Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Cayman Islands
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
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)
Administrative divisions:
8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, first Monday in July
Constitution:
The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009, 6 November 2009
Legal system:
English common law and local statutes
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Duncan TAYLOR (since 15 January 2010)
head of government:
Premier Juliana O'CONNOR-CONNOLLY (since 19 December 2012) note: Mckeeva BUSH was defeated in a no-confidence vote on 18 December 2012
cabinet:
The Cabinet (six members are appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier, selected from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly)
elections:
the monarchy is hereditary; the governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition appointed by the governor as premier
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; 18 members elected by popular vote and 2 ex officio members from The Cabinet; to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held on 20 May 2009 (next to be held not later than May 2013)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDP 9, PPM 5, independent 1
Judicial branch:
Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal; Summary Court
Political parties and leaders:
People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
National Trust
other:
environmentalists
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:
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 and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS
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)