Compare Cayman Islands (2005) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)

Compare Cayman Islands (2005) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)

	Cayman Islands (2005)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)

Administrative divisions	8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 21.1% (male 4,658/female 4,662) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 15,284/female 16,050) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 1,699/female 1,917) (2005 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	vegetables, fruit; livestock, turtle farming	-
Airports	3 (2004 est.)	1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 262 sq km land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area - comparative	1.5 times the size of Washington, DC	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
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.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	12.92 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $265.2 million expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)	-
Capital	George Town	-
Climate	tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	160 km	698 km
Constitution	1959; revised 1972 and 1992	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cayman Islands	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Death rate	4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Debt - external	$70 million (1996)	-
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	none	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain
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 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.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - consumption	382.1 million kWh (2002)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - production	410.8 million kWh (2002)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff 43 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments	NA
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 Bruce DINWIDDY (since 29 May 2002) 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	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA	-
Exports - commodities	turtle products, manufactured consumer goods	-
Exports - partners	mostly US	-
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	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $32,300 (2004 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	1.7% (2002 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	19 30 N, 80 30 W	6 00 S, 71 30 E
Geography - note	important location between Cuba and Central America	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Highways	total: 785 km paved: 785 km (2000)	total: NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km
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	-
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, manufactured goods	-
Imports - partners	US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan	-
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: 8.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.8% (2002)	-
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU	-
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal	-
Labor force	19,820 (1995)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% (1995)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 3.85% permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2001)	arable land: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages	English	-
Legal system	British common law and local statutes	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
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 11 May 2005 (next to be held 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.95 years male: 77.33 years female: 82.6 years (2005 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)	-
Location	Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras	Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine	total: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,827,837 GRT/4,555,974 DWT by type: bulk carrier 29, cargo 12, chemical tanker 39, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 126 (Denmark 1, Germany 14, Greece 20, Italy 12, Norway 1, Philippines 1, Sweden 13, Switzerland 11, United Kingdom 9, United States 44) (2005)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
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	hurricanes (July to November)	NA
Natural resources	fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	18.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2005 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	44,270 (July 2005 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA (2002 est.)	-
Population growth rate	2.64% (2005 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Cayman Brac, George Town	Diego Garcia
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	NA
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 (2005 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)	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	38,000 (2002)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	17,000 (2002)	-
Television broadcast stations	4 with cable system (2004)	1 (1997)
Terrain	low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	1.9 children born/woman (2005 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	4.1% (1997)	-
Waterways	-	none

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.