FACTS ABOUT THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

TOPOGRAPHY: Grand Cayman is 20 miles long and varies from four to seven miles wide. No part of the Island is 60 feet above sea level. Little Cayman is nine miles long and one mile wide. Cayman Brac is ten miles long and one mile wide. Grand Cayman's "Sister Islands" lie 89 miles in a north easterly direction from East End, Grand Cayman. The two lesser Islands are separated by a channel about seven miles wide.

POPULATION: Approximately 40,000 (the three Islands combined). CAPITAL: George Town, on the West side of Grand Cayman. It is the centre of Government business, banking, shopping and supermarkets.

MOTTO: "He Hath Founded It Upon The Seas."

ACCOMMODATIONS: Approximately 4,000 (hotel and condo) rooms. High season, December through April. Ten percent Government room tax is added to all hotel bills. SUN: The Cayman Islands are much closer to the equator than often realized. The concentration of ultra-violet and other rays from the sun is great and one can get a very bad sunburn in a short time without realizing it. Taking the sun in small doses is advisable.

LANGUAGE: English is spoken on all three Islands. Dialect and intonations used by Caymanians have puzzled some linguists but you'll have no difficulty communicating with them. Their speech is a mix ture of American southern drawl and the English slur with a Scottish lilt to end a statement, all combined to fall charmingly on the ears. You'll enjoy the twist, a fascinating singsong of Cornish, Irish, Scottish and Welsh.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Telecommunications are provided by Cable and Wireless (West Indies) Ltd. under Government franchise. Automatic telephone, telex, data transmission and facsimile services are available with international links by satellite and submarine cable. International telephone booths and telegram counter are located at the Anderson Square office, George Town. Open Mon. to Fri. 8:15 a.m. - S:00 p.m. Saturday. 8:15 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Sunday. 9:00 a.m. - Noon.

IDENTIFICATION: Proof of citizenship is required to enter Cayman together with a return ticket. A passport (valid OR expired) is required for U.S and Canadian citizens. Other accepted forms include a birth certificate or a sworn affidavit. Both must be accompanied with a photo LD such as a driver's licence. Passports are required of British, Commonwealth (except Canadian) and all other foreign nationalities.

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ISLAND WAYS

ON CURRENCY: There is no limit to the amount of nonCaymanian currency you may bring into the Island. The Cayman Islands dollar is divided into one hundred cents, like other dollars, with 1,5,10 and 25 cent coins and 1,5,10,25, 50 and 100 dollar notes.

ON TAX: This is a rare word in Cayman, but a Government tourist tax of 10% will be added to your accommodation bill. Besides that, the money is all yours to spend!

BANKING HOURS: Generally banking hours are 9 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.

ON DRIVING: You will require a valid driver's licence if you intend to drive any motor vehicle. Either the police or rental agency will issue you a temporary local permit ( which costs CI$10.00 or US$12.00) if you are 17 years old. If you a borrowing a friend's vehicle, you are also required to purchase a visitors' driving permit. Also, make certain that you are covered under their vehicular insurance policy. Remember we drive on the left hand side of the road or, as the locals say, "drive on the left and you'll always be right." By law (1998), all passengers MUST wear seatbelts.

ON PEOPLE: Today over half the population of approximately 40,000 people is of mixed origin. Mostly early settlers were British, Irish and Scottish - shipwrecked sailors, deserters from Cromwell's army in Jamaica and Buccaneers hiding from the Royal Navy. To eke out a living they farmed or caught turtles, hence our national symbol, the peg-leg turtle pirate.

ON WHAT NOT TO BUY: The Cayman Islands have very severe laws on the use of marijuana (or gonja, as it is called locally) and other controlled drugs. Large fines and prison terms will be given to those who are in possession of or import any controlled drug. Unlike many other Caribbean Islands, Cayman has no road-side peddlers or beggars.

ON TIPPING: Most restaurants and hotels automatically add a service charge of 10% to 15% but many visitors leave an added bonus.

ON TIME: Cayman remains on Eastern Standard Time all year round. There is no Daylight Saving Time.

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NATIONAL SYMBOLS

NATIONAL TREE: The Silver Thatch Palm Up until the early 1960s, the Silver Thatch Palm played an important role in the lives of Caymanians. Straw rope was manufactured from the leaves and became something of a cottage industry. Women and children would cut "tops" (new leaves) early in the morning. The "tops" were hung out to dry for a few days before being twisted into strands and woven together on a handmade loom. This product was then sold or traded. The rope was especially prized by fishermen, both locally and in Jamaica, because of its durability when exposed to seawater. The tree has exceptionally tough fronds (leaves) that have a variety of other uses, from roofing for houses to weaving of hats, baskets, brooms. Silver Thatch Palms may be found on all three islands but they are not found anywhere else in the world.

NATIONAL BIRD: Grand Cayman Parrot The sight of a pair of Cayman's parrots with their iridescent green feathers, white crowns and rosy cheeks, and the sound of their raucous squawking is familiar to most Caymanians. Most active in the early morning and late afternoon, these birds return to their roost in palm stumps and mangroves at dusk. Less well-known is the fact that Cayman's parrots are actually two sub species of the Cuban Parrot. The Grand Cayman Parrot is more boisterous and bolder than its cousin in the Brac, who has been described as one of the rarest Amazon parrots in the world.

Unfortunately, parrots were wiped out from Little Cayman after the 1932 storm. Occasionally some birds will fly over to Little Cayman from the Brac. Their diet, which consists of fruit and berries, makes them unpopular with farmers because of the damage they often cause to fruit crops. It is illegal to kill or take these birds from the wild to rear as pets.

NATIONAL FLOWER: Wild Banana Orchid Found flowering in abundance after the rains in may and June, there are in fact two varieties of this orchid. The Grand Cayman variety which has small scented flowers that are predominately white with purple tips, and the species found on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman which tend to be more yellowish. The flowers appear at the top of a long curved spike and at the bottom are a cluster of finger-like psuedobulbs which, in the post, were fashioned into pipes for smoking. It is illegal to kill or take an orchid from the wild or export it from the Islands.

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CAYMAN CUISINE

I can't speak for everyone but I know that when I travel to foreign places I like to sample the local foods. You might hesitate at first, but I guarantee you'll find our native cuisine quite delicious. If nothing else, it will be an educational process just learning the correct names and pronunciation of our various foods. Songs and stories have been written about our food and the history of Cayman also evolved around food as it was the early explorers who came here for fresh water and turtle meat. Today of course there is a much wider selection as each different nationality brought specialties from home. Cayman boasts cuisine that is original and often unusual. To verse you on the finer points, here is a culinary crash course on the Islands' favourite offerings:

BREAD KIND - a collective name for starches such as breadfruit, potato, cassava, coco and yam.

BREADFRUIT - eaten like a potato, boiled, fried, roasted or baked. Breadfruit is round in shape, the outside is greenish-yellow with a bumpy skin. The flesh is cream coloured and has a flavour similar to a potato.

CASSAVA - a root vegetable served instead of potato and similar in taste.

CONCH - (pronounced "conk") - this is the beautiful spiral shell that tourists always want. Inside is a large edible mollusc. The flesh is tenderized by pounding it with a mallet. Conch is served in a variety of ways: fritters, chowder, marinated or stewed. the standard order of two.

PATTY - A meat pie enjoyed at all times of day. Americans have a hamburger, West Indians have their patty. A seasoned flour shell wrapped around beef and spicy filling, Traditionally meat but now available with lobster, chicken or vegetable fillings.

PERRERPOT - originally from Trinidad, this is a spicy soup made from calalloo (similar to spinach), and potatoes and highly seasoned with hot peppers.

PLANTAIN - belongs to the banana family but are not eaten raw. They are larger and not as sweet - they are baked or fried with brown sugar, syrup, and sometimes cinnamon.

PUMPKIN - the Caribbean pumpkin has a dark green skin and bright yellow flesh. Again this is used like a potato, not a dessert as Americans know it.

RICE & PEAS - (red beans with rice) - red kidney beans cooked with rice, coconut milk, ham bone or bacon and spices, served with most every entree.

SALTFISH & ACKEE - actually the native dish of Jamaica but adopted by Caymanians. Saltfish is codfish cured in salt and ackee is really a fruit but cooked as a veggie, resembling scrambled eggs and likened to the taste.

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HISTORY

The Cayman Islands were first sighted by Europear explorers on 10 May, 1503, owing to a chance wind thai blew Christopher Columbus' ship off course. On a fourth trip to the New World, Columbus was en route to the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) when his ship was thrust westward toward "two very small and low islands, full of tortoises (turtle) as was all the sea all about, insomuch that they looked like little rocks, for which reason these islands were called Tortugas."

The two islands were Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. A 1523 map showing all three Islands gave them 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. This name, or a variant, has been retained ever since.

An early English visitor was Sir Francis Drake. who on his 1585-86 voyage to these waters reported seeing "great serpents called Caymanas, like large lizards, which are edible." It was the Islands' ample supply of turtle, however, which made them a popular calling place for ships sailing the Caribbean and in need of meat for their crews. This began a trend which eventually denuded local waters of the turtle, compelling the 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 the 1661-71 tenure of Sir Thomas Modyford as Governor of Jamaica. Because of the depredations of Spanish privateers, Modyford's successor 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 for replenishing stocks of food and water and careening their vessels. Duringthe 18th century, the Island swere certainly well known to such pirates as Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Neal Walker, George Lowther and Thomas Antis - even after the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, was supposed to have ended privateering.

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, though their conditions were less oppressive than in other colonies.

On 8th February, 1794, an event occurred which grew into one of Cayman's favourite legends, The Wreck of the Ten Sail. The convoy of more than 58 merchantmen sailing from Jamaica to England found itself dangerously close to the reef at Gun Bay, 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 court martial of the fleef s leader, Captain Lawford, revealed that a current had unexpectedly carried the fleet 20 miles north of its course. The incident underscores how common shipwrecks have been in the history of the Islands and how much Caymanians themselves have depended on the sea.

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. Emancipation paved the way for development of a homogeneous society, which remains happily free of racial or other divisions.

Though Cayman was always regarded as a dependency of Jamaica, the reins of government by that colony were loosely held in the early years and a tradition grew up of self-government, with matters of public concern decided at meetings of all free males. In 1831 a legislative assembly was established comprising two houses: the eight magistrates appointed by the Governor of Jamaica and ten elected representatives or vestrymen.

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 the Administrator appointed from London assumed the responsibilities previously held by the Governor of Jamaica, taking the title of Governor in 1971.

Cayman Islanders have a tradition of hardiness and independence of spirit, which sustained them through many difficult years when their home was sometimes referred to as "the islands time forgot." In those years they earned a livelihood at sea, either as turtle fishermen or as crew members on foreign-owned ships around the world, or by working in North and Central America. In 1906 more than a fifth of the population of 5,000 was estimated to be at sea, and even as late as the 1950s the government's annual report said that the main "export" was that of seamen whose remittances were the mainstay of the economy.

Since those days the economy has grown in remarkable fashion, to be a model envied in other parts of the region. Over the last 30 years governments have pursued policies aimed at developing the infrastructure, education, health and social services of the Islands, fostering the stability which is an important factor in the continued growth of Cayman's two main industries, tourism and offshore finance.

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