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| Scuba Grand Cayman Coral Reef |
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Resources Overview
The Cayman Islands are Overseas Territories of the UK and consist of three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. All are very low-lying, with a maximum elevation of only 42 meters. Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are situated on either side of the Oriente Transform Fault, which also separates the south coast of Cuba from Jamaica. The Cayman Trough, to the east of Jamaica and the southeast of Grand Cayman, is actively spreading at the mid-Cayman Rise. Weather patterns in the Caymans are broadly similar to those in Jamaica, but the eastern islands are generally drier than Grand Cayman.
There has been a remarkable expansion in the Cayman Islands over the last 30 years. The resident population has grown from 8 500 to 30 000, while the economy has boomed. The Islands are a thriving offshore financial center, with more than 40 000 registered companies in 1997, including almost 600 banks and trust companies whose assets currently exceed US$500 billion. Despite this, tourism is the mainstay of the economy, accounting for about 70 percent of gross domestic product and 75 percent of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly for visitors from North America. Numbers are very high, with some 1.4 million visitors arriving annually. About 40 percent of these visitors go diving, attracted by the easy access to clear waters and sheer drop-offs.
Most of the pressure on the reefs arises from the massive, tourist-focussed development. Pollution and the contamination of groundwater by sewage are potential problems, as is overfishing. The deeper reefs off George Town have been destroyed by the continual anchoring of cruiseships, and nearby shallow reefs have been damaged by the resulting sedimentation. There are also direct concerns about the carrying capacity of dive sites and there have been some declines in fish stocks associated with overfishing. There was large-scale bleaching of corals in 1987, and even more severe bleaching in 1995-96 and 1998. In addition, white band disease has been reported.
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Geography
Area: 259 sq. km. (100 sq. mi.) on three islands: Grand Cayman (76 sq. mi.), Cayman Brac (14 sq. mi.), and Little Cayman (10 sq. mi.).
Capital: George Town (pop. 15,000).
Terrain: Flat.
Climate: Tropical. |
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Caymanian(s).
Population: 35,530 (est. 2000).
Annual growth rate: 2.12%.
Ethnic groups: Afro-European 40%, African 20%, European 20%, other 20%. Religious Affiliations: United Church, Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic.
Language: English.
Education: Years compulsory--to age 16. Literacy (age 15 and over)--98%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--10.16/1,000. Life expectancy--79 yrs.
Work force: 20,000. |
Economy
GDP: $937 million (1997).
Growth rate: 4.9%.
Per capita income: $24,500.
Natural resources: Scenic beaches and underwater attractions, favorable climate.
Agriculture: Products--Minor production of vegetables and livestock, turtle farming.
Industry: Types--tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction.
Trade: Exports--$2 million: turtle products, manufactured consumer goods. Major market--United States. Imports--$508 million: machinery, manufactures, food, fuels, chemicals. Major suppliers--U.S., Trinidad and Tobago, U.K., Netherlands Antilles, Japan.
Official exchange rate: CI $0.80=U.S.$1. |
Profile
Although the United Kingdom is responsible for the Cayman Islands' defense and foreign affairs, important bilateral issues are often resolved by negotiations between the Cayman Government and foreign governments, including the United States. Despite close historic and political links to the United Kingdom and Jamaica, geography and the rise of tourism and international finance in the Cayman Islands' economy has made the U.S. its most important foreign economic partner. About 550,000 U.S. citizens traveled to the Cayman Islands in 2000; some 1,000 Americans are resident there.
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History
The Cayman Islands remained largely uninhabited until the 17th century. A variety of people settled on the islands: 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.
Great Britain took formal control of the Caymans, along with Jamaica, under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670. Following several unsuccessful attempts, permanent settlement of the islands began in the 1730s. The Cayman Islands historically have been popular as a tax haven. Legend has it that Caymanians in 1788 rescued the crews of a Jamaican merchant ship convoy which had struck a reef at Gun Bay and that the Caymanians were rewarded with King George III's promise to never again impose any tax.
The Cayman Islands, initially administered as a dependency of Jamaica, became an independent colony in 1959; they now are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. |
| Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, |
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