2010 Edition

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. When the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.

Area

land

264 sq km

total

264 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)

Coastline

160 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

The Bluff on Cayman Brac 43 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments

Geographic coordinates

19 30 N, 80 30 W

Geography - note

important location between Cuba and Central America

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

3.85%

other

96.15% (2005)

permanent crops

0%

Location

Caribbean, three-island group (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

hurricanes (July to November)

Natural resources

fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism

Terrain

low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.6% (male 4,824/female 4,783) 15-64 years: 71.1% (male 16,994/female 17,884) 65 years and over: 9.3% (male 2,139/female 2,411) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

12.29 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Ethnic groups

mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

5.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

7.77 deaths/1,000 live births

total

6.78 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official) 95%, Spanish 3.2%, other 1.8% (1999 census)

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.27 years (2010 est.)

male

77.91 years

total population

80.57 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

female

98% (1970 est.)

male

98%

total population

98%

Median age

female

38.9 years (2010 est.)

male

38 years

total

38.4 years

Nationality

adjective

Caymanian

noun

Caymanian(s)

Net migration rate

16.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2010 est.)

Population

50,209 note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

2.338% (2010 est.)

Religions

Church of God 25.5%, Roman Catholic 12.6%, Presbyterian / United Church 9.2%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.4%, Baptist 8.3%, Pentecostal 6.7%, Anglican 3.9%, other religions 4%, non-denominational 5.7%, other 6.5%, none 6.1%, unspecified 3.2% (2007)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

13 years (2008)

male

13 years

total

13 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.016 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 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 (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.88 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western

Capital

geographic coordinates

19 18 N, 81 23 W

name

George Town (on Grand Cayman)

time difference

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009, 6 November 2009

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Cayman Islands

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK); consular services provided through the US Embassy in Jamaica

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

The Cabinet (six members are appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier, selected from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly) (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Duncan TAYLOR (since 15 January 2010)

elections

the monarchy is hereditary; the governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition appointed by the governor as premier

head of government

Premier McKeeva BUSH (since 6 November 2009)

Flag description

a blue field, 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 crest with a pineapple, representing the connection with Jamaica, and a turtle, representing Cayman's seafaring tradition, above a shield bearing a golden lion, symbolizing Great Britain, below which are three green stars (representing the three islands) surmounting white and blue wavy lines representing the sea and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Judicial branch

Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal; Summary Court

Legal system

British common law and local statutes

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; 18 members elected by popular vote and 2 ex officio members from The Cabinet; to serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDP 9, PPM 5, independent 1

elections

last held on 20 May 2009 (next to be held not later than May 2013)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Leila E. ROSS note: adopted 1993; served as an unofficial anthem since 1930; as a territory of the United Kingdom, in addition to the local anthem, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

name

"Beloved Isle Cayman"

National holiday

Constitution Day, first Monday in July

Political parties and leaders

People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]

Political pressure groups and leaders

National Trust

other

environmentalists

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming

Debt - external

$70 million (1996)

Economy - overview

With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 93,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 2008, including almost 300 banks, 800 insurers, and 10,000 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 1.9 million in 2008, 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.

Electricity - consumption

507.8 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

546 million kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Caymanian dollars (KYD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.8496 (2006)

Exports

$13.8 million (2008) $2.52 million (2004)

Exports - commodities

turtle products, manufactured consumer goods

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

1.4%

industry

3.2%

services

95.4% (1994 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$43,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.1% (2008 est.) 0.9% (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.25 billion (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.25 billion (2008 est.) $2.23 billion (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$876.5 million (2008) $866.9 million (2004)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.1% (2008) 4.4% (2004)

Labor force

39,000 note: nearly 55% are non-nationals (2007)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

1.9%

industry

19.1%

services

79% (2008 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA (31 December 2008) $183.5 million (31 December 2007) $188.4 million (31 December 2006)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

3,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

3,294 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Stock of broad money

$5.564 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of narrow money

$334.3 million (31 December 2008)

Unemployment rate

4% (2008) 4.4% (2004)

Broadcast media

4 television stations; cable and satellite subscription services offer a variety of international programming; government-owned Radio Cayman operates 2 networks broadcasting on 5 stations; 10 privately-owned radio stations operate alongside Radio Cayman (2007)

Internet country code

.ky

Internet hosts

21,910 (2010)

Internet users

23,000 (2008)

Telephone system

domestic

liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction of competition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004

general assessment

reasonably good system

international

country code - 1-345; landing points for the MAYA-1, Eastern Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS), and the Cayman-Jamaica Fiber System submarine cables that provide links to the US and parts of Central and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Telephones - main lines in use

38,000 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

33,800 (2004)

Airports

3 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 20, cargo 3, chemical tanker 56, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 10, vehicle carrier 15

foreign-owned

99 (Germany 6, Greece 11, Italy 6, Japan 19, Switzerland 1, UK 2, US 54) (2010)

total

113

Ports and terminals

Cayman Brac, George Town

Roadways

paved

785 km (2007)

total

785 km

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 12,108 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 9,860 females age 16-49: 10,287 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

347 (2010 est.)

male

326

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Military branches

no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (2010)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

major offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe (2008) page last updated on January 11, 2011 ======================================================================