Cayman Islands (2004) | Cayman Islands (2006) | |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 21.4% (male 4,608; female 4,616)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 14,858; female 15,593) 65 years and over: 8% (male 1,607; female 1,821) (2004 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 (2003 est.) | 3 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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 since 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 | 13.11 births/1,000 population (2004 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 | 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 4.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Economic aid - recipient | NA (1999) | $390,000 $NA |
Electricity - consumption | 355.2 million kWh (2001) | 411 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 381.9 million kWh (2001) | 441.9 million kWh (2003) |
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 | NA (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - partners | mostly US | mostly US (2004) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $35,000 (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1.7% (2002 est.) | 0.9% (2004 est.) |
Highways | total: 785 km
paved: 785 km (2000) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - partners | US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan | US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2004) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
Infant mortality rate | total: 8.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 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) | 2.8% (2002) | 4.4% (2004) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Labor force | 19,820 (1995) | 23,450 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% (1995) | agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 12.6% services: 86% (1995) |
Land use | arable land: 3.85%
permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2001) |
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 17 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: 79.81 years
male: 77.21 years female: 82.45 years (2004 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 |
Merchant marine | total: 137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,827,837 GRT/4,555,974 DWT
by type: bulk 27, cargo 7, chemical tanker 36, container 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 25, refrigerated cargo 33, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: Germany 9, Greece 25, Hong Kong 3, Italy 14, Norway 4, Singapore 1, Spain 11, Sweden 13, Switzerland 1, United Kingdom 18, United States 43 registered in other countries: 2 (2004 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) |
Net migration rate | 18.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2004 est.) |
17.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2006 est.) |
Population | 43,103 (July 2004 est.) | 45,436
note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA (2002 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.71% (2004 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) |
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: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 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: country code - 1-345; 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) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 with cable system | 4 with cable system (2004) |
Total fertility rate | 1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.1% (1997) | 4.4% (2004) |