History
The Cayman Islands, along with Jamaica, were ceded to England by Spain in 1670 (Treaty of Madrid).

In 1863 the islands became a Jamaican dependency, administered by a Commissioner.

The Cayman Islands and Jamaica became members of the Federation of the West Indies which consisted of a number of UK Caribbean Colonies. However this was a short-lived association and the Federation itself came to an end in 1962.

Jamaica achieved independence on 6 April 1962 but the Cayman Islands remained tied to Britain.

A new Constitution in 1972 allowed for greater autonomy for Caymanians.

The Cayman Islands is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.

Economy
A stable government and healthy economy, combined with a lack of direct taxation, makes the Cayman Islands one of the most sought after financial centres in the world.

Cayman is also a very popular tourist destination offering a high quality experience. Most visitors are from North America but there are also many thousands of tourists from the United Kingdom.

The majority of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from the services sector. The construction industry has also benefited from the growth in tourism. Agriculture only accounts for an extremely small percentage of the Territory's GDP. (2011)

Arts
The Cayman Arts Festival is a celebration of the arts. A variety of events include jazz and classical concerts, educational workshops and art exhibitions.

The Batabano Carnival is a more informal cultural event with costume parades, music and dancing.

Sport
The Cayman Islands is known as one of the world's top diving destinations. There are over a hundred dive sites in the seas surrounding Grand Cayman alone.

Snorkelling is also very popular; there are eighteen listed sites around Grand Cayman, twelve are for Cayman Brac and nine for Little Cayman.

Sea-kayaking is also an opportunity to explore the coral reefs. Other water sports are windsurfing, parasailing, jet-skiing, dinghy sailing and deep sea fishing.

Holidays
Christmas, New Year and Easter are celebrated. Constitution Day is on the first Monday in July.

News
News from Cayman Islands is available from Newslink.

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