Compare Cayman Islands (2008) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2007)

Compare Cayman Islands (2008) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2007)

	Cayman Islands (2008)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2007)

Administrative divisions	8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 20.3% (male 4,746/female 4,730) 15-64 years: 71% (male 16,135/female 16,964) 65 years and over: 8.6% (male 1,892/female 2,133) (2007 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming	-
Airports	3 (2007)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	-
Area	total: 262 sq km land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Area - comparative	1.5 times the size of Washington, DC	land area is 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, 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.	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 that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	12.6 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $423.8 million expenditures: $392.6 million (2004)	-
Capital	name: George Town (on Grand Cayman) geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)	-
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 1962, 1972, and 1994	-
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	4.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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 including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	$390,000 (2004)	-
Economy - overview	With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 68,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 2003, including almost 500 banks, 800 insurers, and 5,000 mutual funds. 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 2.1 million in 2003, with about half 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 a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed 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 native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.
Electricity - consumption	372 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - production	400 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 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 - NA (2007), 0.8496 (2006)	-
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by 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	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	-
Exports - commodities	turtle products, manufactured consumer goods	-
Exports - partners	mostly US (2006)	-
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 - real growth rate	0.9% (2004 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	19 30 N, 80 30 W	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E
Geography - note	important location between Cuba and Central America	archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
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	2,698 bbl/day (2004)	-
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, manufactured goods	-
Imports - partners	US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2006)	-
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: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	4.4% (2004)	-
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU	-
Irrigated land	NA	0 sq km
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	0 km
Land use	arable land: 3.85% permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
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; 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; to 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: 80.2 years male: 77.57 years female: 82.87 years (2007 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)	-
Location	Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, 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	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 124 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,953,923 GRT/4,597,716 DWT by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 11, chemical tanker 41, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 4 foreign-owned: 122 (Denmark 3, Germany 17, Greece 23, Italy 10, Japan 6, Norway 2, Singapore 10, Sweden 1, UK 9, US 41) (2007)	-
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	17.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2007 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; note - no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	46,600 note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2007 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 in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	2.496% (2007 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
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: 1.003 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.951 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.887 male(s)/female total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: reasonably good system domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction of competition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004 international: country code - 1-345; landing point for the MAYA-1 submarine telephone cable network that provides links to the US and parts of Central and South America; submarine cable provides connectivity to Jamaica; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; 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 two meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	4.4% (2004)	-

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