United Kingdom - Cayman Islands

Status: UK overseas territory

Population: 53,300 (2006)

Time: GMT minus 5hr

Currency: Cayman Islands dollar (CI$), fixed at CI$0.82:US$1

Geography

The Cayman Islands group lies between Cuba and Jamaica in the Caribbean. The territory is a group of three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
Area: 262 sq km

Main towns: George Town (capital, pop. 30,600 in 2006), West Bay and Bodden Town on Grand Cayman. Cayman Brac has four small settlements: Stake Bay, West End, Creek and Spot Bay. Little Cayman has a permanent population of some 150.

Topography: The Caymans are low-lying coral islands, nearly all less than 20m above sea level; the highest point is the eastern side of Cayman Brac, 43m above sea level.

Grand Cayman, which is about 34km in length, has a big bay (the North Sound) on the north-west side; the bay is a good harbour for small boats. The west coast has the Seven Mile Beach, famous for its fine powdery sand. There are no rivers. Drinking water is obtained by desalination.

Climate: Tropical, tempered by cooling north-east trade winds from November to March; warm from May to October, with prevailing winds east-south-east. The hurricane season is from June to November. Hurricanes Allen (August 1980) and Paloma (November 2008) caused extensive damage on Cayman Brac, and Hurricanes Gilbert (September 1988) and Ivan (September 2004) very extensive damage and flooding on Grand Cayman.

Environment: The most significant environmental issue is the lack of natural freshwater resources.

Transport/Communications: Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac together have 785km of paved roads. A new road bypassing part of the busy West Bay Road on Grand Cayman was opened in 1998. Little Cayman also has some paved roads.

George Town is a port of registry for shipping, with a total of 1,400 vessels registered in 2000, and the port is an important calling centre for cargo carriers. Caymanian-owned ships, and ships with Caymanian registration, operate services with Florida and Jamaica.

The international airports are Owen Roberts Airport on Grand Cayman and Gerrard Smith Airport on Cayman Brac. Little Cayman has a private airstrip suitable for light aircraft.

The international dialling code is +1 345. There are 849 main telephone lines (2002) and 766 mobile phones (2004) per 1,000 people.

There are 458 internet users per 1,000 people (2006).

Society

Population: 53,300 (2006); population density 203 per sq km (2006); the majority lives on Grand Cayman; growth 2.6% p.a.; birth rate 13 per 1,000 people; life expectancy 80 years. The population increased by 52% between 1989 and 1999; growth per annum in that period averaged 4.5%.

Cayman Islanders are partly of European, partly of African, mostly of mixed descent.

Religion: Mainly Christians, including followers of Church of God, and Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Baptists.

Language: English

Media: The Caymanian Compass and Cayman Net News are published daily.

Education: There are 12 years of compulsory education starting at age five (2006). There are some fee-paying church schools. Net enrolment ratios are 81% for primary and 96% for secondary (2005). The pupil–teacher ratio for primary is 12:1 and for secondary 9:1 (2006). The school year starts in September.

About 15% of school leavers go on to university. Tertiary education is provided in the Cayman Islands at the Community College (tertiary and adult), the Law School and the International College of the Cayman Islands. Adult literacy is more than 90%.

Health: The government provides hospitals on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, and district clinics, an eye clinic and a dental clinic on Grand Cayman and a clinic on Little Cayman. A new hospital was opened in 1999 in George Town. A private hospital opened in 2000. Mosquitoes are controlled, to a great extent, by the Mosquito Research and Control Unit. Tropical diseases are uncommon. There is strong emphasis on anti-drug programmes, the islands being vulnerable because of their position on drug-smuggling routes. Infant mortality was an estimated 8 per 1,000 live births in 2005.

Public holidays: New Year’s Day, National Heroes’ Day (Monday in late January), Discovery Day (third Monday in May), Queen’s Birthday (Monday following one of the first three Saturdays in June, in line with the UK), Constitution Day (first Monday in July), Remembrance Day (11 November, usually celebrated on the first Monday following 10 November), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Religious festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Whit Monday.

Economy

GDP p.c.: US$46,500 (2006)

Tourist arrivals: 260,000 (2004)

Overview: In per capita terms, Cayman Islands is among the wealthiest economies in the world. The country has no direct taxation and a high percentage of home ownership. The economy is based on high-class tourism and offshore financial services, with a tiny proportion of the population engaged in agriculture and fishing. The economy grew slowly in the 2000s, surging by 6.5% in 2005, due mainly to the increase in construction activity following Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

In the absence of direct taxation, the sources of government revenue are import duty (20% on most goods), stamp duty on documents, and company and licence fees. By 2004, 474 banks and trust companies, 777 insurance companies and 4,808 mutual funds were registered in Cayman Islands. A stock exchange was opened in 1997.

History

The islands were sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1503 on his last voyage to the West Indies. However, they appear on maps prior to that year, more or less correctly placed. The name ‘Cayman’, by which the group has been known since about 1530, is a Spanish corruption of the Carib word for ‘crocodile’. The early history of European penetration is a record of environmental despoliation. The islands were once home to large numbers of crocodiles, which were exterminated in the sailors’ search for fresh meat. The Spaniards first called the group Las Tortugas because the surrounding waters were full of turtles. These, too, were hunted to extermination by about 1800. From the early 16th century until the mid-17th century, English, Spanish and French ships called at the islands to hunt, but there was no settlement.

In 1670, the Treaty of Madrid recognised Britain’s claim to the islands as part of the territory of Jamaica. Grand Cayman was subsequently colonised from Jamaica, the early population including many African slaves. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman were settled in the 1830s. Until the end of the days of sail, the islands were often called at by passing ships, and there was a thriving industry in building small schooners. When that prosperous period ended, they had little contact with the outside world; many people emigrated, settling in Nicaragua, the Bay Islands and Florida. From the 1940s, when air-travel was becoming common, they became accessible again.

In 1832 representative government was established with the formation of an elected legislative assembly, although the three islands had separate administrations until 1877. When Jamaica opted for independence in 1962, the Cayman Islands preferred to remain under the UK Crown, with their own administrator. In November 1971 the administrator’s title was changed to that of governor.

Constitution

Under the November 2009 constitution, which provides for a greater degree of internal self-government than that of 1972, Cayman Islands is a UK overseas territory with representative government and the British monarch as head of state, represented by a governor. There are provisions for the rights and freedoms of the individual.
The legislative assembly has the speaker and 20 members (18 directly elected every four years plus the deputy governor and the attorney-general). The executive comprises the governor and the cabinet. The governor is responsible for external affairs, defence, internal security (including the police) and the overall organisation of the public service. The cabinet is responsible for all other matters. Together with the governor it includes the premier, deputy premier and at least five other ministers, all elected members of the legislative assembly; the deputy governor and attorney-general are ex officio members. The premier is be eligible to serve for a maximum of two consecutive parliamentary terms.

Politics

Last elections: May 2009

Next elections: 2014

Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the governor

Head of government: Premier McKeeva Bush

Ruling party: United Democratic Party

Until 2001, Cayman Islands had no political parties, and elections were fought by individuals in informal groupings. However, in November 2001 Minister of Tourism McKeeva Bush announced the formation of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and within a few days he became leader of government business, following an assembly vote of no confidence in Kurt Tibbetts (by nine votes to five).

In May 2002 the territory became an associate member of CARICOM.

The general election due in November 2004 was postponed until May 2005 after Hurricane Ivan devastated the islands in September 2004. The May 2005 election was won by the People’s Progressive Movement (PPM), with nine seats, and party leader Tibbetts then became leader of government business. The UDP took five seats and an independent one.

In the May 2009 elections, Bush’s UDP took nine seats, the PPM five, and independents one, and Bush was confirmed as leader of government business. Turnout was 73%.
Under the constitution that came into force in November 2009, Bush became the country’s first premier.