Cayman Islands

(Please note that I have been trying to profile one country per day in an effort to better educate myself about the world we live in. I am sharing the facts I find most interesting because like all bloggers I just assume that what interests me also interests you.)



- From the CIA World Factbook - "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."

- With an area of about 262 sq km - the Cayman Islands are about 1.5 times as big as Washington, DC

- The highest natural spot on the Cayman islands is The Bluff at 43 meters. The Green Monster at Fenway Park is 37 feet tall (sorry - I had nothing - just killing time during a rain delay).

- The Cayman Islands have a population of about 41,934 (2003 estimate). More people (on average) attend a New York Yankees home game than live on the Cayman Islands. The islands may actually have more corporations than people. Due to the fact that there is no direct taxation - by 1998 over 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands

- The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and the chief of state is Queen Elizabeth II. Technically they are still a British crown colony.

- The per capita GDP is $35,000 but things are very expensive on the islands because 90% of everything a person buys has to be brought onto the island (I imagine that the other 10% is made up of conch fritters and sea shells). 86% of the workforce is in the service industry.

- Scuba diving off the Cayman Islands is simply awesome (I've only been there once but I'd love to go back).

- Many people know the Cayman Islands from the 1993 Tom Cruise movie - The Firm (based on the novel of the same name). Unlike many movies where you are told you are one place but filming actually takes place elsewhere - the Cayman scenes were filed on location.