Cayman Islands (2002) | Cayman Islands (2006) | |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 22% (male 3,836; female 4,156)
15-64 years: 69.7% (male 12,335; female 12,929) 65 years and over: 8.3% (male 1,399; female 1,618) (2002 est.) |
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 | vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming |
Airports | 3 (2001) | 3 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) |
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 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 | 13.45 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 12.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $265.2 million
expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $423.8 million
expenditures: $392.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
Capital | George Town | 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) |
Constitution | 1959, revised 1972 and 1992 | 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 |
Currency | Caymanian dollar (KYD) | - |
Death rate | 5.24 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 4.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $390,000 $NA |
Electricity - consumption | 330.15 million kWh (2000) | 411 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 355 million kWh (2000) | 441.9 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: The Bluff 43 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Governor Bruce DINWIDDY (since 29 May 2002)
head of government: Chief Secretary W. McKeeva BUSH (since NA December 2001) 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; the chief secretary is appointed by the governor |
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 | $1.2 million (1999) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - partners | mostly US | mostly US (2004) |
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 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 | purchasing power parity - $1.18 billion (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 3% services: 95% (1994 est.) |
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $30,000 (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.5% (2000) | 0.9% (2004 est.) |
Highways | total: 406 km
paved: 304 km unpaved: 102 km |
- |
Imports | $457.4 million (1999) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - partners | US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan | US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2004) |
Infant mortality rate | 9.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 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) | 2.3% (2000) (2000) | 4.4% (2004) |
International organization participation | Caricom (observer), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate) | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Labor force | 19,820 (1995) | 23,450 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% (1995) | agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 12.6% services: 86% (1995) |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 3.85%
permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005) |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three appointed members from the Executive Council 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 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: 79.18 years
male: 76.38 years female: 81.59 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 80.07 years
male: 77.45 years female: 82.74 years (2006 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras | Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 121 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,034,181 GRT/3,191,597 DWT
ships by type: bulk 24, cargo 4, chemical tanker 34, container 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 40, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Bahrain 2, China 1, Germany 4, Greece 27, Hong Kong 3, Italy 2, Japan 1, Norway 14, Sweden 13, United Kingdom 15, United States 35 (2002 est.) |
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 branches | no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (RCIPF) | no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force |
Net migration rate | 12.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2002 est.) |
17.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | there are no formal political parties but the following loose groupings act as political organizations; National Team [leader NA]; Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Team Cayman [leader NA]; United Democratic Party [leader NA] | 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] |
Population | 36,273 (July 2002 est.) | 45,436
note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2006 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.03% (2002 est.) | 2.56% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cayman Brac, George Town | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Radios | 36,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | - |
Sex ratio | at birth: 0.86 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.92 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 (2002 est.) |
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.) |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine coaxial cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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 | 19,000 (1995) | 38,000 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,534 (1995) | 17,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 with cable system | 4 with cable system (2004) |
Total fertility rate | 2.03 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.1% (1997) | 4.4% (2004) |
Waterways | none | - |