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The
Cayman Islands (you can say it K-man) are diverse: dotted
with deal-cutting characters with briefcases and cellphones,
scuba divers in electric wetsuits and English folk checking
the cricket scores over a g&t. The Caymans are colorful:
coral reefs, bright orange frogfish, sociable stingrays and
reggae beats on the street. They're mellow: leafblowers are
noisier than the traffic, and most of the smoke comes from
cruise-shippers plugging their faces with Cuban cigars. Hell,
even Hell's chilled out in the Caymans.
The
islands have long been a haven for bankers and divers, but
travelers of all stripes are now flocking there in growing
numbers. As a result, resorts and condos have sprung up all
over, and you can count on air-con, cold beer and ESPN. But
if you want to get away from it all (well, except the cold
beer), there are lots of places in the Caymans to escape satellite
dishes and slickness, not least of them underwater.
Area:
100 sq miles (260 sq km)
Population: 39,335
Capital city: George Town on Grand Cayman (pop 16,000)
People: Mixed African and European descent
Language: English
Religion: United Church, Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic
Government: British dependency
GDP:
US$930 million
GDP per head: US$24,500
Inflation: 2.7%
Major industries: Tourism, banking, insurance and finance
Major trading partners: USA, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad
and Tobago, Japan
Cayman
Islands Flight from UK
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