cayman islands

English - English

Definition of cayman islands in English English dictionary

a British colony in the Caribbean northwest of Jamaica; an international banking center

A British territory in the Caribbean

{i} group of islands southeast of Cuba (in the Caribbean Sea)

a group of three islands in the Caribbean Sea, northwest of Jamaica, which are a British dependency. Population: 36,000 (2001). Capital: George Town. British colony (pop., 2000 est.: 34,763), Caribbean Sea. Located about 200 mi (320 km) northwest of Jamaica, it has a total land area of 118 sq mi (306 sq km). The islands include Grand Cayman (the largest and the location of the capital, George Town), Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Though discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1503, the islands were never occupied by the Spanish. Ceded to the British in 1670, they were subsequently settled by the English arriving from Jamaica. The islands were administered as a dependency of Jamaica until Jamaican independence in 1962; a constitution providing for an elected governor was enacted in 1972. The Cayman Islands are a popular tourist area and a financial centre

Related Terms

cayman islands dollar

the basic unit of money in the Cayman Islands

Hyphenation

cay·man islands

Turkish pronunciation

keymın aylındz

Pronunciation

/ˈkāmən ˈīləndz/ /ˈkeɪmən ˈaɪləndz/