ABOUT CAYMAN ISLANDS
WHY CAYMAN ISLAND?Scuba diving - seven mile beach - green sea turtle - stingrays - hiking - secluded beaches - excellent diving and more...
ABOUT CAYMAN ISLANDS
HISTORY:
British dependency (1994 est. pop. 32,000), c.100 sq mi (259 sq km), West Indies, consisting of three main islands, of which Grand Cayman is the largest. The capital is George Town. The Caymans have prospered as a major international offshore banking center, rivaling even Switzerland. Sighted (1503) by Christopher COLUMBUS, the islands are now popular tourist attractions.
PEOPLE / CULTURE:
About one-quarter of Caymanians are of European, mainly British, stock; another quarter are blacks, the descendants of African slaves; and about one-half of the population is of mixed ancestry. English is the official language. Most of the major Christian denominations are represented in the islands.
The Cayman Islands remained largely uninhabited until the 17th century. A variety of people settled on the islands, including pirates, refugees from the Spanish Inquisition, shipwrecked sailors, deserters from Oliver Cromwell's army in Jamaica, and slaves. The majority of Caymanians are of African and British descent, with considerable interracial mixing.
The two smaller Cayman islands were discovered by Columbus in 1503. Sir Francis Drake explored the area in 1586, but it was 1670 before the islands came under full British rule. Grand Cayman was settled from Jamaica by 1672; Little Cayman and Cayman Brac were settled some time later and maintained a separate administration until 1877. The Governor of Jamaica held administrative responsibility for the islands until 1962, when Jamaica itself became independent. Since then the islands have had their own Governor appointed by the British crown (see Government section to follow). The present incumbent, appointed in 2002, is Bruce Dinwiddy.
Since the 1700s Caymanians have had a fine reputation as sailors and boat builders. The islands at one point exported cotton, mahogany and sarsaparilla to Jamaica. These exports, combined with fishing, turtling and shipbuilding sustained the islands for over 150 years. As recently as 1906, over a fifth of the island's population was seafarers. A close link with the sea is evident throughout Cayman history and continues today, as visitors arrive from all over the world to explore the clear azure waters and beautiful coral reefs.