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General Information resources about Cayman

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History

As a schoolboy I learnt "In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue" as a rhyme to remember when the America was discovered. But is wasn't until his fourth and last voyage to the New World, on May 10, 1503 that he discovered Cayman Brac and Little Cayman when sailing from Panama to Hispaniola. The event was recorded in the ship's log: "... we were in sight of two very small islands, full of tortoise, as was the sea about, inasmuch as they looked like little rocks." Columbus named the islands Las Tortugas after the turtles. A map of 1523 shows all three islands and names them Lagartos, meaning alligators or large lizards, but by 1530 the islands were being referred to as Caymanas, derived from the Carib Indian word for the marine crocodile.

In 1586 Sir Francis Drake visited Grand Cayman and noted it was uninhabited except for crocodiles, alligators, iguanas and turtles. He reported seeing "great serpents called Caymanas, like large lizards, which are edible."

The Islands' ample supply of turtle made them a popular calling place for ships sailing the Caribbean and in need of meat for their crews. This began a trend that eventually denuded local waters of the turtle, compelling local turtle fishermen to go further afield in search of their catch.

The first recorded settlements were located on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac during 1661-71. Because of the depredations of Spanish privateers, the governor of Jamaica called the settlers back to Jamaica, though by this time Spain had recognised British possession of the Islands in the 1670 Treaty of Madrid. Often in breach of the treaty, British privateers roamed the area taking their prizes, probably using the Cayman Islands to replenish stocks of food and water and careen their vessels.

The first royal grant of land in Grand Cayman was made by the governor of Jamaica in 1734. It covered 3,000 acres in the area between Prospect and North Sound. Others followed up to 1742, developing an existing settlement, which included the use of slaves.

On 8 February 1794, an event occurred which grew into one of Cayman's favourite legends -- The Wreck of the Ten Sail. A convoy of more than 58 merchantmen sailing from Jamaica to England found itself dangerously close to the reef on the east end of Grand Cayman. Ten of the ships, including HMS Convert, the navy vessel providing protection, foundered on the reef. With the aid of Caymanians, the crews and passengers mostly survived, although some eight lives were lost.

The first census in 1802, showed a population on Grand Cayman of 933, of whom 545 were slaves. Before slavery was abolished in 1834, there were over 950 slaves owned by 116 families.

Though Cayman was regarded as a dependency of Jamaica, the reins of government by that colony were loosely held in the early years, and a tradition grew of self-government, with matters of public concern decided at meetings of all free males. In 1831 a legislative assembly was established at Pedro St James.

In 1863 when an act of the British parliament formally made the Cayman Islands a dependency of Jamaica. When Jamaica achieved independence in 1962, the Islands opted to remain under the British Crown, and an administrator appointed from London assumed the responsibilities previously held by the governor of Jamaica

The constitution currently provides for a Crown-appointed Governor, a Legislative Assembly and a Cabinet.

Websites

Blogs

Arteccentrix by Nickola McCoy. Original fine art in Cayman plus high quality giclee prints and printing services for artists

Cayman artist Nickola McCoy's Blog On Art & Artists

"Better than the average bullsh*t"

The blog of an affiliate marketer on Grand Cayman

Blog by Realtor Paul Aiken - Where Caymanians voice their concerns about their country

Some thoughts and ponderings on news items, but as the author warns "... this site is for entertainment purposes only - if you don't get it, then get lost!"

Life in Cayman and The Reef Resort (in the East End)

Blog from the Leader of Government Business, Hon. D. Kurt Tibbetts, on the proposed new bill

Blog my Micho, including details of his move and settling in to Cayman

George Town based Afrodite vents her feminine angst; traffic woes; child-rearing headaches; work drama; boyfriend drama; best friend drama; drunken mishaps; PMS and other physical ailments; bad-hair days and general societal drama

Host of the popular Straight Talk radio shown whos show was cancelled at short notice.

Blog updates on hurricane season weather by CaymanMike

General Tourist Information

Brief details about the island, but a useful page of discount coupons for car hire, internet access, free gifts, Stingray City trips, etc

Good basic information

A joint program by the National Trust of the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands Government, The World Conservation Union - Iguana Specialist Group, The International Iguana Foundation and The International Reptile Conservation Foundation to save the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana from extinction

Web site for the Cayman Islands Darwin Project, looking at the conservation of Cayman's rich environmental diversity for future generations

All the information about the Brac in one site!

Another general site for all things on the Brac

Details of some of the climbs

Useful information on some of the rock climbs available (including those that have been re-bolted with non-corrosive bolts!)

Produced by the District Administration for the two inslands. Information on points of interest, accommodation, dining, activities, etc.

Nothing to do with mobile homes! This is a highly organized yearly group fly-in from Key West to Grand Cayman. If you have a an IFR-capable aircraft (and pilot) join the gang!

Web site for the annual Batabano celebrations held in April or May

Calendars of the Cayman Islands. Currently mainly information from churches, charities and voluntary groups.

Cayman Islands Resort, Hotel And Vacation Information from Changes In L'attitudes, Inc.

Subscription site. Flag, map, economy, geography, etc. from CountryReports.org - The Leader in Historical, Cultural, and Statistical Country Information

Flag, ensign and crest information

From Resort Islands Travel Guides

From Travel.com

From USA Today

From WorldTravelGuide.com. Good collection of general information

Basic info from Caribbean-connection.com

Offers discounts for restaurants, nightlife, shopping and attractions. Also includes some useful general information and a few freebies!

Includes electronic postcards! There are also specific sites for the UK, Europe, Canada and Divers

From the Definitive Caribbean Travel Guide

The most comprehensive guide to dining out in the Cayman Islands

Promoting the tourism business on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman

Organizing your way to the Cayman Islands

Online travel guide and reservations for Grand Cayman

From the authors of Adventure Guide to the Cayman Islands and Cayman Islands Alive!

An informal network of people interested in preserving native plants to support wildlife, with a focus on the Cayman Islands' 50 species of butterflies with their larval food plants and nectar sources

Information from the CIA factbook

Courtesy of WorldTimeServer.com

Cayman info, with some great photos!

From NationMaster.com. Offers a range of statistics from CO2 emmisions to FIFA World Ranking, but most of the data is from the CIA Factbook (see above)

Basic information provided by Lonely Planet guides

Select the topics you are interested in for a personalised guide

Independent guide to Grand Cayman

Useful site for information on Cayman

Basic info from the eponymous guide books

Summary of the marine park laws, zone definitions, maps, posters etc.

View of Grand Cayman from 115 miles up! You can see a list of all the aerial photos at http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/clickmap.pl?hashnumber=6231&fieldlist=GEON,FEAT,EXPO,LAT,LON,TILT,CLDP,PDATE,IMAGE&options=none For photos of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, see http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/clickmap.pl?hashnumber=6232&fieldlist=GEON,FEAT,EXPO,LAT,LON,TILT,CLDP,PDATE,IMAGE&options=none

Your guide to the ecology of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, including birds, reptiles, animals, fish, vegetation and geology. This site also contains information on island history, culture, events and accommodations

Details and photos of the National symbols; Flag and Crest; Sir Turtle, National Tree (Silver Thatch Palm), National Bird, (Grand Cayman Parrot), National Flower (Wild Banana Orchid) and National Song (Beloved Isle Cayman)

Claims to be the official Web Site of the Cayman Islands, but doesn't say under who's authority!!!

The national festival of the Cayman Islands - held at the start of November

Explains why the islands were never settled in prehistoric times

General information, plus a good list of condos/apartment

From the Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP)

Wide range of statistics from "Agricultural production index" to "Youth unemployment"

Web site of the tourist magazine

Entries under Business and Shopping , Community, Entertainment and Arts, Health, Real Estate, Recreation and Sports, Travel and Transportation

Directories

  • AboutCayman.net - Travel Guide & Search Directory
  • Cayman123.com

Find anything in 3 clicks

The first independent full service phone directory for the Cayman Islands launched in January 2007

From iaqi.com. Limited number of categories and entries

Full online White and Yellow pages

Courtesy of Cable & Wireless. Residential and commercial searching by name

Financial services directory, but doesn't appear to have been updated since 2004/5

Another directory of Cayman businesses

Limited number of entries

The official partner website for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism for bars restaurants and coffee shops in the Cayman Islands

The most up to date and comprehensive guide for living, moving and working in the Cayman Islands.

Discussion boards

Courtesy of Boards2Go.com

From cruisecritic.com - therefore principally aimed at day cruise visitors

Discussion board with topic areas including: General Discussion Topics about the Cayman Islands, Accommodation, Dining and Entertainment, Sightseeing, Watersports, Cruise Ship Activities and Personals

From Caribbean-On-Line.com

From caribbeanmag.com

  • CaymanNetNews Readers' Forum

Opportunity to add your comments/views to items in the news

From Fodors. Ocasional postings about Cayman

Discussion board (you need to register) including postings of local job adverts

A forum dedicated to all things Cayman, past present and future. Some boards require registration.

The Cayman Islands Entertainment E-zine

Message board for scuba divers going to Cayman. Includes previous trip reports.

New message board, but they encourage you to register to use it

Covers all of the Caribbean, but has included some Cayman threads in the past

National Symbols

See the details about the Flag and Crest, Sir Turtle, National Tree (Silver Thatch Palm), National Flower (Wild Banana Orchid), National Bird (Grand Cayman Parrot) and National Song (Beloved Isle Cayman) at http://www.gotocayman.com/gcmsymb.htm

Maps

Courtesy of Beacon Harbor

From the Cayman Compass. Only covers Grand Cayman

Maps of all the restaurants, bars and coffe shops on Grand Cayman

Printed on waterproof, rip-proof plastic. Available folded or flat laminated (like a placemat) and showing all the main dive sites and attraction in the Cayman Islands

From gobeach.com - includes the main villas and codos

First published in 2002 by the Lands & Survey Department, now available online. There are separate index pages for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac

Indicating the major hotels/condos, shopping plazas and roads

Weather

Check out my FAQ for weather statistics throughout the year.

Current temperature and time in Cayman: 78384.gif

Information, weather discussions and local reports regarding tropical systems threatening the Caribbean islands. Includes bulletin boards to discuss the weather and aftermath help required from a hurricane hit at http://help.stormcarib.com/index.php?f=5. The site has a useful tool to calculate how close a hurricane will approach each island in the Caribbean

Satelite images, five-day forecast, 10 and 30 day sun and tide tables

From weatherhub.com

Including temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, rain rate, rain in the last day/month/year, daile/monthly/yearly highs and lows. Now includes a lightning detector and a weather station for Cayman Brac.

Website is designed to help residents prepare for disasters (including huirricanes) and resulting crises and recover quickly and act as an important communication avenue locally and overseas

From accuweather.com Includes satellite images

Intellicast.com four day weather forecast

Info for cities threatened by Atlantic hurricanes. Includes a brief history of storms/hurricanes that have hit Cayman at http://www.hurricanecity.com/city/caymanislands.htm

From the Weather Channel at weather.com

Including hurricane tracking

Hurricane tracking maps, advisories, forecasts, etc.

Includes details on current temperature, pressure, wind speed, etc.

Reporting on weather stations in South Sound, East End, Red Bay and Owen Roberts Airport

Blog updates on hurricane season weather by CaymanMike

If there is a hurricane/storm in action, it is worth checking out Caribbean Hurricane Network for local reports.

WebCams

Now moved to a separate page

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