Country Information

Caribbean, south of Cuba, 770km (480 miles) southwest of Miami.

260 sq km (100 sq miles).

53,737 (2013).

206.7 per sq km.

George Town.

British overseas territory and parliamentary democracy.

The Cayman Islands are situated in the Caribbean, around 440km (270 miles) northwest of Jamaica, 390km (240 miles) south of Cuba and 640km (400 miles) south of Miami. At around 197 sq km (76 sq miles) Grand Cayman is the largest and most populous island in this British overseas territory. Little Cayman and Cayman Brac lie around 130km (80 miles) northeast of Grand Cayman and are separated from each other by a channel about 16km (10 miles) wide.

The islands are peaks of a very deep subterranean mountain range called Cayman Ridge, which extends from Cuba towards the Gulf of Honduras. All three islands are situated in some of the deepest waters in the Caribbean; the Cayman Trough which separates them from Jamaica reaches a depth of 6.4km (4 miles). The islands themselves are relatively low-lying, with the highest point on Grand Cayman reaching only 18m (60ft) above sea level. The Bluff, a magnificent limestone peak on Cayman Brac is the highest point on all three islands, reaching an elevation of 43m (140ft).

The beaches on the Cayman Islands are considered some of the very best in the Caribbean, the most notable one being Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman. Casuarinas and sea-grape trees line many of the beaches, many of which are protected offshore by a fringing reef.

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 is also common. Spanish, particularly regional dialects of Central America and Cuba, is also widely spoken.

Christianity is the predominant religion with the denominations of Anglican, Catholicism, Baptist, and Presbyterian all represented on the island.

GMT - 5.

Life on the Cayman Islands is a blend of local traditions and of US and British patterns of behaviour. Handshaking is the usual greeting; hugging and kissing is for friends and family only. Because of the large number of people with a similar surname (such as Ebanks and Bodden), a person may be introduced by his first name (such as Mr Tom or Mr Jim). Flowers are acceptable as a gift on arrival or following a visit for a meal.

Most modes of dress are acceptable, although it is normal to prescribe a dress code on invitations. Save your beachwear for the actual beach however, as wearing skimpy clothing, or going without a shirt, in restaurants or bars will be frowned upon. Topless bathing is prohibited.

Caymanians tend to be churchgoers, and island society is relatively conservative in terms of attitudes to LGBT rights; the government has been known to make anti-gay comments before, although homosexuality was decriminalised in 2000.

110 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style (flat) two-pin plugs are standard.

Premier Alden McLaughlin since 2013.

HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor Helen Kilpatrick since 2013.

The United Democratic Party’s McKeeva Bush was defeated in the May 2005 general elections by the People's Progressive Movement, led by Kurt Tibbetts. Although the UK is officially responsible for the islands' foreign policy, the USA exerts a dominant influence over its Caribbean ‘back yard'. Both the US and British governments have expressed concerns about the exploitation of the islands for drug trafficking and associated money laundering.