Cayman Islands
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The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the West Indies, comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman.
First visited by Christopher Columbus on May 10, 1503 during his fourth and final voyage to the New World, the islands, along with nearby Jamaica, were ceded to Great Britain 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.
Caymanians enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the West Indies. Most residents are Protestants of British or African descent and many are of mixed racial ethnicity. The islands' main industries are tourism and offshore banking, thanks to the absence of direct taxes. This fact also explains that many foreign companies incorporate on the Cayman Islands to use it as a tax haven.
The Cayman Islands are largely self-governed and universal voting rights are granted to all citizens at the age of 18 years. A legislature is elected by the people every four years. The Governor of the islands serves as the British representative and is appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes the Cayman Islands on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.[1] (https://academickids.com:443/encyclopedia/index.php/Cayman_Islands#fn_UN_decolonisation)
The island of Grand Cayman was severely damaged by the Category Five Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, destroying many buildings and damaging nearly all. Power, water and communications were all disrupted.
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In fiction
Large parts of the novel The Firm by John Grisham takes place on the Cayman Islands. The main character works for a Memphis, Tennessee law firm that uses island banks for money laundering.
Frankie Flowers' 2004 film Haven takes place on Grand Cayman. Frankie Flowers is a native of the Cayman Islands.
See also
- History of the Cayman Islands
- Geography of the Cayman Islands
- Demographics of the Cayman Islands
- Politics of the Cayman Islands
- Economy of the Cayman Islands
- Communications on the Cayman Islands
- Transportation on the Cayman Islands
- Scuba Diving on the Cayman Islands
- Military of the Cayman Islands
- Foreign relations of the Cayman Islands
References
- Template:Web reference Originally from the CIA World Factbook 2000.
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External links
- Cayman Islands Government (http://www.gov.ky)
- Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (http://www.caymanislands.ky/)
- Cayman Island Overview (http://www.greatcaribbeanadventures.com/cayman/index.asp)
- Cayman Net News Newspaper (http://www.caymannetnews.com/)
- Go To Cayman (http://www.gotocayman.com/)
- Grand Cayman Island Vacation Travel Guide (http://www.gocayman.ky/)
| Countries in West Indies |
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Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago |
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Dependencies: Anguilla | Aruba | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Navassa Island | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| | Missing image Caricom-Flag.png Flag of the Caribbean Community |
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| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas¹ | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela | |
| ¹ member of the community but not the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy. | edit (https://academickids.com:443/encyclopedia/index.php?title=Template:Caricom&action=edit)
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