Country Profile: Cayman Islands

Geography

Three islands south of Cuba: Grand Cayman, about 22 miles long and 5 miles wide, and two other islands, 9 and 12 miles long and about two miles wide.

Air temperatures: from November to April temperatures during the day range from 72 to 86 degrees, at night from 64 to 72; from May to October, 85 to 90 degrees during the day, 73 to 85 at night.

Capital: George Town

Government

The Cayman Islands were a British dependency until independence in 1962.

Economy

Estimate per capita GDP

2004: $43,800
2003: $35,000

As of 2004, the Cayman Islands do not tax corporations. According to the 2004 CIA Factbook, "More than 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 1998," including almost 600 banks and trust companies." The islands are an international financial center. Tourism accounts for around 70 percent of GDP. Fifty percent of the tourists are from the United States. Tourists in 1997 numbered 1.2 million. That might be around 800 per day in the tourist season - winter. Fifty percent of the tourists are from the United States.

Population

Living in an urban area: 100% (2008)

July 2010: 50,209
July 2007: 46,600
July 2005: 44,270

Density: 169 persons per square kilometer. (2005)

Migration

2010: More people arriving than leaving. A net gain of 16.09 per 1,000 population, down from 18.25 in 2005.

Health

Infant mortality (deaths before the age of one year per 1,000 live births)

2010: 6.78
2007: 7.8
2005: 8.19

Average life expectancy at birth

2010: 80.57 years (ranks 17th)
2007: 80.2 years.

Ethnicities

Islanders of mixed race are 40 percent, white, 20 percent, black 20 percent and various others 20 percent. Their life expectancy, estimated for 2004, averaged at 79.81 years, up with the most advanced industrialized states and a couple of years more than the United States, at 77.4 years.

Little Crime and Good Beaches

Crime has been described as "almost non-existent," attributed to low unemployment and a high standard of living. One website, with an interest in attracting tourists, states that tourists find no solicitation, rude or pushy street vendors, or beggars. The surrounding water is described as crystal clear and the beaches "powdery white."

SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/