The world’s oldest active governmental body is the Isle of Man's Tynwald, established in AD 979. Tynwald is a parliamentary system and functions as the legislative assembly for the Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown dependency located in the Irish Sea. It comprises two branches: the House of Keys and the Legislative Council. Tynwald meets annually on July 5th for a unique ceremony that includes the reading of laws in both English and Manx Gaelic, reflecting the island's cultural heritage. Its continuous operation for over a millennium illustrates the longevity and evolution of representative governance.