Capital
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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)
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Country Name
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cayman Islands
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Dependency Status
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overseas territory of the UK
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Type of Government
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parliamentary democracy
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Background
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The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies. When the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.
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Branches
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no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (2008)
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Age Structure
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0-14 years: 19.3% (male 4,877/female 4,814)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 17,385/female 18,322)
65 years and over: 9.6% (male 2,262/female 2,549) (2010 est.)
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Languages
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English 95%, Spanish 3.2%, other 1.8% (1999 census)
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Population
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50,209
note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2010 est.)
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Religions
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Church of God 26%, United Church 11.8% (Presbyterian and Congregational), Roman Catholic 11%, Baptist 8.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.2%, Anglican 5.7%, Pentecostal 5.3%, other Christian 2.7%, non-denominational 5.8%, other 3.8%, none 9.8%, unspecified 1.1% (1999 census)
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Internet Users
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23,000 (2008)
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Area - Comparative
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1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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Area
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total: 264 sq km
land: 264 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Terrain
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low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
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Climate
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tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
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Natural Hazards
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hurricanes (July to November)
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