[20] Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems,[7] and the power of self-determination.

[28][29][30] The Channel Islands are mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary as the following: Sarnia, Caesarea, Barsa, Silia and Andium, but Jersey cannot be identified specifically because none corresponds directly to the present names.

However, in 1771 the Crown demanded reforms to the island's governance, leading to the Code of 1771 and removed the powers of the Royal Court to make laws without the States.

[42] In 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, the island was invaded by a French force which captured St Helier, but was defeated by Major Peirson's army at the Battle of Jersey.

[51] During this time the Germans constructed many fortifications using slave labour imported onto the island from many different countries occupied or at war with Germany.

He is a point of contact between Jersey ministers and the UK Government and carries out some functions in relation to immigration control, deportation, naturalisation and the issue of passports.

[70] Jersey is a distinct jurisdiction for the purposes of conflict of laws, separate from the other Channel Islands, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

[75][76] In 2007, the chief minister and the UK Lord Chancellor signed an agreement that established a framework for the development of the international identity of Jersey.

[f] It is the largest and southernmost of the Channel Islands and part of the British Isles, with a maximum land elevation of 143 m (469 ft) above sea level.

Jersey is indeed one of the sunniest places in the British Isles, especially during the warmer months, as it is subject to more influence from the Azores High, which acts as a blocking mechanism for depressions that originate in the North Atlantic and that produce stratiform clouds and rain; these are deflected northwards towards the UK mainland.

Furthermore, the Azores High further reduces the type of convective cloud formations (particularly Cumulus and Stratocumulus) that are common over more northern and inland areas of the UK during summer through subsidence.

Thunderstorms advecting north from the Bay of Biscay tend to occur during the summer if the influence of the Azores High temporarily weakens and a cut-off low develops in the region.

This tends to result in small hail and weak waterspouts driven by convection and frequent shear brought on by cold fronts.

[citation needed] In November 2023, Jersey was hit by extratropical Storm Ciarán, causing heavy rainfall, extremely high winds with gusts of up to 104mph.

[6] Thanks to specialisation in a few high-return sectors, at purchasing power parity Jersey has high economic output per capita, substantially ahead of all of the world's large developed economies.

[6] However, there is wide variation, and the typical (median) individual resident's purchasing power and standard of living in Jersey is comparable to that in the UK outside central London.

[120] But there has been some controversy about this sector: some critics and detractors have called Jersey a place where the "leadership has essentially been captured by global finance, and whose members will threaten and intimidate anyone who dissents.

Many companies, such as Amazon and Play.com, took advantage of this and a loophole in European law, known as low-value consignment relief, to establish a tax-free fulfilment industry from Jersey.

[137] In July 2014, the Jersey Financial Services Commission approved the establishment of the world's first regulated Bitcoin fund, at a time when the digital currency was being accepted by some local businesses.

By the start of the 19th century, Jersey people generally identified as British, which can be seen through the treatment of the Breton immigrants of the time as a distinct nation.

[146] Jersey is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA),[147] a zone which encompasses the Crown Dependencies, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Jersey was quite far from Britain (taking days to travel between England and the islands)[citation needed] and culturally distinct (the locals predominantly speaking Norman French).

From the 1840s onwards, agricultural workers came from neighbouring Brittany and mainland Normandy, both due to the booming economy of Jersey and the economic situation in northern France.

The booming tourism industry required a large volume of relatively low cost labour, so the island turned to Madeira for seasonal staff.

Its owners, however, struggled to meet tough competition from the Cineworld Cinemas group, which opened a 10-screen multiplex on the waterfront centre in St. Helier on reclaimed land in December 2002, and the Odeon closed its doors in late 2008.

During the 20th century, British cultural influence saw an intense language shift take place and Jersey today is predominantly English-speaking.

[22] Gerald Durrell, the famous zoologist who set up Jersey Zoo, was also an author, writing novels, non-fiction and children's books.

[221] Trees generally considered native are the alder (Alnus glutinosa), silver birch (Betula pendula), sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), hazel (Corylus avellana), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), beech (Fagus sylvatica), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), aspen (Populus tremula), wild cherry (Prunus avium), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), holm oak (Quercus ilex), oak (Quercus robur), sallow (Salix cinerea), elder (Sambucus nigra), elm (Ulmus spp.)

[222] Notable marine species[223] include the ormer, conger, bass, undulate ray, grey mullet, ballan wrasse and garfish.

The water is collected and stored in six reservoirs and there is also a desalination plant that produces up to 10.8 million litres per day (around half of the Island's average daily usage).