Arctic Ocean (2001) | Cayman Islands (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | - | 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 20.7% (male 4,708/female 4,700)
15-64 years: 70.9% (male 15,707/female 16,504) 65 years and over: 8.4% (male 1,793/female 2,024) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming |
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) |
Area | total:
14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies |
total: 262 sq km
land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean. | 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. |
Birth rate | - | 12.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $423.8 million
expenditures: $392.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
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) |
Climate | polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow | tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April) |
Coastline | 45,389 km | 160 km |
Constitution | - | 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 |
Country name | - | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cayman Islands |
Death rate | - | 4.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $70 million (1996) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | some maritime disputes (see littoral states) | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $390,000 $NA |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals. | 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 1998, 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 in 1997, with 600,000 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 411 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | - | 441.9 million kWh (2003) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m |
Environment - current issues | endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack | no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments |
Ethnic groups | - | mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20% |
Exchange rates | - | Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.82 (29 October 2001), 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993) |
Executive branch | - | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); 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 |
Exports | - | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | - | turtle products, manufactured consumer goods |
Exports - partners | - | mostly US (2004) |
Fiscal year | - | 1 April - 31 March |
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 |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 0.9% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 90 00 N, 0 00 E | 19 30 N, 80 30 W |
Geography - note | major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months | important location between Cuba and Central America |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe |
Imports | - | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | - | foodstuffs, manufactured goods |
Imports - partners | - | US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2004) |
Independence | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 8 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 4.4% (2004) |
International organization participation | - | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Irrigated land | - | NA |
Judicial branch | - | Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal |
Labor force | - | 23,450 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 12.6% services: 86% (1995) |
Land boundaries | - | 0 km |
Land use | - | arable land: 3.85%
permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005) |
Languages | - | English |
Legal system | - | British common law and local statutes |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; members 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 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 80.07 years
male: 77.45 years female: 82.74 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
Location | body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle | Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica |
Map references | Arctic Region | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | - | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force |
National holiday | - | Constitution Day, first Monday in July |
Nationality | - | noun: Caymanian(s)
adjective: Caymanian |
Natural hazards | ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May | hurricanes (July to November) |
Natural resources | sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales) | fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism |
Net migration rate | - | 17.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2006 est.) |
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] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | - | 45,436
note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 2.56% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US) | - |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Religions | - | United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 38,000 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 17,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 4 with cable system (2004) |
Terrain | central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge) | low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 4.4% (2004) |