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Motto:
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He
hath founded it upon the seas
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Background:
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The
Cayman Islands were discovered on May 10th, 1503 by
Christopher Columbus on his forth and last voyage to the new
world. He was actually on his way from Panama to Hispaniola
when his ships were steered off course by strong winds and he
sighted Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The story says that he
reported sighting two small islands so full of tortoises
(turtles) that they looked like rocks and he gave the islands
the name Las Tortugas (The Turtles).
Over the next 150 years the
islands went through several name changes and played host to
various visiting ships as sailors would use the islands to
replenish their supplies of fresh water, as well as stocking
up on turtle meat and various wild fowls. One of the name
changes, Caymanas, is believed to have reflected the presence
of crocodiles and was derived from the Carib word for the
crocodile family. Indeed, several visiting buccaneers
including Sir Francis Drake and William Dampier noted
"large lizards" and crocodiles on these islands
during the 1500's to 1700's.
In 1655, the islands came
under British control when Jamaica was captured from the
Spanish by Oliver Cromwell's army. They officially became a
British territory when the Treaty of Madrid was signed in 1670
and Spain gave to Britain, "all those lands, islands,
colonies and places whatsoever situated in the West
Indies".
The motto He hath founded it
upon the seas is referring to the fact that Christopher
Columbus was the first European to discover the Cayman Islands
which were then named "Las Tortugas" by Columbus
himself.
The Cayman Islands were
colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th
centuries. Administered by Jamaica from 1863, they remained a
British dependency after 1962 when the former became
independent.
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Geography |
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Location:
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Caribbean,
island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from
Cuba to Honduras
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Geographic coordinates:
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19
30 N, 80 30 W
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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otal:
259 sq km
land: 259 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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1.5
times the size of Washington, DC
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Coastline:
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160
km
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive
fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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tropical
marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool,
relatively dry winters (November to April)
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Terrain:
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low-lying
limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: The Bluff 43 m
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Natural resources:
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fish,
climate and beaches that foster tourism
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 8%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 69% (1993 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes
(July to November)
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Environment - current issues:
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no
natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be
met by rainwater catchments
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Population:
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35,527
(July 2001 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 22.21% (male 3,807; female 4,084)
15-64 years: 69.74% (male 12,102; female 12,676)
65 years and over: 8.05% (male 1,318; female 1,540)
(2001 est.)
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Population growth rate: |
2.12%
(2001 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
13.79
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
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Death rate: |
5.15
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
12.58
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to
the US |
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Sex ratio: |
at
birth: 0.86 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
10.16
deaths/1,000 live births ( |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 79.03 years
male: 76.24 years
female: 81.43 years (2001 est.) |
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Ethnic groups: |
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mixed
40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic
groups 20% |
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Religions: |
United
Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist,
Roman Catholic, Church of God, other Protestant |
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Languages: |
English |
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Literacy: |
total
population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98% |
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Government |
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Country name: |
Cayman
Islands |
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Data code: |
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Dependency status: |
overseas
territory of the UK |
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Government type: |
British
crown colony |
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Capital: |
George
Town |
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Administrative divisions: |
8
districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay,
Stake Bay, West End, Western |
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Independence: |
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National holiday: |
Constitution
Day, first Monday in July |
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Constitution: |
1959,
revised 1972 and 1992 |
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Legal system: |
British
common law and local statutes |
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Suffrage: |
18
years of age; universal |
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Executive branch: |
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II
(since 6 February 1952);Governor--Stuart Jack, since November
2005
Leader of Government Business--The Honorable Kurt Tibbetts,
since May 2005
Cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the
governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly)
Elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed
by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of
the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor
Leader of Government Business
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Legislative branch: |
Unicameral
Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three appointed members and 15
elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
Elections last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009) |
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Judicial branch: |
Summary
Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal |
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Political parties and leaders: |
No national teams (loose groupings
of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections;
United Democratic Party or UDP [leader McKeeva BUSH; People's
Progressive Movement or PPM [leader Kurt TIBBETTS]
The Peoples Progressive Movement, (PPM) won a landslide victory
in the Cayman Islands General Election 2005 on 11/12 May 2005
when the party returned every one of its fielded candidates to
the Legislative Assembly. |
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International organization participation: |
Caricom
(observer), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate |
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Flag description: |
Blue,
with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the Caymanian coat of arms on a white disk centered on the
outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple
and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the
three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE
HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS |
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Economy |
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Overview: |
With
no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore
financial center. More than 40,000 companies were registered
in the Cayman Islands as of 1997, including almost 600 banks
and trust companies; banking assets exceed $500 billion. A
stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay,
accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency
earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market
and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total
tourist arrivals exceeded 1.2 million visitors in 1997. About
90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported.
The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and
one of the highest standards of living in the world |
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GDP: |
Purchasing
power parity - $930 million |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
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GDP - per capita: |
Purchasing
power parity - $24,500 |
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Labor force: |
19,820
(1995) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
Agriculture
1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% ( |
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Unemployment rate: |
4.1%
( |
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Budget: |
Revenues:
$265.2 million
Expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital
Expenditures of $NA (1997) |
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Industries: |
Tourism,
banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction
materials, furniture |
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Electricity - production: |
306.9
million kWh (1999) |
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Agriculture - products: |
Vegetables,
fruit; livestock, turtle farming |
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Imports: |
$507.6
million (1998) |
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Imports - commodities: |
Foodstuffs,
manufactured goods |
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Imports - partners: |
US,
Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan |
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Debt - external: |
$70
million (1996) |
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Currency: |
Cayman
dollar |
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Exchange rates: |
Caymanian
dollars per US dollar - 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22
November 1993) |
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Fiscal year: |
1
April - 31 March |
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Communications |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
19,000 |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
2534 |
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM
1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios: |
36,000
(1997) |
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Televisions: |
7,000
(1997) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
16
(2000) |
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Transportation |
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Highways: |
Total:
406 km
Paved: 304 km
Unpaved: 102 km |
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Ports and harbors: |
Cayman
Brac, George Town |
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Merchant marine: |
Total:
106 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,656,452 GRT/2,643,036
DWT
Ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 5, chemical tanker 27,
container 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 13,
refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker
1
Nnote: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here
as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 2, Denmark 2, Finland 1,
Greece 11, Norway 3, UK 3, US 3 (2000 est.) |
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Airports: |
3
(2000 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total:
1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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Military |
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Royal
Cayman Islands Police Force (RCIPF) |
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defense
is the responsibility of the UK |
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Illicit drugs: |
Vulnerable
to drug money laundering and drug transshipment to the US and
Europe |
