The Cayman Islands
Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands, has an area of about 76 square miles and is approximately 22 miles long with an average width of four miles. Its most striking feature is the shallow, reef-protected lagoon, the North Sound, which has an area of about 35 square miles. The island is low-lying, with the highest point about 60 feet above sea level.
Cayman Brac lies about 89 miles northeast of Grand Cayman. It is about 12 miles long with an average width of 1.25 miles and has an area of about 15 square miles. Its terrain is the most spectacular of the three islands. The Bluff, a massive central limestone outcrop, rises steadily along the length of the island up to 140 ft. above the sea at the eastern end. Little Cayman lies five miles west of Cayman Brac and is approximately ten miles long with an average width of just over a mile. It has an area of about 10 square miles. The island is low-lying with a few areas on the north shore rising to 40 ft. above sea level.
There are no rivers on any of the islands. The coasts are largely protected by offshore reefs and in some places by a mangrove fringe that sometimes extends into inland swamps.
Geographically, the Cayman Islands is part of the Cayman Ridge, which extends westward from Cuba.
The Cayman Trench, the deepest part of the Caribbean at a depth of over four miles, separates the three small islands from Jamaica.
The islands are also located on the plate boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. The tectonic plates in Cayman’s region are in continuous lateral movement against each other.
This movement, with the Caribbean plate travelling in an eastward direction and the North American plate moving west, limits the size of earthquakes and there has never been an event recorded of more than magnitude 7. It is not unusual for minor tremors to be recorded. Many residents don’t even notice them. However in December 2004 a quake of 6.8 magnitude rocked Grand Cayman and everyone noticed. The earthquake, short in duration, opened some small sinkholes but otherwise didn’t cause any damage.
| Flag | History | Climate | Time zone |
| Flora and fauna | National symbols | See also |
Flag
The flag of the Caymans was officially adopted in 1959. As a British dependent territory the islands fly the United Kingdom (UK) flag. The Cayman coat of arms displays the Lion of England and features three stars that represent the three main islands. The blue and white wavy lines represent the sea. The coat of arms is topped by a pineapple and turtle, symbolic of the indigenous fauna and flora.
History
hristopher Columbus first sighted Cayman Brac and Little Cayman on 10 May 1503. On his fourth trip to the New World, Columbus was en route to Hispaniola when his ship was thrust westward toward "two very small and low islands, full of tortoises, as was all the sea all about, insomuch that they looked like little rocks, for which reason these islands were called Las Tortugas."
A 1523 map show all three Islands with the name Lagartos, meaning alligators or large lizards, but by 1530 the name Caymanas was being used. It is derived from the Carib Indian word for the marine crocodile, which is now known to have lived in the Islands. Sir Francis Drake, on his 1585-86 voyage, reported seeing "great serpents called Caymanas, like large lizards, which are edible."
It was
the Islands' ample supply of turtle, however, that made them a
popular calling place for ships sailing the Caribbean and in need of
meat for their crews. This began a trend that eventually denuded local
waters of the turtle, compelling local turtle fishermen to go further
afield to Cuba and the Miskito Cays in search of their catch.The first recorded settlements were located on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac during 1661-71. Because of the depredations of Spanish privateers, the governor of Jamaica called the settlers back to Jamaica, though by this time Spain had recognised British possession of the Islands in the 1670 Treaty of Madrid. Often in breach of the treaty, British privateers roamed the area taking their prizes, probably using the Cayman Islands to replenish stocks of food and water and careen their vessels.
The first royal grant of land in Grand Cayman was made by the governor of Jamaica in 1734. It covered 3,000 acres in the area between Prospect and North Sound. Others followed up to 1742, developing an existing settlement, which included the use of slaves. On 8 February 1794, an event occurred which grew into one of Cayman's favourite legends , The Wreck of the Ten Sail. A convoy of more than 58 merchantmen sailing from Jamaica to England found itself dangerously close to the reef on the east end of Grand Cayman. Ten of the ships, including HMS Convert, the navy vessel providing protection, foundered on the reef. With the aid of Caymanians, the crews and passengers mostly survived, although some eight lives were lost.
The first census of the Islands was taken in 1802, showing a population on Grand Cayman of 933, of whom 545 were slaves. Before slavery was abolished in 1834, there were over 950 slaves owned by 116 families. Though Cayman was regarded as a dependency of Jamaica, the reins of government by that colony were loosely held in the early years, and a tradition grew of self-government, with matters of public concern decided at meetings of all free males. In 1831 a legislative assembly was established.
The constitutional relationship between Cayman and Jamaica remained ambiguous until 1863 when an act of the British parliament formally made the Cayman Islands a dependency of Jamaica. When Jamaica achieved independence in 1962, the Islands opted to remain under the British Crown, and an administrator appointed from London assumed the responsibilities previously held by the governor of Jamaica
The constitution currently provides for a Crown-appointed Governor, a Legislative Assembly and a Cabinet. Unless there are exceptional reasons, the Governor accepts the advice of the Cabinet, which comprises three appointed official members and five ministers elected from the 15 elected members of the Assembly. The Governor has responsibility for the police, civil service, defence and external affairs but handed over the presidency of the Legislative Assembly to the Speaker in 1991.
Climate
The
temperature, summer or winter, seldom goes lower than 70°F. or
higher than 90°F. The average is 78°F. in the winter and about 86°F in
the summer. The average annual humidity in 2006 was 77 percent.
Rainfall varies over the Islands and seasonally.In 2006 rainfall totaled 53.30 inches which is 3.11 inches lower than normal.
The wettest month was June with 14.64 inches recorded. The driest month was March with 0.02 of an inch recorded.
Between May and October the prevailing winds are from east to south; from December to April, the coolest season of the year, prevailing winds are from the northeast to northwest. The hurricane season typically lasts from June to November.
Time zone
The USA enjoys saving daylight, but the Cayman Islands, being nearer to the equator, has fairly equal periods of day and night year round. There’s really only about an hour’s difference in daylight between June 20th and December 20th.
So all year, Cayman has the same time, -5 hours Coordinated Universal time (UTC).
This means the Islands share Eastern Standard Time (EST= -5 UTC) with Miami and New York from November through April. When the USA switches to Daylight Savings Time in April, Cayman then shares Central Daylight Time (CDT= -5 UTC) with Chicago and Houston.
This doesn’t cause too much confusion as it’s automatically factored into airline tickets. Residents sometimes think in terms of Miami time. Half the year, we have the same time as Miami; half the year, we’re an hour behind Miami. However, being aware of the situation is important if you have to call California before noon Pacific Time.
Residents also notice what happens with American television schedules. Since many programmes are picked up from the USA east coast, during EST network evening programming begins at 8pm, and during CDT the same programming starts at 7pm.
Flora and fauna
Over the last two million years, parts of the Cayman Islands remained continually above water despite dramatic fluctuations in the global sea level. During that time, the islands were gradually colonised by animals and plants from the neighbouring Greater Antilles, particularly Cuba and Jamaica, and also from Central America and the eastern Caribbean. As time passed, many of these evolved into species and subspecies unique to the Cayman Islands.
At one time the forests of Cayman abounded in tall mahogany and logwood, but today the trees are of much smaller varieties: coconut, thatch palm, seagrape, almond and casuarina (Australian pine). Breadfruit, papaya, avocado, citrus, mango and naseberry are the predominant fruit trees.
Several commercial crop and livestock farms are in operation, and backyard gardens yield a wide variety of produce, including citrus, bananas, plantains, mangoes, yams, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, cassava, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, green and hot peppers, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, coconuts, and honey.
Tropical marine life of all kinds are found in the Caribbean waters surrounding the Islands, especially in Cayman's coral reefs, known worldwide by scuba divers who claim the Islands offers some of the best scuba diving in the world.
The green turtle, for which the Islands were once named Las Tortugas, is still found and fished (in season, by licence and for local consumption only) in the seas surrounding the Islands. The Cayman Turtle Farm breeds the turtle and markets turtle meat locally. Turtles are released into the wild each year as part of the farm's conservation role.
On shore there are few indigenous animals. The agouti (a large rodent), bats, non-poisonous snakes, iguana, other small lizards, freshwater turtle (the hickatee), land crabs and two species of tree frogs are the most common. Grand Cayman's rare and endangered Blue Iguana can be viewed at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.
More than 180 species of birds have been identified in Cayman. Among the most predominant are the Antillean Grackle, the smooth-billed Ani, and many species of heron, including the Green-backed Heron, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and the Snowy Egret. The common Ground Dove, the Bananaquit and the Cayman Parrot, Cayman's national bird, also abound.
See also
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
British Virgin Islands
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