The three Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, can be found in the Caribbean Sea 268 km northwest of Jamaica. Grand Cayman is approximately 35 km long by 6 km wide, and 128 km west of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Cayman Brac is 19.3 kms long by 2 kms wide and is separated from Little Cayman by a channel 8 kms wide. Little Cayman is 16 km long.
Sun kissed beaches and waters teeming with fish flecked with gold
The majority of the population of the Cayman Islands (94%) live on Grand Cayman. Approximately 1,822 people live on Cayman Brac and there are around 115 people living on Little Cayman.
Christopher Columbus passed the Cayman Islands in 1503 and noted the enormous numbers of giant green turtles and that the islands appeared uninhabited. From 1503 until 1670 when Spain ceded the islands to Britain, they remained uncolonised, used by ships for replenishing their stores, a refuge for shipwrecked sailors and a haven for pirates terrorising Caribbean shipping. In 1863 the Cayman Islands became a dependency of Jamaica. In 1959 the islands gained independence from Jamaica as a unit territory within the Federation of the West Indies. In 1962, when the Federation was dissolved the Cayman Islands chose to remain under the British Crown. In 1972 the Cayman Islands took a constitutional step towards self government and elections took place to elect representatives to the Cayman Islands Government.
A thriving tourist industry and international offshore finance mean that the Cayman Islands are a successful and prosperous community.
Find out who to contact for information on the Cayman Islands AIP.