Best Deals In The Caribbean - Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United
Kingdom in the western Caribbean Sea comprising the islands
of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. It is known
as one of the largest tax havens in the world.
The Cayman Islands - often referred to as The Caymans, or
(more correctly) just Cayman - were first sighted by Christopher
Columbus on May 10, 1503 during his disastrous fourth and final
voyage to the New World. The first recorded English visitor
to the islands was Sir Francis Drake, who landed there in 1586
and named them the Cayman Islands after the Neo-Taíno
nations term (caiman) for crocodile (Zayas, 1914).
The first recorded permanent inhabitant of the Cayman Islands,
Isaac Bodden, was born on Grand Cayman around 1700. He was
the grandson of the original settler named Bodden who was likely
one of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers at the taking of Jamaica
in 1655.
The islands, along with nearby Jamaica, were ceded to England
in 1670 under the Treaty of Madrid. They were governed as a
single colony with Jamaica until 1962 when they became a separate
British overseas territory and Jamaica became an independent
commonwealth realm.
The island of Grand Cayman was severely damaged by the Category
Five Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which destroyed many
buildings and damaged 70% of them. Power, water and communications
were all disrupted. Ivan was the worst hurricane to hit the
islands in 86 years. As of June 27, 2006 Grand Cayman has fully
recovered since Ivan, with most of the infrastructure now restored,
as evidenced by the booming tourism and banking industries.
The Cayman Islands are located in the western Caribbean sea.
The three islands are situated about 480 miles (770 km) south
of Miami, 150 miles (240 km) south of Cuba, and 180 miles (290
km) northwest of Jamaica. Grand Cayman is by far the largest,
with an area of 76 square miles (197 km²). The two "Sister
Islands" of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are located
about 90 miles (145 km) east of Grand Cayman and have areas
of 14 square miles (36 km²) and 10 square miles (25.9
km²) respectively. All three islands were formed by large
coral heads covering submerged ice age peaks of western extensions
of the Cuban Sierra Maestra range and are mostly flat. One
notable exception to this is The Bluff on Cayman Brac, which
rises to 140 feet (42.6 m) above sea level, the highest point
on the island.
Cayman avian fauna includes two endemic subspecies of Amazona
parrots: Amazona leucocephala hesterna, or Cayman Brac Parrot,
native only to Cayman Brac, and Amazona leucocephala caymanensis
or Grand Cayman Parrot, which is native only to Grand Cayman.
Another notable fauna is the endangered Blue Iguana, which
is native to Grand Cayman.
Tourism accounts for 70-75% of the annual GDP of the Cayman
Islands and is hence a major part of the economy. Of the millions
of tourists that visit the islands annually, 99% stay on Grand
Cayman. George Town also serves as a major cruise ship port,
which brings in 4,000 -22,000 tourists a day, 5 days a week,
depending on the number of ships in port.
Grand Cayman's major tourist attraction is the world-famous
Seven Mile Beach on which most of the island's hotels and resorts
are located. SMB is regarded by many as one of the best beaches
in the world.
The Cayman Islands are also world famous as a Scuba Diving
destination because of their crystal-clear waters and their
proximity to the Cayman Wall. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
are also considered to be elite dive destinations. There are
several snorkeling locations where tourists can swim with stingrays.
Other tourist attractions include the black limestone spires
of Hell, a turtle farm, and the Mastic Trail, a hiking trail
through the dry forests in the centre of the island.
One recent development is the production of gourmet sea salt
by the Cayman Sea salt Co.Ltd at their mariculture farm in
Breakers Grand Cayman.
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