Cayman Islands (2008) | Indian Ocean (2006) | |
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) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (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: 68.556 million sq km
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies |
Area - comparative | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about 5.5 times the size of the US |
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. | The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. |
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) | northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean |
Coastline | 160 km | 66,526 km |
Constitution | 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 | - |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cayman Islands |
- |
Death rate | 4.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $70 million (1996) | - |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | - |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | - |
Disputes - international | none | some maritime disputes (see littoral states) |
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. | The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. |
Electricity - consumption | 372 million kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - production | 400 million kWh (2005) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m |
lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
highest point: sea level 0 m |
Environment - current issues | no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments | endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea |
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 |
- |
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 | - |
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 | 20 00 S, 80 00 E |
Geography - note | important location between Cuba and Central America | major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait |
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 | - |
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 | - |
Land use | arable land: 3.85%
permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005) |
- |
Languages | English | - |
Legal system | British common law and local statutes | - |
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 | body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Political Map of the World |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 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 | - |
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) | occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches |
Natural resources | fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism | oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules |
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.) |
- |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 2.496% (2007 est.) | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) | - |
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) |
- |
Telephones - main lines in use | 38,000 (2002) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 17,000 (2002) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 4 with cable system (2004) | - |
Terrain | low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs | surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge |
Total fertility rate | 1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 4.4% (2004) | - |