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Cayman Islands (British Overseas Territory)

 Flag of Cayman Islands

Last reviewed: 29 September 2009

Country information

HISTORY

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.

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Contacts

Cayman Islands, George Town, Governor's Office

Address:


Postal Address:
Governor's Office
PO Box 10261
Grand Cayman
CAYMAN ISLANDS KY1-1003

Physical Address:
Governor's Office
Suite 202
Second Floor
The Smith Road Centre
154 Smith Road
George Town
Grand Cayman  
Cayman Islands

Fax:

(+1) 345 945 4131 General

Email: staffoff@candw.ky

Office hours:

1330-1800/1900-2200 GMT
0830-1700 Local Time

Website: http://ukincayman.fco.gov.uk/en/