Cayman Islands (Cayman Islands) - these are 3 separate islands of the Caribbean, which belong to the territory of Great Britain. Small in size, they vary in size and therefore are called Grand Cayman, Small Cayman and Cayman Braque.
The geography of the Cayman Islands is very simple:
- their coordinates: 19`30 N, 80`30 W;
- in the south of them, at a distance of 240 km, is Cuba, and in the north-western direction, in the region of 268 km - Jamaica.
Short story
- From the beginning of the 18th to the middle of the 19th century, the archipelago was a colony of Great Britain.
- In 1863, under the influence of external factors, he moved to Jamaica.
- In 1959 he again changed the government, "attached" to the West Indies. But the history of federations is changeable. Over time, the West Indies ceased to exist.
- In 1962, residents expressed a desire to remain British territory.
total area
According to geographic data for 2010, the Cayman Islands took 210th place in the ranking of countries of the world. The entire territory belonging to this small state occupies about 264 square meters. km of land, with a coastline of 160 km.
Weather
The tropical climate prevails here. From early May to late October, the weather is warm, with regular heavy rains. From November to April, a cool and relatively dry period, which is considered winter.
National currency
Known as the "Cayman Islands Dollar." One dollar is 100 cents. Until 1972, the islanders used the Jamaican version of the notes.
May 1, 1972 was a turning point for the monetary circulation of the archipelago. The local currency was tied to the British pound.
Land use
Despite the good weather conditions, crops are not grown here. Of the available land resources, only 3.85% of the territory is regularly cultivated (according to 2005 data).
Population size
According to 2010 data, the population of the Cayman Islands consists of 49,035 people. Of these, the number of women is 25078, men - 23957. The average female age is 38.9 years, male - 38 years.
In terms of fertility, the Cayman Islands occupy 165th place in the world (12.36 babies per 1000 people).
Government system of the Cayman Islands
Today they are in the status of overseas territory, which refers to the UK. The government has chosen parliamentary democracy for them.
As a coat of arms of the Cayman Islands, a turtle acts as one of the attractions of the archipelago.
Grand Cayman
This is the most equipped of the three islands of the archipelago. At first it was developed in the direction of offshore and diving: there are 300 offshore banks and many special places for training in sea diving. But gradually, the entire development process turned towards the tourist destination, making the Grand Cayman Island one of the most popular resorts in this region.
It has a peculiar form, which resembles a sperm whale in its outlines. The round east coast, surrounded by impressive coral reefs, smoothly passes into the west coast, which is strongly indented and turned by an arc to the north, like the tail of a sperm whale. These sections are represented in the form of numerous channels, bays, lagoons, where enterprising local residents built parking for yachts.
Here, coral reefs are practically undeveloped, and in combination with the huge sea depths, this creates excellent conditions for the parking of ocean liners. It is on this territory that the best beaches of Grand Cayman, the capital of the Cayman Islands Georgetown, the international airport and most of the best resorts in the archipelago are located.
Capital of the island
Georgetown is the administrative center and the capital of the territory. Where are the Cayman Islands, we have already found out, now it is worth paying attention to their cities.
Despite the long history, Georgetown is a very modern place in which old-built houses are interspersed with high-rises. One-story buildings are decorated in a colonial style, partly reminiscent of tropical huts. Their walls consist of coral and shell rock, the roofs are covered with small tiles, and the courtyards are surrounded by iron fences. Most streets have a sinuous shape, intersecting at certain points several times. Starting from Port Street and parts of Cardinal Avenue, the architecture is changing to a more modern one.
The list of the main attractions of the capital includes:
- The ancient part of the city, whose appearance has not changed since the XVIII century.
- Remains of Fort George Watchtower, founded in 1790.
- The National Museum of the Archipelago, which rightfully bears the title of the oldest house of the Cayman Islands - the Old Court Building. It was built 150 years ago and was intended for the judiciary, and later was a place of imprisonment, a dance studio and a church church.
Since 1990, the city authorities attributed the building to the area of municipal property, renovated and opened a museum within its walls, which over time became one of the best in the entire archipelago. He owns 4,000 exhibits from different historical eras. These are coins from pirate chests, documents with decrees and handwritten signatures of kings, cards with treasure locations, and so on.
Near the museum is the Elmsley Church, which was founded in 1920 by the architect Ryan, who is also interested in shipbuilding. In the south you can find the Panton public square, and behind it, in the north, the Harbor Drive promenade begins, on whose territory another church is built.
On the territory of North Church Street, the Cayman Marytime Tresh Museum stands out with an impressive diorama that reveals information about the most significant days of the archipelago. No less interesting is the national gallery, in whose walls local stars and foreign artists exhibit their work. Cardinal Park with its collection of representatives of the flora and fauna of the island can compete with it.
In the area of South Church Street, closer to Eden Rock, you can see a small beach on which the most beautiful reefs of Grand Cayman have formed. Here is the Atlantis submarine, which seats about 48 passengers. It is intended for tourist trips.
Other attractions
You can count on fingers the number of tourists who visited the north-eastern part of the island. The cities of Bodden, Savannah, Northside, East Andy located there will best reveal the usual life of the islanders, almost untouched by civilization. This acquaintance begins with the first attraction: Pedro St. James's mansion near the southern road, on the territory of Savannah. It is a huge and fairly fortified house.
Near the city of Bodden, you can visit the Piraits Cave - the so-called pirate caves. Their isolation from the outside world gave rise to many legends and unusual stories. Most of them talk about secret treasures inside the labyrinths of the cave, which are still there, littered with stones and skeletons of less fortunate wealth seekers. True or not, no one knows, but the rumors are doing their job and every year they are visited by several thousand guests.
Turtle farm in Grand Cayman is a distinctive feature of the archipelago, it is worth a visit, being in the Caribbean, where the Cayman Islands are located. It regularly produces offspring of 16,000 individuals of green turtle. All farm work is under the supervision of the state, which directs its activities towards increasing the population of turtles in the environment. This is an endangered species, but thanks to a significant contribution to the environment, the government allows the farm management to sell meat and shells in reasonable quantities.
On the eastern side of Grand Cayman is the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Garden, with an area of slightly over 65 acres. It spans the space from Old Man Bay to Frank Sound Harbor. On its territory 300 species of trees and bushes characteristic of the Cayman Islands are grown.
Next to it is the Mastic-Trail tourist route, crossing the relict forests that are now on the list of conservation areas.
Places to relax in Grand Cayman
On the west coast of the island is a cozy Seven Mile Beach, covering 9 km of territory. This is one of the favorite tourist destinations, therefore, here on a small stretch of coastline are concentrated restaurants and hotels of all kinds. But even despite the large number of people, strict monitoring of cleanliness and order on the beach and sea territory is carried out here, which attracts new visitors.
West Bay Semeteri is not less worthy of attention - the northern beach, with all the conditions for a good vacation and snorkeling. Next to it are Victoria House reefs, where you can fish, crayfish and orange sponges if you wish. Experienced divers can visit the Trinity Caves site and admire the quaint underwater grottoes and caves.
In the south of the island, next to the Grand Old House, you can visit the equally interesting Smith Coves beach, which frightens extreme sports enthusiasts with an abundance of rocky terrain and impressive differences in the sea depths. Those who don’t like thrills should look at the nearest Send-Kay reefs, where the Palace-Reck sank in the past, and admire the diversity of marine life on its territory. The high reefs of Sand Cay protect from the bad weather conditions South Sound Semeteri Beach - a favorite place for the halt of all the ships of the island.
On the east coast of Grand Cayman there are many beaches related to specific hotels and pensions. Of these, one can distinguish the bays of Spotter Point, Lower Bay, Collers Bay, East Point, replete with coral beaches and black sand.
Small Cayman
He is considered the "diamond" of the Caribbean, where the Cayman Islands are located. This is a small separate island, occupying only 31 km 2 of land, where 150 people live on an ongoing basis. It is located at a distance of 130 km from the island of Grand Cayman.
This is a secluded corner of unspoiled wildlife. Lovers of iguanas come here, of whom only a couple thousand copies remain on this island, and lovers of mango forests inhabited by dozens of species of birds.
A favorite pastime of locals is tourism. More adventurous people were able to realize the value of great diving sites for North Wall, Jackson Marine Park, Jackson Point and build up a reputation for an island of great places for outdoor activities.
Cayman Braque
Cayman Braque - a small and not very developed in the Caribbean, where the Cayman Islands are located. Almost the entire area is covered with fruiting trees, tall cacti and blooming orchids. It is here that you can meet the impressive limestone rock, in whose honor the island was named. It covers almost two-thirds of the territory of Cayman Brac, on the eastern side reaching 30 meters in height. From this point, the ground part goes into the underwater, diluting the seabed with canyons, boulders, caves and unusual grottoes.
The population of the island is 1,500 people ("brakers"). Famous Attractions:
- Cayman Braque Museum;
- Parrot National Wildlife Refuge;
- Rebecca Cave, Peter Cave, Scull Cave, Great Cave and Bat Cave Caves;
- Park of Christopher Columbus.
Many of them are associated with any interesting stories that guides love to tell tourists.
Most of the houses on the Cayman islands are decorated in a colonial style, and the locals try not to retreat from it, paying tribute to the traditions. The coastline is rocky, but on the north side there are small beaches with very beautiful reefs. On the southwest coast you can find miniature sandy beaches surrounded by coral gardens where hotels for tourists are built. Formally, this territory belongs to them and, accordingly, to their guests, but if desired, all vacationers can be located here.