"Watch out for the Stingrays.. " a Cayman Islands Travel Page by seagoingJLW

History

Columbus discoverd the Caymans in 1503 caloing them Las Tortugas after the large number of turtles in the surrounding seas. Early Spaniards renamed them the Caiman Islands possibly mistaking the native iguanas for alligators.

In 1670 the islands were formally ceded to Great Britain by Spain. The first permanent settlers were an assortment of debtors, buccaneers hiding from the Royal Navy, deserters from Cromwell's army and sailors shipwrecked on the reefs.

An Act of Parliament in 1863 gave the Governor and legislature of Jamaica legislative powers in the islands. When Jamaica chose independence in 1962, the Caymans elected to become a British Crown Colony.

Attractions

1. Botanic Park
2. Mastic Trail
3. National Museum
4. Stingray City
5. Turtle Farm
6. Pedro St. James

Miscellaneous Information

The Cayman Islands are an island group in the Caribbean sea located halfway between Cuba and Honduras. They have a total area of 259 sq km, about 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC. There are 160 km of coastline.

The climate is fairly stable. It is considered tropical marine which means warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April). Summer humidity can be uncomfortable, but there are cool sea breezes at night. January and February are the coolest months with daytime highs in the upper 70's to low 80's F.

The population as of July 2001 is 35,527, of which 40% are of mixed ethnic background. The rest are 20% white, 20% black, and 20% expatriates of various ethnic groups.

The major religions are: United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Church of God and other Protestant.

English is the official language.

The islands are world famous for their underwater scenery.