Country Profile: Cayman Islands

Cayman Islands are located in the Caribbean.

The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies. When the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.
CIA World Factbook

With an area of 264 sq km, it is 1.5 times the size of the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C.

Cayman Islands are located in the Caribbean Sea near Central America. It is a low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs.

People who live in the Cayman Islands are called Caymanians, which is also an adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2012, there are 52,560 people in the Cayman Islands. The ethnic groups that reside in the Cayman Islands are mostly mixed race (40%) with some white (20%), black (20%), and expatriates of various ethnic groups (20%). English (95%) is the official language of Cape Verde, but Spanish (3.2%) and other languages (1.8%) are also spoken there. Protestants make up approximately 67.7% of the population, while Roman Catholics make up an additional 12.6%.

The capital of the Cayman Islands is George Town, and the country is made up of 8 districts. Though the Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the UK, they do have a constitution, drafted November 6, 2009. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. Though the chief of state is Queen Elizabeth II (who is represented by Governor Duncan Taylor), the head of government is Premier McKeeva Bush. The currency is the Caymanian dollars (abbreviated KYD), which stands at 0.83 KYD per USD as of 2011.

All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Cayman Islands, CIA World Factbook

Background Notes: Cayman Islands, U.S. Department of State

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Country Profiles: The Bahamas

The Bahamas is located in the Caribbean Sea. The islands were inhabited by Lucayan Indians before British settlement began in 1647. The Bahamas gained independence from the U.K. in 1973. With an area of 13,880 sq km, it is slightly smaller than the U.S. State of Connecticut.

The islands are surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. They are long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills.





People who live in the Bahamas are called Bahamian, which is also the adjective used to describe items from this country. As of July 2011, there are 313,312 people in the Bahamas. The official language of the Bahamas is English, though Creole is also spoken among the Haitian immigrants. Protestants make up approximately 68% of the population, with Catholics (14%) and other Christians (15%) also residing on the islands.

The official name of the Bahamas is the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The capital is Nassau, and the islands are made up of 31 districts. The constitution, which was drafted in 1973, can be located here. The current Prime Minister of The Bahamas is Hubert Ingraham. Information about the current leaders of The Bahamas can be found here. The currency of The Bahamas is the Bahamian dollar (abbreviated BSD), which stands at 1 BSD per USD as of 2009.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

The Government of The Bahamas

The Bahamas, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: The Bahamas, U.S. Department of State

The Bahamas 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State

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Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
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Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering