The Isle of Man (in Manx, Ellan Vannin) is an island in the British Isles, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a British Crown dependency (and therefore not part of the United Kingdom itself); the UK is responsible for defence and foreign affairs. The island has its own government (headed by a Chief Minister) and parliament - Tynwald (consisting of the democratically-elected House of Keys and the nominated Legislative Council.) The Isle of Man is not a full member of the European Union, but an associate member.