Cayman

The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean Sea, comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. It is a global offshore financial services centre and one of the leading tourist scuba diving destinations in the world.

The main industries in the Caymans are hospitality and tourism, banking and finance, and insurance. Wages normally reflect an acknowledgement of the higher cost of living. It is against the law to work in the Cayman Islands without a valid work permit, and visitors must apply for and acquire work permits before arrival. Those who work in the Cayman Islands without a valid work permit are subject to arrest, fines, and deportation.

English is the official language of the Cayman Islands and is spoken everywhere. There is a large Jamaican population speaking a typical creole English dialect, and a large Spanish speaking population from nearby Cuba.

Geography and Climate
The Cayman Islands have a land area of 259 km² (101.2 square miles), about 1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C. and 3 km² larger than Saint Kitts and Nevis. The Caymans have a coastline of 160 km (99 km). The Cayman Islands make a maritime claim of a 200-nautical mile exclusive fishing zone and a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles.

The Cayman Islands have a tropical marine climate, with a wet season of warm, rainy summers (May to October) and a dry season of relatively cool winters (November to April). Terrain is mostly a low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs.