The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries, and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.
Location
Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica
Geographic coordinates
19 30 N, 80 30 W
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Area
total
262 sq km
land
262 sq km
water
0 sq km
Area - comparative
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
160 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Climate
tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
Terrain
low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point
The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m
Natural resources
fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism
Land use
arable land
3.85%
permanent crops
0%
other
96.15% (2005)
Irrigated land
NA
Natural hazards
hurricanes (July to November)
Environment - current issues
no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments
Geography - note
important location between Cuba and Central America
Population
46,600
note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
20.3% (male 4,746/female 4,730)
15-64 years
71% (male 16,135/female 16,964)
65 years and over
8.6% (male 1,892/female 2,133) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
37.5 years
male
37.1 years
female
37.9 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
2.496% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
12.6 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
4.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
17.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.003 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.951 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.887 male(s)/female
total population
0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
7.8 deaths/1,000 live births
male
8.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female
6.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
80.2 years
male
77.57 years
female
82.87 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Nationality
noun
Caymanian(s)
adjective
Caymanian
Ethnic groups
mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%
Religions
United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Languages
English
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population
98%
male
98%
female
98% (1970 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
Cayman Islands
Dependency status
overseas territory of the UK
Government type
British crown colony
Capital
name
George Town (on Grand Cayman)
geographic coordinates
19 20 N, 81 23 W
time difference
UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western
Independence
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday
Constitution Day, first Monday in July
Constitution
1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994
Legal system
British common law and local statutes
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005)
head of government
Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005)
cabinet
Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly)
elections
none; 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
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats; 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1
Judicial branch
Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders
United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; note - no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
International organization participation
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description
blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms 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
Economy - overview
With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 68,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 2003, including almost 500 banks, 800 insurers, and 5,000 mutual funds. 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 2.1 million in 2003, with about half from the US. 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.939 billion (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
NA
GDP - real growth rate
0.9% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$43,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
1.4%
industry
3.2%
services
95.4% (1994 est.)
Labor force
23,450 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
1.4%
industry
12.6%
services
86% (1995)
Unemployment rate
4.4% (2004)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.4% (2004)
Budget
revenues
$423.8 million
expenditures
$392.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004)
Agriculture - products
Industries
tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Electricity - production
400 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
372 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption
2,600 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports
$2.52 million (2004)
Exports - commodities
turtle products, manufactured consumer goods
Exports - partners
mostly US (2006)
Imports
$866.9 million (2004)
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, manufactured goods
Imports - partners
US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2006)
Debt - external
$70 million (1996)
Economic aid - recipient
$390,000 (2004)
Currency (code)
Caymanian dollar (KYD)
Currency code
KYD
Exchange rates
Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.8496 (2006)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
Telephones - main lines in use
38,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular
17,000 (2002)
Telephone system
general assessment
reasonably good system
domestic
liberalization of telecom market in 2003 reflected in falling prices and improving services
international
country code - 1-345; 2 submarine fiber optic cables (Maya-1, Cayman-Jamaica); satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios
36,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
4 with cable system (2004)
Televisions
7,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.ky
Internet hosts
8,611 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
16 (2000)
Internet users
9,909 (2003)
Airports
3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
2
1,524 to 2,437 m
2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
1
914 to 1,523 m
1 (2006)
Roadways
total
785 km
paved
785 km (2002)
Merchant marine
total
132 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,746,290 GRT/4,366,790 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 32, cargo 14, chemical tanker 42, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 23, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned
130 (Denmark 5, Germany 13, Greece 21, Italy 12, Japan 1, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 4, Norway 2, Philippines 1, Singapore 10, Sweden 9, UK 10, US 41) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Cayman Brac, George Town
Military branches
no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49: 10,703 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 8,600 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49: 257 (2005 est.)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Disputes - international
none
Illicit drugs
offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe
