Cayman Islands

Cayman Islands (kā`mən), British dependency (2005 est. pop. 44,300), 100 sq mi (259 sq km), comprising three islands in the West Indies. George Town, the capital and chief port, is on Grand Cayman; the other islands are Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. There are eight administrative districts. The largely Christian, English-speaking population is about 40% of mixed European and African ancestry, 20% white, and 20% black. Finance and tourism are the economic mainstays of the Cayman Islands. The islands have prospered as an international offshore banking center, rivaling even Switzerland, and since the 1970s, the luxury tourist industry has also become an economic mainstay. Almost all goods are imported, primarily from the United States. The islands were sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1503, but were colonized by the British beginning in the 1800s. Administered from Jamaica after 1863, they became a separate British crown colony when Jamaica became independent in 1962. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan brought widespread destruction to the islands.

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Cayman Islands

British overseas territory (pop., 2005 est.: 47,000), Caribbean Sea. Located about 180 mi (290 km) northwest of Jamaica, it has a total land area of 118 sq mi (306 sq km). The islands include Grand Cayman (the largest and the location of the capital, George Town), Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Though discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1503, the islands were never occupied by the Spanish. Ceded to the British in 1670, they were subsequently settled by the English arriving from Jamaica. The islands were administered as a dependency of Jamaica until Jamaican independence in 1962; a constitution was enacted in 1972. The governor of the Cayman Islands is appointed by the British crown. The islands are a popular tourist area and a financial centre.

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Cayman Islands 

a British possession in the West Indies, in the Caribbean Sea. The territory consists of the Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brae islands. Area, 259 sq km. Population, 10, 600 (1970 census). The inhabitants are Creoles, Negroes, and mulattoes; more than 80 percent live on Grand Cayman. Administrative center, Georgetown.

The islands are governed by a representative of the British crown. The main industries are agriculture, catching caimans and turtles, salt mining, and tourism. The Caymans were discov-ered by Christopher Columbus in 1503.