have been built by the Vikings and to contain soil from each of the 17 island parishes. The July ceremony declares in Manx Gaelic and English, laws passed during the year and hears petitions from Manx citizens.

The Tynwald, the Isle of Man's parliament, is of Norse (Viking) origin and has existed on the island for more than 1,000 years, making it the oldest parliament in the world with an unbroken existence. (Iceland’s Althing was founded earlier but its existence was interrupted.) 

Facts about the Isle of Man

• Population: 80,058
• Capital: Douglas
• Area: 572 sq km (221 sq miles)
  Approximately 48 km (32 miles) long and between 13 and 24 km (8 and 15 miles) in breadth
• Major languages: English, Manx

The Manx Electric Railway, formed in 1893, was one of the first in the world. 

The island’s name is believed to come from its ruler and protector, Celtic Sea God Manannan.

The native Manx Cat from the Isle of Man is tailless and its origins are subject to folklore. Legend has it a pair of cats were the last to enter Noah’s Ark. The door was slammed, severing their tails.