In 1503 Christopher Columbus passing by the islands noted the great abundance of giant green turtles. The Islands appeared to be uninhabited. For the next 200 years they were visited by many ships for revictualling, and small groups of pirates and shipwrecked sailors formed temporary settlements. No country attempted to colonise the islands before 1670, when Spain ceded the Cayman Islands and Jamaica to Britain by the Treaty of Madrid. After 1863 the Caymans formally became a dependency of Jamaica and the legislature of Jamaica had the final say over the locally passed laws of the islands. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman were not settled until 1833, and it was not until 1887 that a formal administrative connection between them and Grand Cayman was achieved. In 1959 the islands ceased to be a dependency of Jamaica and became a unit territory within the Federation of the West Indies. When the Federation was dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain under the British Crown, thereupon receiving a revised constitution, which in 1972 was modified to allow for directly responsible government. This was further modified in March 1994. A wider constitutional review, started in 2001, was put on hold early in 2004 pending elections that year. A new four phase constitutional review programme began in March 2007. Phase 1 will end later this year with the publication of a public discussion paper.

Flag

The Cayman Islands Flag, the official ensign, was adopted in 1959, shortly after the Coat of Arms was adopted. There are two versions of the flag -- the blue for use on land and the red for use at sea. These are based on the British blue and red ensigns.

The land flag has a dark blue field (background), with the "Union" in the corner nearest to the flagstaff. The national arms are shown in a roundel, which is a white circle in the centre of the field. The flag for use at sea has a red field, but everything else is identical.

In 1706, the British Union flag combined the English red cross of St. George with the Scottish white cross of St. Andrew. The Irish red cross of St. Patrick was added in 1801.

Coat of Arms

Download Anthem

National Song

Cayman's national song, Beloved Isle Cayman, was written by the late Mrs. Leila Ross Shier in 1930. Regarded as the unofficial national song for many years, it became the official national song when the Cayman Islands Coat of Arms, Flag and National Song Law was passed in 1993.

Beloved Isle Cayman
As composed by Leila Ross-Shier, June, 1930

1)O land of soft, fresh breezes, Of verdant trees so fair
With the Creator's glory reflected ev'rywhere.
O sea of palest em'rald, Merging to darkest blue,
When 'ere my thoughts fly Godward, I always think of you.

(Chorus) Dear, verdant island, set In blue Caribbean sea,
I'm coming, coming very soon, O beauteous isle, to thee.
Although I've wandered far, my heart enshrines thee yet.
Homeland! Fair Cayman Isle I cannot thee forget

2)Away from noise of cities, their fret and carking care,
With moonbeams' soft caresses, unchecked by garnish glare,
Thy fruit and rarest juices, abundant, rich and free,
When sweet church bells are chiming, my fond heart yearns for thee.

3)When tired of all excitement, and glam'ours worldly care,
How sweet thy shores to reach, and find a welcome there,
And when comes on the season, of peace, good will to man,
'Tis then I love thee best of all, beloved Isle, Cayman!

(Chorus)

National Bird

Cayman Parrot

About 2,000 parrots inhabit Grand Cayman, while the quieter, smaller Cayman Brac Parrot maintains a stable population of about 400. Nesting in tree holes in old-growth forests, the colourful parrots depend on undisturbed woodlands and black mangrove forests for survival. The Cayman Islands parrots are two sub-species of the Cuban Parrot (Amazona Leucocephala). Cayman's parrots have iridescent green feathers with darker edges over the body, a white eye ring, red cheeks, black ear patches and brilliant blue wing feathers which are only obvious when the bird is in flight. The tail has blue outer edges, with some red and yellowish-green underneath. The Grand Cayman Parrot (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis) also has a pink flush to its whitish forehead. The Cayman Brac Parrot (Amazona leucocephala hesterna) is slightly smaller, with more black trim on its green feathers. The crown is pure white, and there is a large maroon area on the abdomen. It is now found only on Cayman Brac. Although it used to inhabit Little Cayman, it was apparently wiped out from there by the 1932 hurricane. Historically parrots were common family pets. Today, however, it is illegal to take a parrot from the wild and keep it as a pet.

National Flower

The Wild Banana Orchid

The woods provide shelter for several varieties of flowering plants, including orchids. Probably the best known of Cayman's 26 species of orchids is the wild banana orchid, of which there are two varieties: Schomburgkia thomsoniana var. thomsoniana, which originated on Grand Cayman, and Schomburgkia thomsoniana var. minor, which came from Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
Both varieties have scented flowers with purple lips, although the petals are predominantly white on the Grand Cayman variety, while the Sister Islands' has slightly smaller flowers, with pale yellow petals. The flowers appear at the top of a long curved spike at the bottom of which cluster banana-like pseudo-bulbs that give this orchid its name.

National Tree

Silver Thatch Palm (Coccothrinax proctorii)

The tall, slender silver thatch palm is especially conspicuous at the eastern end of all three of the Cayman Islands, where they sway in the trade winds high above the low, dry thickets of native trees and shrubs. Bearing the scientific name, Coccothrinax proctorii, after botanist Dr. George Proctor, its leaves are what give this tree its common name; they're green on the top and silver on the bottom.

Up to the early 1960s, the silver thatch palm played an important role in the lives of Caymanians. Unusually tough, the leaves have a variety of uses, from roofing for houses to the weaving of hats, baskets and fans. In earlier years, straw rope made from the thatch palm was highly prized in Cuba and Jamaica for use in shipping, fishing and sugar industries. Exporting rope was Cayman's largest source of revenue.

National Holidays

Visit Our Calendar

In 2008, Cayman’s public holidays will be:

• Tuesday 1st January New Year’s Day
• Monday 28th January National Heroes Day
• Wednesday 6th February Ash Wednesday
• Friday 21st March Good Friday
• Monday 24th March Easter Monday
• Monday 19th May Discovery Day
• Monday 16th June Queen’s Birthday
• Monday 7th July Constitution Day
• Monday 10th November Remembrance Day
• Thursday 25th December Christmas Day
• Friday 26th December Boxing Day

The 3 Cayman Islands are situated 268km (180 miles) north-west of Jamaica in the Caribbean Sea and 150 miles south of Cuba. Grand Cayman, which is much larger than the others, lies 128km (80 miles) to the west of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are separated from each other by a channel 8km (5 miles) wide. Grand Cayman is approximately 22 miles long with an average width of 4 miles. About half of Grand Cayman's area is wetland. Cayman Brac is about 12 miles long with an average width of one and a quarter miles. A huge central limestone outcrop called The Bluff rises along the length of the island up to 140 feet. Little Cayman, a low-lying island, is approximately 10 miles long with an average width of little more than a mile. 94% of the population lives on Grand Cayman, with around 1,822 people residing on Cayman Brac and some 115 on Little Cayman. Offshore reefs and a mangrove fringe surround most of the islands' coasts.

Leader of Government Business and Minister for District Administration, Planning, Environment & Agriculture:

Cayman Islands form a British Overseas Territory with a large measure of self-government. The Governor retains responsibility for the civil service, defence, external affairs and internal security. The present constitution, which came into effect in 1972, provides for a system of government headed by a Governor, a Cabinet and a Legislative Assembly. Unlike other Caribbean Overseas Territories there is no Chief Minister, but a Leader of Government Business. The Legislative Assembly comprises the Speaker, who acts as President, 3 official members (the Chief Secretary, the Financial Secretary and the Attorney General) and 15 elected members. The Cabinet consists of the Governor as Chairman, 3 official members and 5 members drawn from the elected members of the Assembly. As Ministers, the 5 elected members of the Cabinet have direct responsibility for government portfolios.

The only elected member not to come from the PPM and UDP was independent Moses Kirkconnell, who took the second seat in the Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.