Cayman Islands quick facts

• The Cayman Islands are around 150 miles (240 km) from Cuba and 180 miles (290 km) north west of Jamaica.
• All 3 Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman) are submerged mountain tops so there are walls around the islands, some up to 20,000 feet or more in depth.
• English is the official language in Cayman Islands.
• Christopher Columbus, sighted the islands in May 10, 1503. He named the islands Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there.
• Cayman Islands, along with Jamaica, were ceded to England by Spain in 1670.
• The Cayman Islands remained largely uninhabited until the Seventeenth century.
• The majority of Caymanians are of African and English descent, with considerable interracial mixing.
• The first recorded permanent inhabitant of the Cayman Islands, Isaac Bodden, was born on Grand Cayman around 1661.
• The Cayman Islands have more registered businesses than they have people.
• The Cayman Islands Dollar (KYD) is the official currency, which is divided into 100 cents.
• The islands are almost exclusively Christian, with large numbers of Presbyterians and Catholics.
• Travelers entering the Cayman Islands may take 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 225g of tobacco, as well as one liter of alcohol, without paying duty on these.