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Cayman
Islands |
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| Background: |
The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during
the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica since 1863, they
remained a British dependency after 1962 when the former became independent.
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| Location: |
Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way
from Cuba to Honduras |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
19 30 N, 80 30 W |
| Map
references: |
Central
America and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total: 262 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land:
262 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land
boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
160 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively
dry winters (November to April) |
| Terrain: |
low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
The Bluff 43 m |
| Natural
resources: |
fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other:
100% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
NA sq km |
| Natural
hazards: |
hurricanes (July to November) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met
by rainwater catchments |
| Geography
- note: |
important location between Cuba and Central America
|
| Population: |
41,934 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 21.6% (male 4,525; female 4,541)
15-64
years: 70.6% (male 14,463; female 15,157)
65 years and over:
7.7% (male 1,515; female 1,733) (2003 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 36.1 years
male: 35.8 years
female:
36.4 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.79% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
13.33 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
19.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination
for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65
years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 8.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
7.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 9.9 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 79.67 years
male: 77.08 years
female: 82.3 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.91 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Caymanian(s)
adjective: Caymanian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups
20% |
| Religions: |
United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist,
Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic |
| Languages: |
English |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female:
98% (1970 est.)
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| Economy
- overview: |
With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial
center. More than 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands
as of 1998, including almost 600 banks and trust companies; banking
assets exceed $500 billion. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism
is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign
currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market
and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals
exceeded 1.2 million in 1997, with 600,000 from the US. About 90% of
the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians
enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards
of living in the world. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
1.7% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $35,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 3.2%
services:
95.4% (1994 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.8% (2002) |
| Labor
force: |
19,820 (1995) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% (1995) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
4.1% (1997) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $265.2 million
expenditures: $248.9
million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
| Industries: |
tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction
materials, furniture |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
381.9 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other:
0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
355.2 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2001) |
| Oil
- production: |
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- consumption: |
2,400 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- exports: |
NA (2001) |
| Oil
- imports: |
NA (2001) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
vegetables, fruit; livestock, turtle farming |
| Exports: |
$1.2 million (1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
turtle products, manufactured consumer goods |
| Exports
- partners: |
mostly US |
| Imports: |
$457.4 million (1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs, manufactured goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan |
| Debt
- external: |
$70 million (1996) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Currency: |
Caymanian dollar (KYD) |
| Currency
code: |
KYD |
| Exchange
rates: |
Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.82 (29 October 2001), 0.83 (3 November
1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31 March
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