Country name:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Cayman Islands
etymology:
the islands' name comes from the native Carib word "caiman," describing the marine crocodiles living there
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
parliamentary democracy; self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Capital:
name:
George Town (on Grand Cayman)
geographic coordinates:
19 18 N, 81 23 W
time difference:
UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: named after English King George III (1760-1820)
Administrative divisions:
6 districts; Bodden Town, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, East End, George Town, North Side, West Bay
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, the first Monday in July (1959)
Constitution:
history:
several previous; latest approved 10 June 2009, entered into force 6 November 2009 (The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009)
amendments:
amended several times, last in 2016
(2018)
Legal system:
English common law and local statutes
Citizenship:
see United Kingdom
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Martyn ROPER (since 29 October 2018)
head of government:
Premier Alden MCLAUGHLIN (since 29 May 2013)
cabinet:
Cabinet selected from the Legislative Assembly and appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier
elections/appointments:
the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition appointed premier by the governor
Legislative branch:
description:
unicameral Legislative Assembly (21 seats; 19 members directly elected by majority vote and 2 ex officio members - the deputy governor and attorney general - appointed by the governor; members serve 4-year terms)
elections:
last held on 24 May 2017 (next to be held in 2021)
election results:
percent of vote by party - independent 44.7%, PPM 31.2%, CDP 24.1%; seats by party - independent 9, PPM 7, CDP 3; composition - men 18, women 3, percent of women 14.3%
Judicial branch:
highest courts:
Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and at least 2 judges); Grand Court (consists of the court president and at least 2 judges); note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
judge selection and term of office:
Court of Appeal and Grand Court judges appointed by the governor on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an 8-member independent body consisting of governor appointees, Court of Appeal president, and attorneys; Court of Appeal judges' tenure based on their individual instruments of appointment; Grand Court judges normally appointed until retirement at age 65 but can be extended until age 70
subordinate courts:
Summary Court
Political parties and leaders:
People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Alden MCLAUGHLIN]
Cayman Democratic Party or CDP [McKeeva BUSH]
International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK); consular services provided through the US Embassy in Jamaica
Flag description:
a blue field with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a crest with a pineapple, representing the connection with Jamaica, and a turtle, representing Cayman's seafaring tradition, above a shield bearing a golden lion, symbolizing Great Britain, below which are three green stars (representing the three islands) surmounting white and blue wavy lines representing the sea; a scroll below the shield bears the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS
National symbol(s):
green sea turtle
National anthem:
name:
Beloved Isle Cayman
lyrics/music:
Leila E. ROSS
note: adopted 1993; served as an unofficial anthem since 1930; as a territory of the United Kingdom, in addition to the local anthem, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)
