he West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved in 1962, the
Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.

Geography
Cayman Islands

Location:

Caribbean, three-island group (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little
Cayman) in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest
of Jamaica

Geographic coordinates:

19 30 N, 80 30 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 262 sq km
land: 262 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

160 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool,
relatively dry winters (November to April)

Terrain:

low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m

Natural resources:

fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism

Land use:

arable land: 3.85%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 96.15% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

hurricanes (July to November)

Environment - current issues:

no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be
met by rainwater catchments

Geography - note:

important location between Cuba and Central America

People
Cayman Islands

Population:

47,862
note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.9% (male 4,774/female 4,759)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 16,594/female 17,434)
65 years and over: 9% (male 2,022/female 2,279) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.8 years
male: 37.4 years
female: 38.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.449% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.43 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

16.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2008
est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)