The Cayman Islands are a British
dependency and island nation
comprised of a three-island
archipelago in the Caribbean
Sea: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac,
and Little Cayman. The Cayman
Islands are 240 km south of Cuba
and 268 km northwest of Jamaica,
and are between Cuba and Central
America. Its geographic
coordinates are 19°30 north,
80°30 west. The Cayman Islands
have a land area of 259 km˛
(101.2 square miles), about 1.5
times the size of Washington,
D.C. and 3 km˛ larger than Saint
Kitts and Nevis. The Caymans
have a coastline of 160 km (99
km). The Cayman Islands make a
maritime claim of a 200-nautical
mile exclusive fishing zone and
a territorial sea of 12 nautical
miles. The Cayman Islands'
lowest elevation is the
Caribbean Sea at sea level. The
highest point is The Bluff, a
limestone outcrop 43 m (141
feet) in length on the eastern
end of eastern Cayman Brac,
which itself was named for The
Bluff—"brac" is Gaelic for
"bluff." The Cayman Islands have
a tropical marine climate, with
a wet season of warm, rainy
summers (May to October) and a
dry season of relatively cool
winters (November to April).
Terrain is mostly a low-lying
limestone base surrounded by
coral reefs. An important
environmental issue is the lack
of fresh water resources.
Drinking water supplies must be
met by rainwater catchments and
desalination. Natural resources
include fish and a climate and
beaches that foster tourism,
which is the islands' major
industry. A 2005 estimate of
land use determined that the
Caymans' had 3.85 percent arable
land and no permanent crops. A
major natural hazard is the
tropical cyclones that form
during the Atlantic hurricane
season from July to November.
Grand Cayman (the largest
island) is administratively
divided into 5 districts. They
are George Town, East End, North
Side, and West Bay And Bodden
Town.
Cayman Brac is divided into 6
districts. They are West End, Stake
Bay, Creek, The Rock, Cotton Tree
Bay and Watering Place. Then there
is Little Cayman which is a bit
bigger than a district in itself.
Cayman Islands reflect its status as
a British overseas territory, its
history as a former dependency of
Jamaica, and its present financial
partnerships with the United States
and other countries. The vast
majority of its 45,436 residents
live on the island of Grand Cayman.
According to the Cayman Islands
Chamber of Commerce, in 1999 an
estimated 1300 people lived on
Cayman Brac, while only 115 resided
on Little Cayman. Although many
Caribbean islands were initially
populated by Amerindian groups such
as the Arawaks, Tainos, and Caribs,
no evidence of this has been found
in the Cayman Islands. Therefore,
native Caymanians do not have any
Amerindian heritage from their own
islands; however, a significant
number of Jamaicans have settled in
the Cayman Islands over the years,
so they and their descendants may
have some Amerindian blood via
Jamaica. Slavery was less common on
the Cayman Islands than in many
other parts of the Caribbean,
resulting in a more even division of
African and European ancestry. Those
of mixed race make up 40% of the
population, with blacks and whites
following at 20% each. The remaining
20% belong to various immigrant
ethnic groups. With its success in
the tourism and financial service
industries, the Cayman Islands have
attracted many international
businesses and citizens to relocate.
The largest numbers of expatriates
living in the Cayman Islands (as of
the government's 1999 Census Report)
hail from Jamaica (8320), the United
Kingdom (2392), the United States
(2040), Canada (1562), and Honduras
(873). Approximately 3300 more
residents are citizens of various
other countries. While the
government doesn't restrict foreign
land ownership, it does strongly
enforce its immigration laws.
Businesses are required to grant
access to job openings to Caymanian
citizens first; if none of them are
suitable, the business may then seek
employees from other countries. In
order to work in the Cayman Islands,
foreigners must have a job offer
before immigrating. To encourage
literacy, the Cayman Islands
government requires all legal
resident children between the ages
of four and 16 years old to attend
school. Education for Caymanians is
free, with both public and private
schools available. Based on the
English school system, primary
schools teach children from four to
11 years, while high schools handle
11 to 16 year-olds. The government
also provides facilities for special
education, training for the disabled
and an education center for juvenile
offenders. In addition, higher
education may be pursued at The
University College and The Law
School. Consequently, literacy rates
are high, estimated at 98% in 1995
by UNESCO and 90% by the Cayman
Islands government. The predominant
religion on the Cayman Islands is
Christianity. Denominations
practiced include United Church,
Church of God, Anglican, Baptist,
Roman Catholic, Seventh Day
Adventist, and Pentecostal. Many
citizens are deeply religious,
regularly going to church. Ports are
closed on Sundays and Christian
holidays. There are also places of
worship in George Town for Jehovah's
Witnesses and followers of Baha'i.
The official language of the Cayman
Islands is English. Islanders'
accents retain elements passed down
from English, Scottish, and Welsh
settlers. Jamaicans speak in their
own vernacular.
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