GENERAL INFORMATION
 
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory comprised of three islands, Cayman Brac which is 12 miles long and about 1 mile wide with a total of 22 sq. miles; Little Cayman which is 10 miles long with maximum width of 2 miles and a total of 20 sq. miles; and Grand Cayman which is about 22 miles long with a maximum width of 8 miles and an area of 76 sq. miles. The islands are composed of coral and limestone and are located about 180 miles northwest of Jamaica, about 95 miles south of Cuba and about 480 miles south of Miami. The capital is George Town, located on the largest of the three islands, Grand Cayman. The population of the three islands is approximately The principal industries are tourism, banking, offshore finance and companies registry. The Cayman Islands are home to over 500 banks and over 32,000 offshore companies.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

Columbus sighted the Cayman Islands on May 17, 1503 on his last voyage to the West Indies. His ship's log records the event thus, " We are passing two low lying islands [Cayman Brac and Little Cayman]. There are thousands of tortoises in the surrounding waters, which look like small rocks." He named the Islands Las Tortugas" for the many turtles seen. The name was changed about 27 years later to Caimanus" , there are several stories on this name, however, one story is that it was for the many crocodiles on the islands. The islands were never settled by the Spaniards and were ceded to the British by the treaty of Madrid in 1670. Settlers soon began arriving, with the first of these being shipwrecked sailors and deserters from Cromwell's army in Jamaica. The islands also became a famous haunt for pirates and buccaneers, the most famous of these being Sir Henry Morgan and Edward Teach (Blackbeard) as well as Anne Bonnie.

The early settlers were mainly interested in turtle fishing. This necessitated the building and sailing of their own ships. As a result of this need, they also developed a reputation as shipbuilders. They were very efficient at both trades and so good at it, in fact, that when the entire turtle species from the local waters were almost exhausted , this resulted in the settlers going further afield to catch turtles, and ended up fishing off the Cuban and Central American coasts. Caymanian surnames are still very predominant in some of these areas even today. Shipbuilding and sailing became the mainstay of the economy in the early years and it was a common sight to see Cayman schooners in many North American ports and as far from home as Nova Scotia, Canada or Seattle, Washington. Caymanian seamen began sailing on ships all over the world and soon earned the reputation of being the "The best seamen in the world." The earnings of these seamen were the mainstays of the economy, up until the early nineteen seventies.

During the middle nineteen sixties, Banking and Registering of Offshore Companies were introduced by the Honourable Vassell Johnson, then Financial Secretary, to supplement the new tourism industry. This has proven a successful move and has developed into a multi-million dollar industry, with the Cayman Islands now the fifth largest financial center in the world. The spin-off from the financial industry can be seen in the development of the country as a whole, with the Capital of George Town sporting almost all modern buildings and one of the best communications systems in the Caribbean. Mr. Vassell Johnson has been Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the financial industry and the Cayman Islands in general, he is now Sir Vassell Johnson.

INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT
The Government of the Cayman Islands is divided into three main branches,

(a) Executive
(b) Judicial
(c) Legislative

These three branches make up what we know as the machinery of Government. The primary
functions of these three branches are:

EXECUTIVE:

· Implements Laws
· Administers Policies
· Provides Public Services

This is the branch of Government known as the "Civil Service" or more commonly known as "Government".

JUDICIARY:

· Ensures that justice is carried out
· Enforces the laws of the country

This branch includes the Legal Department, Courts, Police and Prisons.

LEGISLATIVE:

· Passes Laws
· Appropriate Spending
· Adopts Reports
· Reviews Government Spending
· Debates Issues and Concerns of Public Interest

This branch is made up of the Official Members and Elected Representatives serving in the Legislative Assembly.

The Legislative Assembly is made up of Elected Representatives, Official Members, The Speaker of the House, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and the staff of the department. The people of the country, during General Elections elect fifteen members every four years. These Elected Members then elect five members from among themselves, to serve as members of the Executive Council. The five members serve on the Council as Ministers of Government and head the five Ministries, which handle the affairs of Government.