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Cayman Islands

Cayman Islands
Flag of the Cayman Islands
(In detail ) (In detail )
National motto: He hath founded it upon the seas
image:LocationCayman Islands.png
Official language English
Capital George Town
Capital's coordinates
Largest city
Governor Bruce Dinwiddy
Leader of Gov't Business McKeeva Bush
Political system Constitutional monarchy
Area
 - Total
  - % water
Ranked 221th
260 kmē
1.6%
Population
  - Total (2002)
  - Density
Ranked 212th
41,934
139.5/kmē
GDP (PPP US$)
  - Total ()
  - GDP/capita
Ranked
$
$
Currency Cayman Dollar $ (KYD)
Time zone UTC -5, Summer: UTC -4
Creation 1963 (Split from Jamaica)
National anthem God Save the Queen (Royal Anthem)
Internet TLD .ky
Dialling code 1-345

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

First visited by Christopher Columbus on May 10, 1503 during his fourth and final voyage to the New World, the islands, along with nearby Jamaica, were ceded to Great Britain in 1670 under the Treaty of Madrid. They were governed as a single colony with Jamaica until 1962 when they became a separate British overseas territory and Jamaica became an independent commonwealth realm.

Caymanians enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the West Indies. Most residents are Protestants of British or African descent and many are of mixed racial ethnicity. The islands' main industries are tourism and offshore banking, thanks to the absence of direct taxes.

The Cayman Islands are completely self-governing and universal voting rights are granted to all citizens at the age of 18 years. A legislature is elected by the people every four years. The Governor of the islands serves as the British representative and is appointed by Queen Elizabeth II.

The island of Grand Cayman was severely damaged in a near-miss by the Category Five Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, destroying many buildings and damaging nearly all. Power, water and communications were all disrupted.

Contents

In fiction

Large parts of the novel The Firm by John Grisham takes place on the Cayman Islands. The main character works for a Memphis, Tennessee law firm that uses island banks for money laundering.

Frank E. Flower 's 2004 film Haven takes place on Grand Cayman. Frank E. Flowers is a native of the Cayman Islands.

See also

References

External links

Cayman Islands Government http://www.gov.ky
Cayman Islands Department of Tourism http://www.caymanislands.ky/

Map of the Cayman Islands
Map of the Cayman Islands


Countries in West Indies

Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago

Dependencies: Anguilla | Aruba | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Navassa Island | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands






Last updated: 02-03-2005 12:28:17
Last updated: 02-24-2005 15:05:15