Sights—Dive down to see the
Oro Verde; explore the underwater reefs in a submarine; send someone back home a postcard from Hell; lounge by the clear waters at Rum Point.
Memorable Meals—Nosh on local delicacies at Champion House.
Walks—Shop, eat and shell-scavenge your way along Seven Mile Beach; hike and nature-watch along the Mastic Trail.
Especially for Kids—Visit Black Pearl Skate and Surf Park; view sea turtles at Cayman Turtle Farm.
Situated in the western Caribbean Sea, Grand Cayman is the largest of the three coral islands. Mainly flat, it stretches 76 sq mi/197 sq km with a maximum elevation of 60 ft/19 m at East End. Almost half of the island is wetland.
Separated from its easterly sister islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, by an 80-mi-/129-km-wide channel, Grand Cayman is 480 mi/773 km south of Miami and 180 mi/290 km northwest of Jamaica.
Cayman Trough is a massive subterranean ridge that rises 8,000 ft/2,400 m from the sea floor and is the deepest part of the Caribbean. To the south lies Bartlett Deep, where depths of more than 18,000 ft/5,580 m have been recorded. Submerged during the Ice Age, this trench is an extension of the Cuban Sierra Maestra range. Abundant coral reefs create ideal conditions for diving and sport fishing.
Interesting geographical points include the shallow, 35-sq-mi/91-sq-km reef-protected lagoon called the North Sound.
In 1503 during his fourth voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus discovered Grand Cayman's two sister islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. He baptized the islets "Las Tortugas" because of their dense population of sea turtles. Sir Francis Drake changed the islands' names to "Caymanas" in 1586, after the Carib term "caiman" for the resident crocodiles.
In 1670, Spain ceded the islands to the British under the Treaty of Madrid. The crown-appointed governor resided in Jamaica, watching over the affairs of both colonies.
During the 1730s, pirates, shipwrecked sailors and deserters from Oliver Cromwell's army in nearby Jamaica began to permanently settle the island. This small population of European settlers was augmented by the influx of African slaves who were used for farming until the British outlawed slavery in 1834.
In 1832, the citizenry gathered at St. James Castle—now known as Pedro St. James, the birthplace of democracy in Cayman—and voted to create a legislature of representatives. Eight Justices of the Peace were appointed by the Governor of Jamaica. The islands were formally annexed to Jamaica in 1863. However, upon realizing the difficulty of ruling over two colonies, Jamaica appointed a commissioner in the Cayman Islands to oversee the affairs of the country. In 1959, the Cayman Islands got their first constitution, which provided for 12 elected members, along with a couple of nominated members and official members. There was also an Executive Council. The Commissioner was replaced by an Administrator who oversaw the Legislature and Executive Council.
The Cayman Islands and Jamaica were governed as a single colony until 1962, when Jamaica declared its independence from Britain. The Cayman Islands remained a British Overseas Territory. The islands pride themselves on their own constitution and government. The Cayman Islands Order, also known as the Constitution, was created in 1972 and was revised in 1994.
The Cayman Islands are a mecca for banking, with more than 446 registered banks and trust companies, including 40 of the world's largest banks.
All licensed taxi drivers wear official uniforms supplied by the Department of Tourism.
Unspoiled beaches, duty-free shopping, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing and virtually a nonexistent crime rate lure nearly a million visitors each year.
More than 140 nationalities call the islands home.
The Turtle Farm is the world's only commercial green sea turtle farm, housing more than 16,000 endangered sea turtles.
