Cayman Islands - History, Geography, Districts, Demographics, Economy, Government, Taxation, Education, Healthcare, Military, Foreign relations, In fiction

(UK British Overseas Territory)

Timezone GMT -5 Area 260 km²/100 sq mi population total (2002e) 40 000 Capital George Town Physical features Located in W Caribbean, comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, c.240 km/150 mi S of Cuba; low-lying, rising to 42 m/138 ft on Cayman Brac plateau; ringed by coral reefs. Climate Tropical climate; average temperatures 24–32°C (May–Oct), 16–24°C (Nov–Apr); average annual rainfall 1420 mm/56 in; hurricane season (Jul–Nov). Currency 1 Cayman Island Dollar (KYD) = 100 cents Economy Tourism; international finance, property development; over 450 banks and trust companies established on the islands; oil transshipment; crafts, jewellery, vegetables, tropical fish. GDP (2002e) $1·27 bn, per capita $35 000 History Visited by Colombus, 1503; ceded to Britain, 1670; colonized by British settlers from Jamaica; British Crown Colony, 1962; a Governor represents the British sovereign, and presides over a Legislative Assembly. text-align:center;">

Flag	Coat of arms

Motto: He hath founded it upon the seas
Anthem: God Save the Queen (Royal Anthem)
Capital (largest city)	George Town 19°20′N 81°24′W
Official language	English
Government	Constitutional monarchy
- Queen	Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor	Stuart Jack
- Leader of Gov't Business	Kurt Tibbetts
Creation
Area
- Total	260 km² (206th) 100.4 sq mi
- Water (%)	1.6%
Population
- 2005 estimate	45,017 (208th)
- 1999 census	39,020
- Density	139.5/km² (63rd) 364.2/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2004 estimate
- Total	1,391,000,000 (n/a)
- Per capita	32,300 (n/a)
HDI  (2003)	NA (NA) (unranked)
Currency	Cayman dollar (KYD)
Time zone	(UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC-5)
Internet TLD	.ky
Calling code	+1-345

The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the western Caribbean Sea comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman.

History

The Cayman Islands - often referred to as The Caymans, or just Cayman - were first sighted by Christopher Columbus on May 10, 1503 during his disastrous fourth and final voyage to the New World. The first recorded English visitor to the islands was Sir Francis Drake, who landed there in 1586 and named them the Cayman Islands after the Neo-Taíno nations term (caiman) for crocodile (Zayas, 1914).

The first recorded permanent inhabitant of the Cayman Islands, Isaac Bodden, was born on Grand Cayman around 1700.

The island of Grand Cayman was severely damaged by the Category Five Hurricane Ivan on September 11 &

Geography

The Cayman Islands are located in the western Caribbean sea. The two "Sister Islands" of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are located about 90 miles (145 km) east of Grand Cayman and have areas of 14 square miles (36 km²) and 10 square miles (25.9 km²) respectively. One notable exception to this is The Bluff on Cayman Brac, which rises to 140 feet (42.6 m) above sea level, the highest point on the island.

Cayman avian fauna includes two endemic subspecies of Amazona parrots: Amazona leucocephala hesterna, or Cayman Brac Parrot, native only to Cayman Brac, and Amazona leucocephala caymanensis or Grand Cayman Parrot, which is native only to Grand Cayman.

Districts

Grand Cayman ( The largest Island) is administratively divided into 6 districts. They are:

George Town ( the present capital) East End North Side West Bay South Sound Bodden Town ( the former capital)

Cayman Brac ( The second largest Island) is divided into 6 districts. They are:

West End Stake Bay Creek The Rock Cotton Tree Bay Watering Place

Then there is Little Cayman ( the smallest and most sparsly populated Island) which is a bit bigger than a district in itself.

Demographics

The latest population estimate of the Cayman Islands is 57,800 as of April 2006, representing a mix of more than 100 nationalities. Cayman Brac is the second most populated with about 2,000 residents, followed by Little Cayman with around 200 permanent residents.

The capital and major city of the Cayman Islands is George Town, which is located on the south west coast of Grand Cayman.

Economy

The economy of the Cayman Islands used to be built around turtling. The islands print their own currency, the Cayman Islands Dollar (KYD), which is pegged to the US dollar at a fixed rate of 1 KYD = 1.227 USD.

Tourism

Tourism accounts for 70-75% of the annual GDP of the Cayman Islands. Of the millions of tourists that visit the islands annually, 99% stay on Grand Cayman.

Grand Cayman's major tourist attraction is the world-famous Seven Mile Beach on which most of the island's hotels and resorts are located.

The Cayman Islands are also world famous as a Scuba Diving destination because of their crystal-clear waters and their proximity to the Cayman Wall. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are also considered to be elite dive destinations.

One recent development is the production of gourmet sea salt by the Cayman Sea salt Co.Ltd at their mariculture farm in Breakers Grand Cayman.

See also: Scuba Diving on the Cayman Islands

Financial services industry

The Cayman Islands is widely recognised to be one of the leading offshore financial centres.

The Cayman Islands financial services industry encompasses banking, mutual funds, captive insurance, vessel registration, companies and partnerships, trusts, structured finance and the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange. As of December 2005, just over 70,000 companies were incorporated on the Cayman Islands including 430 banking and trust companies, 720 captive insurance firms and more than 7,000 funds.

A recent report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessing supervision and regulation in the Cayman Islands' banking, insurance and securities industries, as well as its anti-money laundering regime, recognized the jurisdiction's comprehensive regulatory and compliance frameworks.

Government

The Cayman Islands are currently a British Overseas territory, listed by the U.N. The current governor of the Cayman Islands is Stuart Jack and the current Chief Secretary is Hon.

Taxation

Caymanians and Caymanian companies are not subject to any form of direct taxation.

Education

The Cayman Islands Education Council operates state funded schools on the island, with a Caribbean-oriented education curriculum.

The Cayman Islands Law School (CILS), a branch of the University of Liverpool in the UK, also calls Grand Cayman home. As taken from the student handbook, "The Law School provides tuition for both full and part-time programmes leading to the Bachelor of Law (Honours) Degree of the University of Liverpool and the qualification of Attorney-at-Law of the Cayman Islands, following successful completion of the postgraduate Professional Practicum Course (PPC)

Healthcare

The Cayman Islands have a modern healthcare system.

Military

The defence of the Cayman Islands is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. They do however have their own police force, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, and in 2001 the small Cayman Islands Cadet Corps was formed in the place of a traditional army.

Foreign relations

The foreign relations of the Cayman Islands are largely managed from the United Kingdom, as the islands remain an overseas territory of the UK. However, the Government of the Cayman Islands often resolves important issues with foreign governments alone, without intervention from Britain.

Though the Cayman Islands are involved in no major international disputes, they have come under some criticism due to the use of their territory for narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

Due to their status as an overseas territory of the UK, the Cayman Islands have no representation either on the United Nations, or in most other international organizations. However, the Cayman Islands still participates in some international organizations, being a full member of the Central Development Bank, International Olympic Committee and FIFA, an associate member of Caricom and UNESCO, and a member of a sub-bureau of Interpol.

In fiction

Large parts of the novel The Firm by John Grisham, and the film, take place on the Cayman Islands.

Frankie Flowers' 2004 film Haven takes place on Grand Cayman. Frankie Flowers is a native of the Cayman Islands.

A Cayman Island Bank cheque is also shown in Bond thriller 'Die Another Day'.

In the computer game Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield 4 missions need to be accomplished on the airport of Cayman Brac as well as in a private house in order to rescue hostages being held in the buildings by terrorists.