| 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 (1738-1820) |
| 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 2016, 2020 |
| Legal system | English common law and local statutes |
| Citizenship | see United Kingdom |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| 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 Wayne PANTON (since 21 April 2021) cabinet: Cabinet selected from the Parliament 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 Parliament (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 14 April 2021 (next to be held on 2025) election results: percent of vote by party - independent 79.1%, PPM 19.6%; seats by party - independent 12, PPM 7 |
| 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 | embassy: 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) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
