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Cayman Islands,
General Information
Area: 262 sq km (102 sq miles).
Population: 40,900 (official estimate 2000).
Population Density: 156.1 per sq km.
Capital: George Town. Population: 20,626 (1999).
Geography: The Cayman Islands are situated in the Caribbean, 290km (180 miles) northwest of Jamaica, 240km (480 miles) south of Cuba and 770km (480 miles) south of Miami. The island country comprises Grand Cayman, the largest and most populous of the islands, and the sister islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, which lie approximately 143km (89 miles) northeast of Grand Cayman and are separated from each other by a channel about 11km (7 miles) wide. The islands are peaks of a subterranean mountain range extending from Cuba towards the Gulf of Honduras. The beaches are said to be the best in the Caribbean, the most notable being Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman. Tall pines line many of the beaches; those located on the east and west coasts are equally well protected offshore by the Barrier Reef.
Government: British Crown Colony since 1670. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor Bruce Dinwiddy since 2002.
Language: English is the official language, with a distinctive ‘brogue’ reflecting heritage of Welsh, Scottish and English ancestors still distinguishing the speech of the Caymanian people. The number of Jamaican residents in the workforce means the Jamaican patois and accompanying heavier accent is also common. Spanish, particularly regional dialects of Central America and Cuba, is also widely spoken.
Religion: Mainly Presbyterian with Anglican, Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventists, Pilgrims, Pilgrim Holiness Church of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Bahai minorities on Grand Cayman; Baptists on Cayman Brac.
Time: GMT - 5.
Electricity: 120 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style (flat) two-pin plugs are standard.
Communications:
Telephone: A modern telephone system links the Cayman Islands to the world by submarine cable and satellite. Full IDD is available. A Cardphone service is available at select locations on all three islands. Pre-paid phonecards in values of CI$10, CI$15 and CI$30 can be purchased at the Cable & Wireless main office in Anderson Square in George Town and at the Cayman Brac post office and petrol stations. Country code: 1 345. Outgoing international code: 00.
Mobile telephone: TDMA network. Network providers are Cable & Wireless Caribbean Cellular, Digicel Cayman LTD (website: www.digicelcayman.com)
and Wireless Ventures LTD (website: www.attwireless.com), offering GSM 850/1900, GSM 900/1800 and GSM 850/1900, respectively. Unregistered roaming is available – visitors with TDMA handsets can make calls without registering, provided they can give a credit card number.
Fax: Available at most hotels and banks. Some businesses also have public facilities.
Internet: ISPs include Cable & Wireless (website: www.cwinternet.ky). There are many Internet cafes throughout the Cayman Islands and many hotels also offer Internet facilities.
Telegram: Services are provided by Cable & Wireless (West Indies) Limited under government franchise. Public telegraph operates daily 0730-1800, accepting cables from any country.
Post: Mail is not delivered to private addresses in the Cayman Islands, but collected from numbered PO boxes. Poste Restante mail should be addressed ‘General Delivery’ at the post office. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1530, Sat 0830-1200.
Press: The Caymanian Compass is published week-days.
Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.
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