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Cayman Islands
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Grand Cayman |
Cayman
Brac |
Cayman Islands
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The Cayman Islands are an overseas
territory of the United Kingdom in the western
Caribbean Sea comprising the islands of Grand
Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman.
History
Main articles: History of the Cayman Islands,
The Cayman Islands - often referred to as The
Caymans, or (more correctly) just Cayman - were
first visited by Christopher Columbus on May 10,
1503 during his fourth and final voyage to the
New World. The first recorded English visitor to
the islands was Sir Francis Drake, who landed
there in 1586 and named them the Cayman Islands.
The islands, along with nearby Jamaica, were
ceded to England in 1670 under the Treaty of
Madrid. They were governed as a single colony
with Jamaica until 1962 when they became a
separate British overseas territory and Jamaica
became an independent commonwealth realm.
The island of Grand Cayman was severely
damaged by the Category Five Hurricane Ivan in
September 2004, which destroyed many buildings
and damaged nearly all. Power, water and
communications were all disrupted. Ivan was the
worst hurricane to hit the islands in 86 years.
The island has made rapid recovery since Ivan,
with most of the infrastructure now restored.
Geography
Main articles: Geography of the Cayman Islands,
The Cayman Islands are located in the western
Caribbean sea. The three islands are situated
about 480 miles south of Miami, 150 miles south
of Cuba, and 180 miles northwest of Jamaica.
Grand Cayman is by far the largest, with an area
of 76 square miles. The two "Sister Islands" of
Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are located about
90 miles east of Grand Cayman and have areas of
14 square miles and 10 square miles
respectively.
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Background:
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The
Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the
British during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Administered by Jamaica from 1863, they remained a
British dependency after 1962 when the former became
independent. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly
one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras
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Geographic coordinates:
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19 30
N, 80 30 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 262 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 262 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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1.5
times the size of Washington, DC |
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Climate:
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tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to
October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November
to April) |
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Terrain:
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low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
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Nationality:
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noun: Caymanian(s)
adjective: Caymanian |
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Ethnic groups:
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mixed
40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various
ethnic groups 20% |
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Religions:
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United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational),
Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant,
Roman Catholic |
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Languages:
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English |
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Currency:
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Caymanian dollar (KYD) |
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Currency code:
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KYD
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Exchange rates:
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Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.82 (29 October
2001), 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November
1993) |
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