Cayman Islands (2001) | New Zealand (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western | 16 regions; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, West Coast |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
22.21% (male 3,807; female 4,084) 15-64 years: 69.74% (male 12,102; female 12,676) 65 years and over: 8.05% (male 1,318; female 1,540) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 22.2% (male 443,921; female 422,804)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,299,973; female 1,290,097) 65 years and over: 11.5% (male 196,640; female 254,602) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, fruit; livestock, turtle farming | wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish |
Airports | 3 (2000 est.) | 106 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 67
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 39 (2002) |
Area | total:
259 sq km land: 259 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 268,680 sq km
land: NA sq km water: NA sq km note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands |
Area - comparative | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about the size of Colorado |
Background | The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica from 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962 when the former became independent. | The Polynesian Maoris reached New Zealand in about the 800 AD. The British proclaimed their sovereignty over the islands in 1840 and began settlement that same year. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. |
Birth rate | 13.79 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.23 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$265.2 million expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $16.7 billion
expenditures: $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01) |
Capital | George Town | Wellington |
Climate | tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April) | temperate with sharp regional contrasts |
Coastline | 160 km | 15,134 km |
Constitution | 1959, revised 1972 and 1992 | consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Cayman Islands |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ |
Currency | Caymanian dollar (KYD) | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
Death rate | 5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $70 million (1996) | $31.1 billion (2001 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Dependent areas | - | Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP 96531-1001 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 478-1701 consulate(s) general: Auckland |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
Disputes - international | none | territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $99.7 million (FY00/01) |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | - |
Economy - overview | 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 1997, 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 visitors in 1997. 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. | Since 1984 the government has accomplished major economic restructuring, transforming New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. While per capita incomes have been rising, however, they remain below the level of the four largest EU economies, and there is some government concern that New Zealand is not closing the gap. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth, and it has been affected by the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus far the New Zealand economy has been relatively resilient, achieving about 3% growth in 2001, but the New Zealand business cycle tends to lag the US cycle by about six months, so the worst of the downturn may not hit until mid-2002. |
Electricity - consumption | 306.9 million kWh (1999) | 33.315 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 330 million kWh (1999) | 35.823 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 27%
hydro: 66% nuclear: 0% other: 7% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff 43 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Cook 3,764 m |
Environment - current issues | no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchment | deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation |
Ethnic groups | mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20% | New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4% |
Exchange rates | Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993) | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January 2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Governor and President of the Executive Council Peter SMITH (since 5 May 1999) head of government: Kurt TIBBETTS (since November 2000) 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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA September 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
Exports | $1.5 million (1998) | $14.2 billion (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | turtle products, manufactured consumer goods | dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery |
Exports - partners | mostly US | Australia 20.4%, US 14.5%, Japan 13.5%, UK 5.4%, South Korea, China (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms on a white disk 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 | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $930 million (1997 est.) | purchasing power parity - $75.4 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.) |
agriculture: 8%
industry: 23% services: 69% (1999) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $24,500 (1997 est.) | purchasing power parity - $19,500 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.9% (1999 est.) | 3.1% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 19 30 N, 80 30 W | 41 00 S, 174 00 E |
Geography - note | important location between Cuba and Central America | about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world |
Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total:
406 km paved: 304 km unpaved: 102 km |
total: 92,200 km
paved: 53,568 km (including at least 144 km of expressways) unpaved: 38,632 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 0%
highest 10%: 30% (1991 est.) |
Illicit drugs | vulnerable to drug money laundering and drug transshipment to the US and Europe | - |
Imports | $507.6 million (1998) | $12.5 billion (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, manufactured goods | machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics |
Imports - partners | US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan | Australia 22.5%, US 17.5%, Japan 11%, UK 4%, China, Germany (2000) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 26 September 1907 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 3% (2001 est.) |
Industries | tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture | food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining |
Infant mortality rate | 10.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 6.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (1998) | 2.6% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (observer), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate) | ABEDA, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 36 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 2,850 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal | High Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 19,820 (1995) | 1.92 million (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% (1995) | services 65%, industry 25%, agriculture 10% (1995) (1995) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 8% forests and woodland: 23% other: 69% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 5.8%
permanent crops: 6.44% other: 87.76% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English | English (official), Maori (official) |
Legal system | British common law and local statutes | based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three appointed members and 15 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA |
unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 27 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NZLP 52, NP 27, NZFP 13, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 9, UF 8, other 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
79.03 years male: 76.24 years female: 81.43 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 78.15 years
male: 75.17 years female: 81.27 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
106 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,656,452 GRT/2,643,036 DWT ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 5, chemical tanker 27, container 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 2, Denmark 2, Finland 1, Greece 11, Norway 3, UK 3, US 3 (2000 est.) |
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 68,427 GRT/106,627 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (RCIPF) | New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $515.6 million (2002 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.2% (FY2001/02) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,010,316 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 850,185 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 20 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 26,480 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Constitution Day, first Monday in July | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Nationality | noun:
Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian |
noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (July to November) | earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity |
Natural resources | fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism | natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone |
Net migration rate | 12.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US |
4.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | petroleum products 160 km; natural gas 1,000 km; liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 150 km |
Political parties and leaders | there are no formal political parties but the following loose groupings act as political organizations; National Team; Democratic Alliance; Team Cayman | ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Alliance (a coalition of the New Labor Party, Democratic Party, New Zealand Liberal Party, and Mana Motuhake) [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [William (Bill) English]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; United Future or UF [leader NA]; United New Zealand or UNZ [Peter DUNNE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 35,527 (July 2001 est.) | 3,908,037 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.12% (2001 est.) | 1.12% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cayman Brac, George Town | Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) |
Radios | 36,000 (1997) | 3.75 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 3,908 km
narrow gauge: 3,908 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2001) |
Religions | United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Church of God, other Protestant | Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
0.86 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine coaxial cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA international: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 19,000 (1995) | 1.92 million (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,534 (1995) | 2.2 million (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs | predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains |
Total fertility rate | 2.04 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.1% (1997) | 5.5% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | none | 1,609 km
note: of little importance in satisfying total transportation requirements |